Comfortable Weather
#4
of 124 cities
90/100 weather score
Current value
#31 of 124
North America
Los Angeles
CA, United States
Salary & Cost of Living
How do salaries and expenses in Los Angeles compare to San Francisco?
Purchasing Power Comparison
An engineer in Los Angeles is 26% worse off vs in San Francisco
This shows how far a software engineer's salary goes in Los Angeles compared to San Francisco, taking into account both salary differences and cost of living.
Net Salary
$105,740
-$67K (-39%) vs San Francisco
Tax Rate: 38%
Community Insights
NewLos Angeles offers a polarizing but potentially rewarding experience for software engineers. While it lacks the sheer density and career velocity of the Bay Area, it compensates with a superior lifestyle balance and lack of tech monoculture. The financial reality is tough—high taxes and living costs rank poorly nationwide—but for established engineers, the trade-off is often worth it for the weather and amenities. The "Silicon Beach" scene is vibrant but geographically fragmented, meaning your experience largely depends on whether you can avoid a daily commute. Safety and cleanliness are ongoing concerns that weigh on resident sentiment.
Resident Sentiment
Sentiment is decidedly mixed. Long-term residents and successful transplants often vehemently defend the city's quality of life, citing the "endless summer" and cultural richness as unbeatable perks. However, a significant portion of recent transplants express regret related to the social isolation caused by the sprawl and the grinding reality of traffic. Many report a "love-hate" relationship: they love the weekends but dread the work-week logistics. There is a strong consensus that remote work is the cheat code to actually enjoying the city.
Rankings
Top 3%
Community Events
#7
of 124 cities
25 events on luma
Current value
Net Income
#14
of 124 cities
$105,740/yr
Current value
Housing Affordability
How affordable is housing for a software engineer in Los Angeles compared to San Francisco?
Salary Converter
Enter your annual gross salary (before taxes) to see what you would need to earn in Los Angeles to maintain the same standard of living.
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