Cost of Living: Arlington, MA vs Los Angeles, CA

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,224/mo in Arlington, MA versus $3,974/mo in Los Angeles, CA. In the model, rent is about 29.78% of gross in Arlington, MA versus 25.99% in Los Angeles, CA, so Los Angeles, CA tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Arlington, MA
$4,224/mo
Income level: below
Take-home in Los Angeles, CA
$3,974/mo
Income level: near
Rent share (1BR) in Arlington, MA
29.78%
COLI tier: mid-range
Rent share (1BR) in Los Angeles, CA
25.99%
COLI tier: very high-cost

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Arlington, MA and Los Angeles, CA.

At a glance

  • Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Arlington, MA
  • Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): Los Angeles, CA
  • Lower home prices: Los Angeles, CA
  • Higher median household income: Arlington, MA

Cost of Living Index

Arlington, MA: 100 (U.S. = 100) · Los Angeles, CA: 148.6 (U.S. = 100)

Arlington, MA has a lower cost-of-living index than Los Angeles, CA, so a given salary generally stretches further there.

Median Rent

Arlington, MA: $1,941/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Los Angeles, CA: $1,695/mo

Median rent in Arlington, MA is $246/mo higher than in Los Angeles, CA.

Median Home Price

Arlington, MA: $885,000 · Los Angeles, CA: $657,700

Median home price in Arlington, MA is $227,300 higher than in Los Angeles, CA.

Median Household Income

Arlington, MA: $141,440 · Los Angeles, CA: $74,785

Arlington, MA has a higher median household income than Los Angeles, CA by $66,655.

Arlington, MA overview · Los Angeles, CA overview · Popular comparisons