Bellingham vs Los Angeles
The short version
- Bellingham is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 9% lower than in the Los Angeles area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $627,500 in Bellingham and $921,200 in Los Angeles.
- Households earn more in Los Angeles ($81,939 vs $66,755 median).
- Los Angeles has the warmer winter: January highs of 68°F vs 46°F.
- Los Angeles has more scorching days: 26 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 0.
- Bellingham is growing faster: +5.4% since 2020 vs -0.8%.
- Commutes are shorter in Bellingham (18 vs 31 minutes each way).
- Washington has no state income tax on wages; California's top rate is 13.3%.
Side by side
| Bellingham, WA | Los Angeles, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 96,395 | 3,869,089 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5.4% | -0.8% |
| People per square mile | 3,419 | 8,223 |
| Median age | 34.1 | 37.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 49% | 39% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $66,755 | $81,939 |
| Median home value | $627,500 | $921,200 |
| Home value to income | 9.4× | 11.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,577 | $1,933 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 103.3 | 113.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 112.9 | 170.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,500 | $85,200 |
| Homeowners | 45% | 36% |
| Top state income tax | None | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.57% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 18.1 | 30.7 |
| Work from home | 15% | 20% |
| Take public transit | 3% | 6% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.6% | 8.2% |
| Poverty rate | 18.6% | 16.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 46° / 34° | 68° / 49° |
| July high / low | 73° / 55° | 82° / 65° |
| Precipitation per year | 35 in | 14 in |
| Snowfall per year | 3 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 0 | 26 |
| Nights below freezing | 59 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 12 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 91.0 | 100.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 94% | 11% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.5% | +1.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +34.4% | +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: Bellingham: May to September. Los Angeles: January to December.
Full monthly tables: Bellingham 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 $77,500 in Bellingham and $85,200 in Los Angeles. Moving from Bellingham to Los Angeles, you would need about $82,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Bellingham 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 Bellingham and Los Angeles.
Which would you pick?
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