Los Angeles is a sprawling city of 500 square miles and the heart of a metropolitan area with 18 million residents. It is a fabled California region, home to Hollywood and America's entertainment industry with year-round sunshine, world-famous beaches, and an intense car culture. The "City of Angels" is a magnet to people from around the world and a uniquely exciting environment.
Los Angeles is one of the top ten city matches for 11.5% of Teleport users.
/11,45,1/510x340.png?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoidGVsZXBvcnQiLCJhIjoiY2lnM3VqNXVqMDJsaHYza2gwN2wzdXhidCJ9.PuTxgLkbswKZzPhzlKgv4A)
Housing| Large apartment | $2700.00 |
|---|---|
| Medium apartment | $2300.00 |
| Rent index [score] | 0.12 |
| Small apartment | $1800.00 |
Cost of Living| 5km taxi ride | $10.00 |
|---|---|
| A Cappuccino | $4.70 |
| A beer | $2.60 |
| A kilogram of Apples | $3.40 |
| Bread | $1.30 |
| Inflation [score] | 0.46 |
| Lunch | $14.00 |
| Monthly fitness club membership | $50.00 |
| Monthly public transport | $88.00 |
| Movie ticket | $15.00 |
| Price of a meal at a restaurant | $83.19 |
Startups| Average monthly increase in number of startups | 149 |
|---|---|
| Average monthly increase in number of startups [score] | 1.00 |
| Coworking spaces [score] | 1.00 |
| Coworking spaces on WorkFrom.co | 134 |
| Meetups [score] | 0.93 |
| Meetups groups | 200 |
| Meetups members | 240932 |
| Number of investors | 3338 |
| Number of startup events in the last 12 months | 9591 |
| Number of upcoming meetup events | 197 |
| Startup climate scene [score] | 0.87 |
| Startup events | 2248 |
| Startup events [score] | 1.00 |
| Startups [score] | 1.00 |
| Total number of startups | 6296 |
Venture Capital| Funding accelerator names | Amplify.LA, StartEngine, LaunchpadLA |
|---|---|
| Number of funding accelerators | 7 |
| Venture capital [score] | 1.00 |
Travel Connectivity| Airport hub | 152 |
|---|---|
| Airport hub [score] | 0.66 |
| Intercity train connectivity [score] | 0.13 |
Commute| Human city page | http://cities.human.co/details/United_States/Los_Angeles |
|---|---|
| Traffic handling [score] | 0.26 |
Business Freedom| Business freedom | 84.70 |
|---|---|
| Business freedom [score] | 0.86 |
| Freedom from corruption | 74.00 |
| Freedom from corruption [score] | 0.79 |
| Lack of labor restrictions | 91.40 |
| Lack of labor restrictions [score] | 1.00 |
| Time to open a business | 8.00 |
| Time to open a business [score] | 0.92 |
Safety| Crime rate [score] | 0.47 |
|---|---|
| Gun-related deaths per 100,000 residents per year | 8 |
| Guns per 100 residents | 61 |
| Lack of gun related deaths [score] | 0.79 |
| Lack of guns [score] | 0.67 |
| Lack of guns and gun-related deaths [score] | 0.73 |
Healthcare| Healthcare expenditure [score] | 0.99 |
|---|---|
| Healthcare quality [score] | 0.78 |
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.28 |
| Life expectancy [score] | 0.76 |
Education| Best university in ranking | California Institute of Technology |
|---|---|
| Best university ranking | 2 |
| Country mean scores in PISA math test | 478.04 |
| Country mean scores in PISA reading test | 497.58 |
| Country mean scores in PISA science test | 497.41 |
| PISA math ranking (high school) | 30 |
| PISA ranking | 24 |
| PISA ranking (high school) [score] | 0.72 |
| PISA reading (high school) | 16 |
| PISA science (high school) | 19 |
| Percent of happy students | 0.77 |
| Percent of low performers in PISA math test | 0.26 |
| Percent of low performers in PISA reading test | 0.17 |
| Percent of low performers in PISA science test | 0.18 |
| Percent of top performers in PISA math test | 0.09 |
| Percent of top performers in PISA reading test | 0.08 |
| Percent of top performers in PISA science test | 0.07 |
| University quality [score] | 1.00 |
Environmental Quality| Air quality [score] | 0.48 |
|---|---|
| Cleanliness [score] | 0.48 |
| Drinking water quality [score] | 0.42 |
| Urban greenery [score] | 0.50 |
Economy| Currency exchange rate per US dollar for urban area | 1.00 |
|---|---|
| Currency for urban area | USD |
| GDP growth rate | 0.02 |
| GDP growth rate [score] | 0.43 |
| GDP per capita | $54596.65 |
| GDP per capita [score] | 0.87 |
Taxation| Effective company profit tax rate on payouts as dividends [score] | 0.60 |
|---|---|
| Income tax level [score] | 0.36 |
| Profit tax (% of profit) | 0.41 |
| Time overhead to file company taxes | 175 |
| VAT (Sales Tax) | 0.09 |
Internet Access| Download speed (Mbps) | 52.30 |
|---|---|
| Internet access (download) [score] | 0.64 |
| Internet access (upload) [score] | 0.46 |
| Upload speed (Mbps) | 10.51 |
Leisure & Culture| Art galleries | 270 |
|---|---|
| Art galleries [score] | 0.94 |
| Cinemas | 215 |
| Cinemas [score] | 0.94 |
| Comedy clubs | 215 |
| Comedy clubs [score] | 1.00 |
| Concert venues | 282 |
| Concerts [score] | 0.95 |
| Historical sites | 264 |
| Historical sites [score] | 0.92 |
| Museums | 227 |
| Museums [score] | 0.92 |
| Performing art venues | 262 |
| Performing arts [score] | 0.98 |
| Sport venues | 222 |
| Sports [score] | 0.98 |
| Zoos | 130 |
| Zoos [score] | 0.93 |
Tolerance| LGBT Equality Index | 93.19 |
|---|---|
| LGBT Equality Index [score] | 0.96 |
| LGBT adoption rights | ✔ Legal |
| LGBT age of consent | ✔ Equal |
| LGBT blood donation regulations | ✖ Banned (indefinite deferral) |
| LGBT conversion therapy regulations | ✔ Banned |
| LGBT discrimination legality | ✔ Illegal |
| LGBT employment discrimination legality | ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity |
| LGBT gender changing rights | ✔ Legal, but requires surgery |
| LGBT homosexuality rights | ✔ Legal |
| LGBT housing discrimination legality | ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity |
| LGBT marriage rights | ✔ Legal |
| Tolerance towards minorities [score] | 0.44 |
Outdoors| Elevation (hills or mountains) [score] | 0.35 |
|---|---|
| Median peak in meters | 1007.00 |
| Presence of hills in city | 1.00 |
| Presence of mountains in city | 1.00 |
| Seaside access | 1.00 |
| Urban area elevation (meters) | 107.00 |
| Water access [score] | 1.00 |
Costs of living in Los Angeles are in the most expensive 20 percent of all 248 Teleport cities. Average living expenses are significantly higher compared to other cities, especially in the housing market. Moving to Los Angeles will very likely increase your daily costs of living. Sign up for free to get access to our cost of living index and use our international cost of living calculator to do cost comparison by city.
 Monthly fitness club membership | $50 |
|---|---|
 Movie ticket | $15 |
 Broadband internet connection | $51 |
 Monthly public transport | $88 |
 Lunch | $14 |
Software Engineer salaries in Los Angeles are very high. For this job type, Los Angeles ranks 10th for salaries among 265 cities. Get access to our salary comparison calculator by signing up. Compare salaries city by city with our free salary wizard and convert your own salary to a local salary in Los Angeles.
The overall crime rate puts Los Angeles in position 186 of 266 Teleport Cities in a ranking for the safest cities.
Legal
Legal
But Requires Surgery
Illegal
Legal
Legal
147
A video by Vadim Tereshchenko
Frank Lloyd Wright is said to have quipped, "Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles," a quote that has since been repeated both by those who love and hate L.A. The "City of Angels" is a city of sharp contrasts, home to people who hail from all parts of the globe and an important center of culture, business, media, and international trade. However, it's most famous for being a major center of the world's television, motion picture, and music industry, which forms the base of the city's status and lures visitors for its show business history and celebrity culture. Visitors are also drawn to Los Angeles for its Mediterranean climate and numerous beaches, which gave birth to California's famed surf culture.
California's most populous city and the second most populous city in the United States (after New York City), Los Angeles is spread across a broad basin in Southern California surrounded by vast forested mountain ranges, valleys, the Pacific Ocean, and nearby desert. Los Angeles sits at the heart of a metropolitan area of over 18 million people that spreads across Los Angeles County, Orange County, Ventura County, and the Inland Empire region of San Bernardino County and Riverside County.
For travel purposes, this guide covers the entirety of Los Angeles County, a region of nearly 5,000 square miles in Southern California (roughly the same size as Rhode Island). There are 88 cities (municipalities) in the county; the largest, the city of Los Angeles, spreads throughout the county from the Port of Los Angeles to the San Fernando Valley.
Read moreEvery city comes with a country. How is this one doing in terms of giving back to the global community? Our friends at The Good Country Index measure what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, and what it takes away, relative to its size.
Teleport Zen is a personalized to-do list and moving guide.
We've got you covered from job search and apartment hunting to visa advice.
Find on Facebook