Athens vs Los Angeles
The short version
- Athens is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 18% lower than in the Los Angeles area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $299,200 in Athens and $921,200 in Los Angeles.
- Households earn more in Los Angeles ($81,939 vs $52,974 median).
- Los Angeles has the warmer winter: January highs of 68°F vs 55°F.
- Athens has more scorching days: 62 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 26.
- Commutes are shorter in Athens (21 vs 31 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Athens, GA | Los Angeles, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 128,612 | 3,869,089 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1% | -0.8% |
| People per square mile | 1,105 | 8,223 |
| Median age | 29.4 | 37.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 47% | 39% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $52,974 | $81,939 |
| Median home value | $299,200 | $921,200 |
| Home value to income | 5.6× | 11.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,219 | $1,933 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 93.3 | 113.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 76.8 | 170.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $70,000 | $85,200 |
| Homeowners | 41% | 36% |
| Top state income tax | 5.19% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.56% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 20.6 | 30.7 |
| Work from home | 14% | 20% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 6% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.3% | 8.2% |
| Poverty rate | 26.5% | 16.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 55° / 34° | 68° / 49° |
| July high / low | 92° / 70° | 82° / 65° |
| Precipitation per year | 49 in | 14 in |
| Snowfall per year | 1 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 62 | 26 |
| Nights below freezing | 46 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 12 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Low | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 67.0 | 100.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 58% | 11% |
| Home prices, past year | +1% | +1.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +54.8% | +31.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Athens: March to May and September to October. Los Angeles: January to December.
Full monthly tables: Athens weather by month and Los Angeles weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $70,000 in Athens and $85,200 in Los Angeles. Moving from Athens to Los Angeles, you would need about $91,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Athens and Los Angeles
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Athens and Los Angeles.
Which would you pick?
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