New York or Los Angeles, which one for living? which one to visit? which one for studying? which one is cheaper? which one has lower taxation?
Choosing a place to live in can be difficult, especially if it’s between such great cities like NY and LA.
Living factors vary from person to person. In this article, we will compare the weather, job market, living expenses and, education.
The weather in NYC and LA
New York is located in New York State on the east coast while Los Angeles sits in California on the west coast.
Winter
New York is mostly snowy/rainy and on average the temperature is around 18-23°F (-7 to -5°C).
On the other hand, Los Angeles has mild winters with occasional rain and the average temperature is around 68-48 °F (20-9 °C).
If you don’t mind to wear some extra layers during the cold season, you can compare other factors.
Summer
They both have pretty warm summers but the main difference is that Southern California’s forests are burning almost every summer which is not the most ideal weather for those who have asthma or any kind of breathing difficulties.
Job Market
Income Tax
California has the highest income tax rate among all of the states in America with 13.3%, while New York state has 8.82%.
Finding job
The unemployment rate for both cities is around 4.3%.
Although it seems like a cliche, Los Angeles is the best if you are interested in the film industry but don’t expect to become the next Grammy nominee in a year. It usually takes years to be seen. Of course, there are some exceptions to this but as they say, “No pain, no gain!”
New York is the right place for business savvies. There are tons of opportunities in stock market-related companies but it doesn’t mean that you cannot find an art-based job, theaters like West Broadway are known internationally.
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Living expenses
Living expenses is one of the most important factors to consider.
Imagine Matt is making $90K a year and pays $45K for a one bedroom apartment in a city. His brother is making $75K and pays $20k for an identical place in another city. Who’s richer in this situation? The second one!
Although the salaries in New York on average are better than Los Angeles, living in New York is in fact more expensive.
Renting price in NY is more than 38% more expensive compared to LA.
A one bedroom apartment in Downtown NY is approximately $3200 while the same apartment in downtown LA is about $2200.
Even grocery prices are 40% more expensive.
But if you get paid $4500 in LA, you’ll get $5500 in NY.
Overall, living in New York is about %25 more than Los Angeles.
Education
Both cities are home to great universities like NYU and UCLA.
Living expenses for students are much higher in New York but it has a better public transportation system compared to Los Angeles. It’d be more likely for students in LA to buy a car.
It would be based on personal preferences where to choose as your studying destination.
Definitely neither.
Thank you for your opinion! Which city do you prefer in the US?
Flagstaff AZ
My personal preference is neither.
Lol! Why?
It makes no sense to me to spend three times as much money to rent a one-bedroom apartment in a smelly place full of noise and crowds and traffic compared to what I pay for the mortgage on a three-bedroom house in a quiet suburban neighborhood. And I don’t like the way either city is run. And of course, I’m a baseball fan, and I hate the Dodgers and I hate the Yankees.
Right! It’s all about priorities!
Rent price is crazy high in both cities! You should have a really good reason to stay in either of them, or simply be as rich as not caring about the money!
Right… and I understand that some people might need to live there because of the kind of work they do. But that isn’t the case with me.
Congratulations! I have nominated you for the LIEBSTER Award! Do go read my post https://theshubhsterdiaries.com/2020/06/02/liebster-award-nomination/ for the rules. I would love to read your responses to my questions. Xx
Wow! Thank you very much! I feel honored!
Well I like both… I am an east coaster in California … not LA – but I do love the area… and Disney is there ❤️
I would spend my winters in LA… then summers in NYC
See that sounds perfect lol
I don’t even wanna talk about the cost of living 🤨✌️😄
Lol😂
Glad to see you here again!
Haha – oh I’m around – I read your posts all the time always love them!! ❤️
I only comment when I think I have something to say 😄😄✌️
Good to know! Now I feel much better! lol
Very interesting!
Thanks for your comment 😊
New York!
😊👍🏼
I can’t get enough of your website! Thank you for them!
I live in Los Angeles and wouldn’t trade it for New York’s winter.
Thanks for the follow 🙂
Right, NY’s winters are brutal, lol
Hands down New York is the best!
👍
NYC 4EVER&4ALWAYS
Amen 🙏
Viva NYC!