To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Los Angeles, you'd need about $97,400 in New York — a $2,600 saving per year.
Estimated monthly spending for a middle-income household, adjusted by each metro's BEA price level.
The salary you'd need in New York to maintain the same purchasing power as each income level in Los Angeles, using the BEA price ratio of 0.974.
| Salary in Los Angeles | Equivalent in New York | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $48,700 | −$1,300 |
| $75,000 | $73,100 | −$1,900 |
| $100,000 | $97,400 | −$2,600 |
| $150,000 | $146,100 | −$3,900 |
| $200,000 | $194,800 | −$5,200 |
Moving from Los Angeles, CA to New York, NY means your everyday costs are cheaper by roughly 2.6%. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis measures Los Angeles's overall price level at 115.5 and New York's at 112.5, where 100 represents the national average. In practical terms, a household spending $5,943 per month in Los Angeles would spend about $5,779 for the equivalent lifestyle in New York — a swing of $164 every month, or $1,968 per year.
Housing is the decisive factor. Estimated monthly housing runs $2,686 in Los Angeles against $2,573 in New York. Because rent and mortgage costs vary far more between metros than groceries or utilities, the housing line alone accounts for most of the 2.6% gap.
For salary negotiation or a remote-work relocation, the key number is the equivalent salary. A $100,000 income in Los Angeles has the same purchasing power as $97,400 in New York. Looked at the other way, $100,000 in New York is worth about $102,700 in Los Angeles terms. Use the Cost of Living Calculator to plug in your own expenses.
Cost of living compares prices across places at one point in time. The related question — how prices in one place have changed over time — is answered by inflation. To see what an income or price from an earlier decade is worth in today's money, see what old money is worth today, which converts any amount from 1913 onward using Consumer Price Index data.
Price levels don't include income tax, which can significantly swing your real take-home pay — especially between CA and NY.
New York is 2.6% cheaper than Los Angeles overall. Based on the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (2023), Los Angeles has a price level of 115.5 versus 112.5 for New York, where 100 equals the national average.
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary in Los Angeles, you would need about $97,400 in New York — a difference of $2,600 per year.
Estimated monthly housing runs about $2,686 in Los Angeles versus $2,573 in New York. Housing is the single biggest driver of the cost-of-living gap between the two metros.
Sources & methodology
Price levels use the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for metropolitan areas (2023, the most recent metro-level release). Los Angeles maps to the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA MSA; New York maps to the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA MSA. Category spending baselines come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey. Category-level figures are modeled estimates and are illustrative; actual costs vary by household. This is a planning tool, not financial advice.
