Dentists salary in Los Angeles, CA

Median pay for dentists in Los Angeles, CA: $158,570/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $86,110 – $208,000 · about 8,110 employed locally

Below the typical metro median ($165,500) by −$6,930 (-4%).

What it's really worth in Los Angeles

With Los Angeles's cost of living at 115 (US=100), that $158,570 has the buying power of about $138,189 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $89,105 · median home $968,608 · median rent $2,909/mo.

Full Los Angeles cost of living & taxes →

How Los Angeles ranks for this job

On raw pay, Los Angeles, CA is 112th of the 171 metros we hold dentists wages for. Once Los Angeles's cost of living is applied, it ranks 154th.

The headline number flatters Los Angeles. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, dentists 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 6.1× 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 22% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.

Where dentists 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
Charlotte, NC	$239,200	+51%	0.6×
Salem, OR	$226,010	+43%	0.6×
Anchorage, AK	$225,170	+42%	0.6×
Phoenix, AZ	$219,600	+38%	0.6×

Same job elsewhere in CA

Metro	Median pay	vs Los Angeles	Rent vs Los Angeles
Salinas, CA	$216,140	+36%	1×
San Jose, CA	$206,850	+30%	1.2×
San Francisco, CA	$202,130	+27%	1.1×
San Luis Obispo, CA	$202,020	+27%	1×

Staying in CA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Who hires dentists around Los Angeles

Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.

• Kaiser Permanente · Healthcare

Other jobs in Los Angeles