Los Angeles vs San Mateo
The short version
- Los Angeles is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 2% lower than in the San Mateo area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $921,200 in Los Angeles and $1,618,700 in San Mateo.
- Households earn more in San Mateo ($153,504 vs $81,939 median).
- Los Angeles has the warmer winter: January highs of 68°F vs 58°F.
- Los Angeles has more scorching days: 26 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 4.
- Commutes are shorter in San Mateo (26 vs 31 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Los Angeles, CA | San Mateo, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 3,869,089 | 103,337 |
| Growth since 2020 | -0.8% | -2.2% |
| People per square mile | 8,223 | 8,516 |
| Median age | 37.2 | 38.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 39% | 58% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $81,939 | $153,504 |
| Median home value | $921,200 | $1,618,700 |
| Home value to income | 11.2× | 10.5× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,933 | $3,077 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 113.6 | 115.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 170.4 | 194.7 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $85,200 | $86,700 |
| Homeowners | 36% | 50% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 30.7 | 26.1 |
| Work from home | 20% | 25% |
| Take public transit | 6% | 5% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 8.2% | 4.6% |
| Poverty rate | 16.5% | 8.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 68° / 49° | 58° / 45° |
| July high / low | 82° / 65° | 73° / 55° |
| Precipitation per year | 14 in | 20 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 26 | 4 |
| Nights below freezing | 0 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 12 | 9 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 100.0 | 99.2 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 11% | n/a |
| Home prices, past year | +1.2% | -0.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +31.9% | +17.5% |
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: Los Angeles: January to December. San Mateo: March to November.
Full monthly tables: Los Angeles weather by month and San Mateo weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $85,200 in Los Angeles and $86,700 in San Mateo. Moving from Los Angeles to San Mateo, you would need about $76,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Los Angeles and San Mateo
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Los Angeles and San Mateo.
Which would you pick?
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