Cost of living comparison
compared to
Los Angeles vs. San Jose Cost of Living Summary
Los Angeles is 7.9% cheaper than San Jose.
- Restaurants
-
pay 1.4% more in Los Angeles
- Groceries
-
pay 13.7% less in Los Angeles
- Transportation
-
pay 2.6% less in Los Angeles
- Housing
-
pay 15.9% less in Los Angeles
- Childcare
-
pay 18.9% less in Los Angeles
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 14.5% less in Los Angeles
- Clothing
-
pay 9.2% more in Los Angeles
The cost of clothing and restaurants in Los Angeles are more expensive than in San Jose. Expenses including childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, and transportation are lower in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles vs. San Jose Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Los Angeles instead of San Jose, you would:
pay 1.4% more for restaurants
|
San Jose
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.50
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.42
|
$2.83
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.44
|
$2.26
|
|
San Jose vs. Los Angeles - Cost of restaurants
pay 13.7% less for groceries
|
San Jose
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$5.00
|
$4.52
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$11.39
|
$6.67
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.64
|
$4.71
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.40
|
$7.43
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.98
|
$7.55
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.95
|
$2.60
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.18
|
$1.27
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.62
|
$2.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.01
|
$2.17
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.94
|
$1.38
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$1.22
|
|
San Jose vs. Los Angeles - Cost of groceries
pay 2.6% less for transportation
|
San Jose
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.84
|
$4.78
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$90.00
|
$93.48
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,753.89
|
$32,727.50
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.41
|
$18.01
|
|
San Jose vs. Los Angeles - Cost of transportation
pay 15.9% less for housing
|
San Jose
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$70.13
|
$74.01
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,916.67
|
$2,536.54
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,700.00
|
$1,984.71
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$221.60
|
$155.53
|
|
San Jose vs. Los Angeles - Cost of housing
pay 18.9% less for childcare
|
San Jose
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,866.67
|
$1,762.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$39,800.00
|
$27,000.00
|
|
San Jose vs. Los Angeles - Cost of childcare
pay 14.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Jose
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$9.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.83
|
$5.76
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.50
|
$11.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$113.89
|
$47.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.00
|
$18.00
|
|
San Jose vs. Los Angeles - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.2% more for clothing
|
San Jose
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$56.50
|
$61.25
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$46.00
|
$44.15
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.89
|
$100.09
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$125.00
|
$149.85
|
|
San Jose vs. Los Angeles - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Los Angeles or San Jose. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.