Where you live now
Los AngelesUnited States
$3,968
per month
Choose where you live now and another city. You'll see what a normal month costs in each: rent, food, transport, bills and going out.
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Monthly cost for one person, renting in the city centre. Includes rent, food, transport, bills and going out.
Where you live now
$3,968
per month
City to compare
$5,691
per month
| Category | Los Angeles | New York | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | 2,700 | 4,300 | +59% |
| Groceries | 396 | 424 | +7% |
| Eating out | 351 | 398 | +14% |
| Getting around | 142 | 158 | +11% |
| Bills | 242 | 262 | +8% |
| Going out | 115 | 126 | +10% |
| Clothes | 24 | 24 | +3% |
| Total per month | 3,968 | 5,691 | +43% |
New York is 43% more expensive than Los Angeles for one person renting in the city centre. The biggest gap is rent (+59%); clothes is the closest (+3%). Someone spending $3,968 a month in Los Angeles would need about $5,691 in New York for the same lifestyle. Rent takes 76% of the monthly budget in New York and 68% in Los Angeles.
New York: no reports yet, so these numbers are starting estimates from the city's overall price level.How this is calculated
Prices
The typical price people paid recently, and how it compares with Los Angeles. "Estimated" means we don't have many reports yet.
| Item | Typical price | What people paid | vs Los Angeles | Reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cappuccino, regularEstimated | $5.50 | +13% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| Meal at an inexpensive restaurantEstimated | $25.00 | +15% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| Monthly public transport passEstimated | $132 | +11% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| 1-bedroom flat, city centreEstimated | $4,300 | +59% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| 1-bedroom flat, outside the centreEstimated | $3,096 | +59% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| Milk, 1 LEstimated | $1.30 | +7% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| Eggs, 12Estimated | $5.00 | +8% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kgEstimated | $13.00 | +7% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| Electricity, water, heating and cooling for 85 m²Estimated | $210 | +9% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| Home internet, 60 Mbps or fasterEstimated | $65.00 | +8% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| Mobile plan with calls and 10 GB+ dataEstimated | $60.00 | +8% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| Gym membership, monthlyEstimated | $90.00 | +10% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| Cinema ticketEstimated | $18.00 | +10% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports | |
| Jeans, Levi's 501 or similarEstimated | $65.00 | +3% vs Los Angeles | 0 reports |
Method
People who live in each city share what they paid. Every price is checked before it counts.
Anyone can add what they paid, in their own currency. No account needed. A quick automatic check keeps bots out.
Typos, wrong currencies and impossible amounts are caught. An unusual price only counts after someone else reports something similar.
We use the middle price of recent reports. When a city has only a few reports, we estimate the rest and label it "Estimated".
No reports in the last 30 days yet. When they arrive, you'll see here how many were counted, held for a second opinion or turned down.
Rankings
Monthly cost for one person renting in the city centre, in US dollars. Pick a city to compare it with Los Angeles. See all 118 cities
Comparisons
Cities people often weigh up against each other. Monthly cost for one person, rent in the centre included.
Directory
Rent, groceries, eating out and monthly budgets for every city we cover.
FAQ
No. One person renting a 1-bedroom flat in the centre spends about $5,691 a month in New York, against $3,968 in Los Angeles: 43% more.
A 1-bedroom flat in the centre of New York rents for about $4,300 a month, +59% compared with $2,700 in Los Angeles. Outside the centre it's about $3,096 against $1,944.
To keep the lifestyle that costs $3,968 a month in Los Angeles, plan on about $5,691 in New York for one person. A family of four would need about $14,598, compared with $10,690 in Los Angeles.
A meal at an inexpensive restaurant is about $25.00 in New York and $21.80 in Los Angeles. A regular cappuccino is about $5.50 against $4.85.
Add what you paid for rent, groceries or a bus ticket. It takes about a minute and you don't need an account.