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CityLedger

Boston vs Los Angeles

Metro-area medians — Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area vs Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Boston comes out ahead, winning 8 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Boston is both cheaper to live in (about 5% less) and higher-earning (about 22% more) than Los Angeles. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Boston.

Their widest everyday difference: Boston has cleaner air on a typical day — a median AQI of 43 versus 80.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Boston, MA
$57,564
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$53,169
real value after local prices
Los Angeles, CA
$58,296
take-home / yr · 22% to tax
$51,333
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Boston leaves you about $1,836/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Boston
Los Angeles
Livability (CityLedger)
83/100
51/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
108.3
113.6
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$108,829
$84,889
Median household income
$117,825
$96,405
Median rent
$2,093/mo
$2,114/mo
Median home value
$681,100
$908,500
Unemployment
3.9%
5.7%
Bachelor's degree or higher
53%
39%
Average commute
31.9 min
30.7 min
Air quality (median AQI)
43
80
Avg temperature
50°F
66°F

Choose Boston for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Median home value
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Boston profile →

Choose Los Angeles for

  • + Average commute
Full Los Angeles profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Boston and Los Angeles on cost, income, size, and education.

Boston vs Washington→Boston vs Seattle→Boston vs Denver→Los Angeles vs Miami→Los Angeles vs Seattle→Los Angeles vs New York→

Boston vs Los Angeles — frequently asked

Is Boston cheaper than Los Angeles?
Boston is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 5% below Los Angeles's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Boston or Los Angeles?
Boston has the higher median household income — $117,825 versus $96,405 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 22% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Boston or Los Angeles?
A paycheck stretches further in Boston. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $108,829 there versus $84,889 in Los Angeles.
Which has cheaper rent, Boston or Los Angeles?
Rents are close — $2,093/mo in the Boston metro versus $2,114/mo in Los Angeles (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).