Cost of Living: El Paso, TX vs Los Angeles, CA

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,516/mo in El Paso, TX versus $3,974/mo in Los Angeles, CA. In the model, rent is about 15.17% of gross in El Paso, TX versus 25.99% in Los Angeles, CA, so El Paso, TX tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in El Paso, TX
$4,516/mo
Income level: above
Take-home in Los Angeles, CA
$3,974/mo
Income level: near
Rent share (1BR) in El Paso, TX
15.17%
COLI tier: lower-cost
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 El Paso, TX and Los Angeles, CA.

At a glance

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

Cost of Living Index

El Paso, TX: 85.2 (U.S. = 100) · Los Angeles, CA: 148.6 (U.S. = 100)

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

Median Rent

El Paso, TX: $989/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Los Angeles, CA: $1,695/mo

Median rent in Los Angeles, CA is $706/mo higher than in El Paso, TX.

Median Home Price

El Paso, TX: $171,700 · Los Angeles, CA: $657,700

Median home price in Los Angeles, CA is $486,000 higher than in El Paso, TX.

Median Household Income

El Paso, TX: $58,734 · Los Angeles, CA: $74,785

Los Angeles, CA has a higher median household income than El Paso, TX by $16,051.

El Paso, TX overview · Los Angeles, CA overview · Popular comparisons