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New York vs Los Angeles: cost of living, pay and jobs compared
New York is the cheaper place to live: overall prices run 1% lower than in Los Angeles, and housing runs 15% lower. New York pays more in dollars (a typical official wage of $61,500 against $56,000), and after local prices are counted the typical paycheck goes further in New York ($54,500 against $49,000 in average-US dollars).
The short answer
- Prices: New York runs 1% lower than Los Angeles overall, and housing runs 13% lower.
- To keep the buying power of $100,000 in Los Angeles, you need about $99,000 in New York. To keep $100,000 from New York, you need about $101,000 in Los Angeles.
- Official median wage for all jobs: $61,500 in New York, $56,000 in Los Angeles.
- Median pay listed in open postings: $168,000 in New York, $157,500 in Los Angeles.
- Open postings in our data: 12,642 in New York from 1,485 employers, 10,784 in Los Angeles from 844 employers.
- Unemployment: 4.7% in New York, 4.8% in Los Angeles (BLS).
New York and Los Angeles side by side
| Measure | New York | Los Angeles | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall price level (US = 100) | 112.6 | 113.6 | About the same |
| Housing price level | 148.6 | 170.4 | New York |
| Official median wage, all jobs | $61,500 | $56,000 | New York |
| Paycheck power (wage adjusted for prices) | $54,500 | $49,000 | New York |
| Median pay in open postings | $168,000 | $157,500 | New York |
| Postings that list pay | 65.6% | 62.4% | New York |
| Open postings in our data | 12,642 | 10,784 | – |
| Employers hiring in our data | 1,485 | 844 | – |
| Unemployment rate (BLS) | 4.7% | 4.8% | New York |
| Postings open more than 60 days | 41.4% | 41.1% | About the same |
| Median days a posting has been open | 45 | 44 | Los Angeles |
| Entry-level share of postings | 9.5% | 9.4% | – |
| Remote share of postings | 16.2% | 3.9% | – |
| Indeed postings index vs Feb 2020 | -15% | -15.6% | New York |
"Edge" shows which area looks better on that measure (lower prices, higher pay, lower unemployment, fewer stale postings); counts and shares have no edge. Within 2% counts as about the same.
Cost of living
New York prices sit 112.6 against a US average of 100 and Los Angeles at 113.6. The biggest difference is housing: 148.6 in New York against 170.4 in Los Angeles. Utilities are 20% lower in New York. The index covers goods and services including rent and home costs, so it measures what a typical household spends, not what your own budget looks like.
| Price level (US = 100) | New York | Los Angeles | New York vs Los Angeles |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 112.6 | 113.6 | 1% lower |
| Housing | 148.6 | 170.4 | 13% lower |
| Goods | 110.3 | 106.6 | 3% higher |
| Utilities | 127 | 158.6 | 20% lower |
| Other services | 105.8 | 104.4 | 1% higher |
What a salary is worth in each place
Each row keeps your purchasing power the same. The left half moves a salary from Los Angeles to New York; the right half moves it the other way. "If only housing moved" uses the housing price level alone, for someone whose biggest cost is rent or a mortgage.
| Salary in Los Angeles | Matching salary in New York | If only housing moved | Salary in New York | Matching salary in Los Angeles | If only housing moved |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,500 | $43,500 | $50,000 | $50,500 | $57,500 |
| $75,000 | $74,500 | $65,500 | $75,000 | $75,500 | $86,000 |
| $100,000 | $99,000 | $87,000 | $100,000 | $101,000 | $114,500 |
| $125,000 | $124,000 | $109,000 | $125,000 | $126,000 | $143,500 |
| $150,000 | $148,500 | $131,000 | $150,000 | $151,500 | $172,000 |
| $200,000 | $198,000 | $174,500 | $200,000 | $202,000 | $229,500 |
As hourly pay (2,080 hours a year): $100,000 a year is about $48.10 an hour; the matching figure is about $47.65 an hour in New York for someone earning $100,000 in Los Angeles.
Pay for the same job
Across the 57 occupations that the Bureau of Labor Statistics measures in both areas, the median wage is higher in New York for 37 and higher in Los Angeles for 20. After local prices are counted, New York comes out ahead in 39 and Los Angeles in 18. The widest gap among the 15 largest occupations is waiters and waitresses: $47,600 in New York against $35,900 in Los Angeles.
| Occupation (15 largest) | New York median | Los Angeles median | New York adjusted for prices | Los Angeles adjusted for prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | $39,700 | $34,300 | $35,300 | $30,200 |
| Retail Salespersons | $38,300 | $37,700 | $34,000 | $33,200 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $35,400 | $42,100 | $31,500 | $37,100 |
| Registered Nurses | $119,700 | $135,600 | $106,400 | $119,400 |
| Cashiers | $36,000 | $37,000 | $31,900 | $32,600 |
| General and Operations Managers | $157,000 | $125,800 | $139,500 | $110,800 |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $42,800 | $38,700 | $38,100 | $34,100 |
| Office Clerks, General | $47,700 | $48,100 | $42,300 | $42,400 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $43,300 | $42,400 | $38,500 | $37,300 |
| Security Guards | $44,000 | $40,000 | $39,100 | $35,200 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $47,600 | $35,900 | $42,300 | $31,600 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | $38,600 | $38,700 | $34,300 | $34,000 |
| Customer Service Representatives | $49,600 | $48,800 | $44,100 | $43,000 |
| Accountants and Auditors | $105,700 | $94,400 | $93,900 | $83,100 |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | $51,400 | $53,600 | $45,700 | $47,200 |
Median annual wage for everyone in the occupation, all employers, May 2025 (BLS). "Adjusted" divides the wage by the area's price level (BEA, US = 100), so dollars are comparable.
Pay employers are offering right now
The wages above are what people earn in jobs they already hold. Open postings show what employers are offering today. In the job families where both areas have at least 15 postings that list pay, the median listed salary is higher in New York for 9 of 12 and higher in Los Angeles for 3. Posted pay tends to run above the all-worker median because it leans toward hiring for experienced roles at larger employers.
| Job family | New York median listed pay | Postings | Los Angeles median listed pay | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software developers | $211,500 | 707 | $193,000 | 482 |
| Sales | $150,000 | 845 | $109,000 | 327 |
| Operations and logistics | $150,000 | 379 | $146,000 | 313 |
| Marketing | $160,000 | 533 | $160,000 | 145 |
| Engineering (other) | $131,000 | 33 | $160,000 | 559 |
| Product and design | $190,000 | 437 | $154,000 | 140 |
| Legal and compliance | $185,000 | 292 | $165,500 | 138 |
| Software engineering | $205,000 | 220 | $185,000 | 166 |
| Finance and accounting | $160,000 | 233 | $150,000 | 147 |
| Security and IT | $203,500 | 185 | $170,000 | 160 |
| People and recruiting | $162,500 | 188 | $127,500 | 92 |
| Data and analytics | $150,000 | 191 | $151,500 | 52 |
Only postings that list a salary are counted. Median of the middle of each listed range. Job families need at least 15 such postings in both areas to appear.
Who is hiring
New York's postings lean toward software & technology (29.9%), while Los Angeles's lean toward manufacturing & industrial (27.5%). The mix matters because pay and hiring conditions differ a lot by industry.
- Largest posters in New York: Ramp (256), CoreWeave (155), DoorDash USA (151), Datadog (140), Profound (140).
- Largest posters in Los Angeles: Anduril Industries (1,554), SpaceX (750), Relativity (297), Rocketlab (267), K2spacecorporation (207).
Counts are open postings on each employer's own career page in our data; one big employer can shape a local market.
The job market
- Postings have been open a median of 45 days in New York and 44 in Los Angeles; 41.4% and 41.1% have been open more than 60 days.
- Entry-level roles are 9.5% of postings in New York and 9.4% in Los Angeles; senior and above are 53.6% and 48.7%.
- Fully remote roles are 16.2% of postings in New York and 3.9% in Los Angeles.
- Indeed's postings index sits 15% below its February 2020 level in New York and 15.6% below in Los Angeles.
- 65.6% of postings in New York list pay, against 62.4% in Los Angeles.
Which is better for you?
- If you can keep your current salary and move, the place with the lower price level (New York) stretches it further: $100,000 in Los Angeles has the buying power of about $99,000 in New York.
- If you will be paid the local going rate, New York comes out ahead after prices on the typical wage ($54,500 against $49,000).
- Software developers: median listed pay is $211,500 in New York and $193,000 in Los Angeles, which is $188,000 and $170,000 in average-US dollars.
- If housing is your biggest cost, the gap there (148.6 vs 170.4) matters more than the overall index.
No place is better for everyone. Taxes, commute, schools, climate and your own spending are not in these numbers.
Questions
Is it cheaper to live in New York or Los Angeles?
New York is cheaper. Overall prices run 1% lower than in Los Angeles, and housing runs 15% lower (BEA regional price parities, 2024, where the US average is 100).
How much do I need to earn in New York to match $100,000 in Los Angeles?
About $99,000 a year, using the ratio of overall price levels (112.6 in New York, 113.6 in Los Angeles). Prices only; taxes are not included.
Which city pays more, New York or Los Angeles?
New York has the higher typical wage across all jobs: $61,500 against $56,000 (BLS, May 2025). After local prices, New York has the higher paycheck power: $54,500 against $49,000 in average-US dollars.
Which has more job openings?
In the postings we read from employers' own career pages, New York has more: 12,642 against 10,784. This is a sample of employer postings, not a census of every job.
Where do these numbers come from?
Prices come from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, wages and unemployment from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and postings from employers' own career pages, collected October 2026. Every figure on this page is in a table or chart above.
More on these places
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: all the data
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: all the data
- Compare them in the interactive tool
- Cost-of-living ranking · Paycheck power ranking
Other comparisons
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Updated October 2026. Prices only: taxes and personal spending are not included. Price levels: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities, 2024. Wages and unemployment: Bureau of Labor Statistics (wages May 2025). Postings: employers' own career pages, October 2026. Methodology