Cost of living comparison
compared to
Los Angeles vs. Seattle Cost of Living Summary
Los Angeles is 8.4% cheaper than Seattle.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.1% less in Los Angeles
- Groceries
-
pay 13.7% less in Los Angeles
- Transportation
-
pay 0.2% more in Los Angeles
- Housing
-
pay 3.8% less in Los Angeles
- Childcare
-
pay 14.9% less in Los Angeles
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 8.7% less in Los Angeles
- Clothing
-
pay 8.6% less in Los Angeles
Expenses including childcare, groceries, restaurants, entertainment and sports, clothing, and housing are lower in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles vs. Seattle Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Los Angeles instead of Seattle, you would:
pay 9.1% less for restaurants
|
Seattle
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$15.00
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.00
|
$2.83
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.47
|
$2.26
|
|
Seattle vs. Los Angeles - Cost of restaurants
pay 13.7% less for groceries
|
Seattle
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$5.23
|
$4.52
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$11.39
|
$6.67
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.40
|
$4.71
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$7.32
|
$7.43
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.35
|
$7.55
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.87
|
$2.60
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.26
|
$1.27
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.43
|
$2.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.18
|
$2.17
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.47
|
$1.38
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.57
|
$1.22
|
|
Seattle vs. Los Angeles - Cost of groceries
pay 0.2% more for transportation
|
Seattle
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.55
|
$4.78
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$99.50
|
$93.48
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,656.56
|
$32,727.50
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.02
|
$18.01
|
|
Seattle vs. Los Angeles - Cost of transportation
pay 3.8% less for housing
|
Seattle
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$78.37
|
$74.01
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,333.68
|
$2,536.54
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,900.00
|
$1,984.71
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$200.99
|
$155.53
|
|
Seattle vs. Los Angeles - Cost of housing
pay 14.9% less for childcare
|
Seattle
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,200.00
|
$1,762.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,000.00
|
$27,000.00
|
|
Seattle vs. Los Angeles - Cost of childcare
pay 8.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Seattle
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.75
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.04
|
$5.76
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.75
|
$11.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$85.87
|
$47.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.00
|
$18.00
|
|
Seattle vs. Los Angeles - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 8.6% less for clothing
|
Seattle
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.52
|
$61.25
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$54.68
|
$44.15
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$116.24
|
$100.09
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$135.08
|
$149.85
|
|
Seattle 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 Seattle. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.