Los Angeles vs Seattle
The short version
- Seattle is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 2% lower than in the Los Angeles area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $921,200 in Los Angeles and $938,600 in Seattle.
- Households earn more in Seattle ($123,860 vs $81,939 median).
- Los Angeles has the warmer winter: January highs of 68°F vs 47°F.
- Los Angeles has more scorching days: 26 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 2.
- Seattle is growing faster: +6.5% since 2020 vs -0.8%.
- Commutes are shorter in Seattle (26 vs 31 minutes each way).
- Washington has no state income tax on wages; California's top rate is 13.3%.
Side by side
| Los Angeles, CA | Seattle, WA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 3,869,089 | 784,777 |
| Growth since 2020 | -0.8% | +6.5% |
| People per square mile | 8,223 | 9,343 |
| Median age | 37.2 | 35.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 39% | 68% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $81,939 | $123,860 |
| Median home value | $921,200 | $938,600 |
| Home value to income | 11.2× | 7.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,933 | $2,030 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 113.6 | 111.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 170.4 | 151.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $85,200 | $83,300 |
| Homeowners | 36% | 44% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.57% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 30.7 | 26.0 |
| Work from home | 20% | 35% |
| Take public transit | 6% | 12% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 8.2% | 4.6% |
| Poverty rate | 16.5% | 9.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 68° / 49° | 47° / 37° |
| July high / low | 82° / 65° | 77° / 57° |
| Precipitation per year | 14 in | 38 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 4 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 26 | 2 |
| Nights below freezing | 0 | 25 |
| Comfortable months | 12 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 100.0 | 99.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 11% | 56% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.2% | +0.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +31.9% | +24.6% |
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. Seattle: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Los Angeles weather by month and Seattle 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 $83,300 in Seattle. Moving from Los Angeles to Seattle, you would need about $73,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Los Angeles and Seattle
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 Seattle.
Which would you pick?
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