Cost of Living: Rochester, NY vs Los Angeles, CA

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,116/mo in Rochester, NY versus $3,974/mo in Los Angeles, CA. In the model, rent is about 15.14% of gross in Rochester, NY versus 25.99% in Los Angeles, CA, so Rochester, NY tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Rochester, NY
$4,116/mo
Income level: above
Take-home in Los Angeles, CA
$3,974/mo
Income level: near
Rent share (1BR) in Rochester, NY
15.14%
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 Rochester, NY and Los Angeles, CA.

At a glance

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

Cost of Living Index

Rochester, NY: 88.4 (U.S. = 100) · Los Angeles, CA: 148.6 (U.S. = 100)

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

Median Rent

Rochester, NY: $987/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Los Angeles, CA: $1,695/mo

Median rent in Los Angeles, CA is $708/mo higher than in Rochester, NY.

Median Home Price

Rochester, NY: $120,600 · Los Angeles, CA: $657,700

Median home price in Los Angeles, CA is $537,100 higher than in Rochester, NY.

Median Household Income

Rochester, NY: $46,628 · Los Angeles, CA: $74,785

Los Angeles, CA has a higher median household income than Rochester, NY by $28,157.

Rochester, NY overview · Los Angeles, CA overview · Popular comparisons