Myrtle Beach, SC vs Los Angeles, CA
Moving from Myrtle Beach to Los Angeles? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($340,239 → $968,608 median home) and taxes.
Myrtle Beach vs Los Angeles at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Myrtle Beach, SC, you'd need about $122,368 in Los Angeles, CA (+$22,368).
Livability — Myrtle Beach, SC: 67 · Los Angeles, CA: 42 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,939 sqft in Myrtle Beach vs 774 sqft in Los Angeles ($170 vs $646 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Myrtle Beach, SC | Los Angeles, CA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,712 | $34,908 | +$14,196 |
| Groceries | $4,797 | $5,354 | +$557 |
| Transportation | $3,465 | $5,125 | +$1,660 |
| Utilities | $1,848 | $3,804 | +$1,956 |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $1,500 | −$500 |
| Taxes | $10,008 | $21,708 | +$11,700 |
| Total | $42,830 | $72,399 | +$29,569 |
Side by side
| Metric | Myrtle Beach, SC | Los Angeles, CA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 93.8 | 114.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.41% | 6.59% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 14.7% | -1.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 40 | 80 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.34 | $6.53 |
| Median home price | $340,239 | $968,608 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.4× | 10.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.6% | 0.3% |
| Price per square foot | $170 | $646 |
| Median rent | $1,726 | $2,909 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 13.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.44% | 8.82% |
| Capital gains tax | 6.40% | 13.30% |
| Property tax rate | 0.41% | 0.69% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $7,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $8,500 | $19,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.33% | 0.65% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $350 | $950 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.1 | 35.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.05 | 4.85 |
| Violent crime /100k | 530 | 500 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 84 |
| Avg winter low °F | 36 | 45 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |