SalaryCompareTool

Portland, ME vs Los Angeles, CA

Moving from Portland to Los Angeles? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($542,063 → $968,608 median home) and taxes.

Portland vs Los Angeles at a glance

Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.

Portland, ME Los Angeles, CA Cost-of-living index Portland, ME — Cost-of-living index: 104 104 Los Angeles, CA — Cost-of-living index: 115 115 Median home price Portland, ME — Median home price: $542k $542k Los Angeles, CA — Median home price: $969k $969k Price per sqft Portland, ME — Price per sqft: $319 $319 Los Angeles, CA — Price per sqft: $646 $646 Median rent Portland, ME — Median rent: $2,320 $2,320 Los Angeles, CA — Median rent: $2,909 $2,909 Combined sales tax Portland, ME — Combined sales tax: 5.5% 5.5% Los Angeles, CA — Combined sales tax: 8.8% 8.8% Property tax rate Portland, ME — Property tax rate: 1.14% 1.14% Los Angeles, CA — Property tax rate: 0.69% 0.69% Violent crime /100k Portland, ME — Violent crime /100k: 110 110 Los Angeles, CA — Violent crime /100k: 500 500 Electricity ¢/kWh Portland, ME — Electricity ¢/kWh: 28.4 28.4 Los Angeles, CA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 35.3 35.3 Avg commute (min) Portland, ME — Avg commute (min): 25 25 Los Angeles, CA — Avg commute (min): 30 30 Avg summer high °F Portland, ME — Avg summer high °F: 80° 80° Los Angeles, CA — Avg summer high °F: 84° 84° Avg winter low °F Portland, ME — Avg winter low °F: 10° 10° Los Angeles, CA — Avg winter low °F: 45° 45°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Portland, ME, you'd need about $109,961 in Los Angeles, CA (+$9,961).

Livability — Portland, ME: 58 · Los Angeles, CA: 42 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,568 sqft in Portland vs 774 sqft in Los Angeles ($319 vs $646 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryPortland, MELos Angeles, CADifference
Housing $27,840 $34,908 +$7,068
Groceries $4,917 $5,354 +$438
Transportation $2,775 $5,125 +$2,350
Utilities $3,072 $3,804 +$732
Insurance $1,000 $1,500 +$500
Taxes $12,997 $21,708 +$8,711
Total $52,601 $72,399 +$19,799

Side by side

MetricPortland, MELos Angeles, CA
Cost-of-living index104.4114.7
Unemployment rate3.37%6.59%
Population growth (5-yr)5.2%-1.1%
Air quality (median AQI)3980
Big Mac price (est.)$5.94$6.53
Median home price$542,063$968,608
Home price ÷ income6.4×10.9×
1-yr home appreciation1.0%0.3%
Price per square foot$319$646
Median rent$2,320$2,909
Total tax burden (% income)12.4%13.5%
Combined sales tax5.50%8.82%
Capital gains tax7.15%13.30%
Property tax rate1.14%0.69%
Healthcare (annual)$8,000$7,200
Childcare (annual, infant)$12,000$19,000
Vehicle property tax2.40%0.65%
Avg commute (min)2530
Home insurance / yr$1,000$1,500
Auto insurance / yr$1,000$2,400
Flood insurance / yr$700$750
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$950
Electricity ¢/kWh28.435.3
Gas $/gal3.354.85
Violent crime /100k110500
Avg summer high °F8084
Avg winter low °F1045
Permit difficulty (1–5)35
Moving to Los Angeles?
Compare moving company quotes →
Financing a home in Los Angeles?
See today's mortgage rates →

Ad · affiliate links

Portland details → Los Angeles details → Reverse: Los Angeles vs Portland →