Cost of Living: Wilmington, NC vs Los Angeles, CA

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,254/mo in Wilmington, NC versus $3,974/mo in Los Angeles, CA. In the model, rent is about 19.1% of gross in Wilmington, NC versus 25.99% in Los Angeles, CA, so Wilmington, NC tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Wilmington, NC
$4,254/mo
Income level: near
Take-home in Los Angeles, CA
$3,974/mo
Income level: near
Rent share (1BR) in Wilmington, NC
19.1%
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 Wilmington, NC and Los Angeles, CA.

At a glance

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

Cost of Living Index

Wilmington, NC: 100 (U.S. = 100) · Los Angeles, CA: 148.6 (U.S. = 100)

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

Median Rent

Wilmington, NC: $1,246/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Los Angeles, CA: $1,695/mo

Median rent in Los Angeles, CA is $449/mo higher than in Wilmington, NC.

Median Home Price

Wilmington, NC: $350,300 · Los Angeles, CA: $657,700

Median home price in Los Angeles, CA is $307,400 higher than in Wilmington, NC.

Median Household Income

Wilmington, NC: $63,900 · Los Angeles, CA: $74,785

Los Angeles, CA has a higher median household income than Wilmington, NC by $10,885.

Wilmington, NC overview · Los Angeles, CA overview · Popular comparisons