Accountants & Auditors salary in Los Angeles, CA
Median pay for accountants & auditors in Los Angeles, CA: $85,540/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $57,340 – $149,970 · about 63,940 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($74,290) by +$11,250 (+15%).
What it's really worth in Los Angeles
With Los Angeles's cost of living at 115 (US=100), that $85,540 has the buying power of about $74,545 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $89,105 · median home $968,608 · median rent $2,909/mo.
How Los Angeles ranks for this job
On raw pay, Los Angeles, CA is 14th of the 187 metros we hold accountants & auditors wages for. Once Los Angeles's cost of living is applied, it ranks 124th.
The headline number flatters Los Angeles. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, accountants & auditors here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.
What that salary buys in Los Angeles
A median home in Los Angeles, CA costs $968,608 — about 11.3× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $2,909/mo works out at 41% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.
Where accountants & auditors earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Los Angeles.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Los Angeles | Rent vs Los Angeles |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $113,980 | +33% | 1.2× |
| San Francisco, CA | $103,990 | +22% | 1.1× |
| New York, NY | $103,900 | +21% | 1.2× |
| Washington, DC | $97,320 | +14% | 0.8× |
Same job elsewhere in CA
| Metro | Median pay | vs Los Angeles | Rent vs Los Angeles |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $113,980 | +33% | 1.2× |
| San Francisco, CA | $103,990 | +22% | 1.1× |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $93,650 | +9% | 0.9× |
| San Diego, CA | $89,120 | +4% | 1× |
Staying in CA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires accountants & auditors around Los Angeles
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- County of Los Angeles · Government
Other jobs in Los Angeles
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.