San Francisco vs Los Angeles
The short version
- Los Angeles is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 2% lower than in the San Francisco area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $921,200 in Los Angeles and $1,394,500 in San Francisco.
- Households earn more in San Francisco ($140,970 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 3.
- Los Angeles is growing faster: -0.8% since 2020 vs -6%.
Side by side
| San Francisco, CA | Los Angeles, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 826,079 | 3,869,089 |
| Growth since 2020 | -6% | -0.8% |
| People per square mile | 17,695 | 8,223 |
| Median age | 40.0 | 37.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 60% | 39% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $140,970 | $81,939 |
| Median home value | $1,394,500 | $921,200 |
| Home value to income | 9.9× | 11.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,476 | $1,933 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 115.6 | 113.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 194.7 | 170.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $86,700 | $85,200 |
| Homeowners | 38% | 36% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 30.4 | 30.7 |
| Work from home | 31% | 20% |
| Take public transit | 19% | 6% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.1% | 8.2% |
| Poverty rate | 11.2% | 16.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 58° / 47° | 68° / 49° |
| July high / low | 66° / 54° | 82° / 65° |
| Precipitation per year | 23 in | 14 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 3 | 26 |
| Nights below freezing | 0 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 9 | 12 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.5 | 100.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | n/a | 11% |
| Home prices, past year | -0.3% | +1.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +17.5% | +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: San Francisco: March to November. Los Angeles: January to December.
Full monthly tables: San Francisco 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 $86,700 in San Francisco and $85,200 in Los Angeles. Moving from San Francisco to Los Angeles, you would need about $73,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between San Francisco 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 San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Which would you pick?
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