City profile
Los Angeles, CA cost of living
CA · BEA RPP 113.566
Latest official changes
Updates affecting Los Angeles, CA
City metrics retain the historical BEA 2024 and HUD FY2027 benchmarks. Change-log entries are dated source notices and do not automatically update those values.
2024 overall RPP
113.566
US = 100
2024 housing-rent RPP
170.433
Housing component
2024 goods RPP
106.623
Goods component
2-BR FMR (HUD)
$2,964/mo
FY2027 FMR
Where Los Angeles, CA sits in the verified metro set
RPP rank
#4 of 67
+13.6 vs U.S. average
Vs median metro
+14.1
median RPP 99.5
2-BR rent rank
#5 of 67
+1,275/mo vs median verified metro
RPP ranks use only verified ReloMath metro records. Sources: BEA MARPP 2024 (all items, housing, goods, other services); HUD FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent; reviewed 2026-10-04. These are historical area benchmarks, not current neighborhood prices. HUD FMR is a 40th-percentile gross-rent benchmark, not median rent. BEA metro and HUD rent-area boundaries can differ. BEA: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) (code 31080). HUD: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA HUD Metro FMR Area (code METRO31080MM4480); counties or county equivalents: Los Angeles County. The official files were retrieved 2026-10-04.
Who’s moving in and out of Los Angeles, CA
IRS tax-return migration · 2022-2023Cost of living is only half the relocation question. The other half is which way people are actually voting with their feet, straight from IRS tax-return migration for the Los Angeles, CA metro.
Moved in
193,272
people · 131,095 households
Moved out
294,565
people · 180,140 households
Net
−101,293
net loss of residents
Net migration rank
#64 of 65
among IRS-covered ReloMath metros
Vs median net flow
-101,664
median +371 people
Largest flow share
12% in / 14% out
top named county shares
Where new residents came from
- San Bernardino County, CA 23,799
- Riverside County, CA 19,875
- San Diego County, CA 11,693
- Ventura County, CA 7,167
- Clark County, NV 6,816
Where residents moved to
- San Bernardino County, CA 41,370
- Riverside County, CA 36,839
- San Diego County, CA 15,106
- Clark County, NV 13,066
- Ventura County, CA 11,181
Counts are IRS tax filers (returns ≈ households, individuals ≈ exemptions) who changed address between 2022-2023. Flows too small for IRS to disclose are grouped and excluded from the named lists. Source: IRS SOI county-to-county migration data ↗, mapped to metros via the U.S. Census CBSA delineation.
What salary do you need in Los Angeles, CA?
Historical BEA 2024 salary illustration relative to the U.S. average (RPP 100), before tax and household adjustments. Housing is already included in overall RPP.
| In US-average city | You need in Los Angeles, CA | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $56,783 | $50,000 x (113.566/100) |
| $75,000 | $85,175 | $75,000 x (113.566/100) |
| $100,000 | $113,566 | $100,000 x (113.566/100) |
| $125,000 | $141,958 | $125,000 x (113.566/100) |
| $150,000 | $170,349 | $150,000 x (113.566/100) |
| $200,000 | $227,132 | $200,000 x (113.566/100) |
Salary illustrations use BEA 2024 overall Regional Price Parities (RPP) only, before tax and household-specific adjustments. Overall RPP already includes housing. HUD FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent is a separate historical gross-rent benchmark, not a current lease or median rent. Do not add rent to the RPP salary figure. Your lease and moving quote belong in a separate budget. Not financial advice.
Step 2: what will the move itself cost?
The historical salary illustration is separate from moving payments. Use an actual mover quote and lease terms in your budget summary.
State income tax note
Income tax and payroll deductions are not calculated. Obtain take-home estimates for your actual work and home addresses.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cost of living in Los Angeles, CA?
- In the historical BEA 2024 benchmark, Los Angeles, CA has an overall Regional Price Parity of 113.566 (US average = 100). Its overall price level is 13.6% higher than the national average for that year.
- What salary do I need to live in Los Angeles, CA?
- If you earn $100,000 in a US-average city (RPP 100), the BEA 2024 RPP illustration is approximately $113,566 in Los Angeles, CA, before tax and household adjustments.
- What historical rent benchmark is shown for Los Angeles, CA?
- The historical HUD Fair Market Rent benchmark for a 2-bedroom associated with Los Angeles, CA is $2,964 per month as of FY2027.
- Are people moving to or away from Los Angeles, CA?
- Based on IRS tax-return migration data for 2022-2023, about 193,272 people moved into the Los Angeles, CA metro and 294,565 moved out — a net loss of roughly 101,293 residents. The largest single source of new residents was San Bernardino County, CA.
Curated nearby & similar cities
Similar verified metros by RPP
These links are chosen by data proximity: closest overall RPP to Los Angeles, CA, with HUD 2-BR rent as a tie-breaker.
Curated cost-of-living comparisons for Los Angeles, CA
Side-by-side cost of living and the equivalent salary you'd need — pick a destination.
Check published data changes
Review dated source notices for tracked metros alongside Los Angeles, CA's historical benchmarks. Change-log entries do not automatically refresh the BEA 2024 or HUD FY2027 values shown here.
View cost-of-living change log