Cost of living comparison
compared to
Los Angeles vs. Washington Cost of Living Summary
Los Angeles is 6.2% cheaper than Washington.
- Restaurants
-
pay 7.4% less in Los Angeles
- Groceries
-
pay 2.2% more in Los Angeles
- Transportation
-
pay 13.8% more in Los Angeles
- Housing
-
pay 1.6% more in Los Angeles
- Childcare
-
pay 33.1% less in Los Angeles
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 15.9% less in Los Angeles
- Clothing
-
pay 4.9% less in Los Angeles
The cost of transportation, groceries, and housing in Los Angeles are more expensive than in Washington. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and clothing are lower in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles vs. Washington Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Los Angeles instead of Washington, you would:
pay 7.4% less for restaurants
|
Washington
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.20
|
$2.83
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.79
|
$2.26
|
|
Washington vs. Los Angeles - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.2% more for groceries
|
Washington
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.43
|
$4.52
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.04
|
$6.67
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.19
|
$4.71
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.55
|
$7.43
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.74
|
$7.55
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.95
|
$2.60
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$1.27
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$2.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.00
|
$2.17
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.35
|
$1.38
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.64
|
$1.22
|
|
Washington vs. Los Angeles - Cost of groceries
pay 13.8% more for transportation
|
Washington
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.53
|
$4.78
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$77.50
|
$93.48
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,699.74
|
$32,727.50
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.73
|
$18.01
|
|
Washington vs. Los Angeles - Cost of transportation
pay 1.6% more for housing
|
Washington
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$69.41
|
$74.01
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,568.48
|
$2,536.54
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,088.16
|
$1,984.71
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$146.54
|
$155.53
|
|
Washington vs. Los Angeles - Cost of housing
pay 33.1% less for childcare
|
Washington
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,650.00
|
$1,762.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$40,166.67
|
$27,000.00
|
|
Washington vs. Los Angeles - Cost of childcare
pay 15.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
Washington
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.07
|
$5.76
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.00
|
$11.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$103.76
|
$47.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.75
|
$18.00
|
|
Washington vs. Los Angeles - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.9% less for clothing
|
Washington
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$76.00
|
$61.25
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$48.40
|
$44.15
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$104.31
|
$100.09
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$133.22
|
$149.85
|
|
Washington 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
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