US flag
Atlanta

United States

vs
US flag
Los Angeles

United States

Climate

Atlanta logs 220 sunny days a year to Los Angeles's 315 — Los Angeles wins by 95. Atlanta also leads on outdoor-dinner months by 1.

AtlantaLos Angeles
Sunny days
220315
Hot days
6365
Frost days
240
Rain days
13224
Outdoor dinner months
7/126/12
Avg wind
2.7 m/s2.1 m/s
Sunshine hours
2,4073,412
Darkest month sun
138 hrs/mo182 hrs/mo
UV peak month
8.010.2

Atlanta

Feels-like °C

4
7
12
17
23
28
32
31
25
20
10
6

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Los Angeles

Feels-like °C

14
15
16
21
23
27
30
31
28
25
18
14

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Cost of Living

Atlanta is $951/mo cheaper

Atlanta runs about $3,400/mo for a balanced lifestyle against Los Angeles's $4,351/mo — Atlanta comes in $951 cheaper each month, roughly 28% less.

Atlanta

$3,400

monthly · balanced

Minimalist $2,624Comfort $5,397
Top 53%in Among 45 US & Canada cities

Los Angeles

$4,351

monthly · balanced

Minimalist $3,394Comfort $6,993
Top 89%in Among 45 US & Canada cities

Mobility

On mobility, Atlanta scores 2.8 vs Los Angeles's 2.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on airport accessibility.

2.8/5
vs
2.0/5
AtlantaLos Angeles
FlightsAirport
Flights
Atlanta leads

Culture

Los Angeles's culture score of 4.2 sits well above Atlanta's 3.8, with the biggest gap on arts & culture.

3.8/5
vs
4.2/5
AtlantaLos Angeles
ArtsHistoryTheatreVenuesNightlife
ArtsHistoryTheatreVenuesNightlife
Los Angeles leads

Nature & Outdoors

Atlanta and Los Angeles score neck-and-neck on nature & outdoors (3.8 vs 4.0, 0–5 scale).

3.8/5
vs
4.0/5
AtlantaLos Angeles
ForestGreen AreasLakesRunningHikingCampingBeachSkiing
SeaMountainsForestGreen AreasRunningHikingCampingBeachSurfingDivingSkiingClimbing
Los Angeles leads

Safety

Atlanta's safety score is ~1.2× Los Angeles's — below average, while Los Angeles lands below average, with the biggest gap on wildfire safety. Los Angeles still holds an edge on flooding safety.

2.2/5
vs
1.8/5
AtlantaLos Angeles
Property CrimeRoadFlooding
Street SafetyProperty CrimeRoadEarthquakeWildfire
Atlanta leads

Career

Los Angeles's career score of 4.4 sits well above Atlanta's 4.1, with the biggest gap on career opportunities.

4.1/5
vs
4.4/5
AtlantaLos Angeles
JobsEconomyStartupsCoworking
JobsEconomyStartupsCoworking
Los Angeles leads

Social & Community

Atlanta's social & community score of 3.8 sits well above Los Angeles's 3.6, with the biggest gap on local-first community. Los Angeles still holds an edge on expat-first community.

3.8/5
vs
3.6/5
AtlantaLos Angeles
Everyday EnglishExpat-First CommunityMulticultural MixExpat Integration ExperienceUrban EnergyStreet AtmosphereLocal-First CommunityAdmin English Support
Everyday EnglishExpat-First CommunityMulticultural MixExpat Integration ExperienceUrban EnergyAdmin English Support
Atlanta leads

Food & Dining

On food & dining, Los Angeles scores 4.8 vs Atlanta's 3.8 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on restaurant variety.

3.8/5
vs
4.8/5
AtlantaLos Angeles
RestaurantsBrunchVeganDelivery
RestaurantsBrunchVeganDelivery
Los Angeles leads

Family

On family, Los Angeles scores 4.0 vs Atlanta's 3.5 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on universities. Atlanta still holds an edge on playgrounds.

3.5/5
vs
4.0/5
AtlantaLos Angeles
Intl SchoolsUniversitiesAmenitiesSportPlaygroundsGroceriesGymYogaSpaTennis
Intl SchoolsUniversitiesAmenitiesSportGroceriesGymYogaSpaTennis
Los Angeles leads

Healthcare

On healthcare, Los Angeles scores 2.8 vs Atlanta's 2.1 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on private healthcare quality.

2.1/5
vs
2.8/5
AtlantaLos Angeles
Private Healthcare
Private Healthcare
Los Angeles leads

Air Quality

Atlanta averages 9.4 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus Los Angeles's 13.8 µg/m³ (moderate) — Atlanta breathes ~31% cleaner air (4.3 µg/m³ lower).

Atlanta

Los Angeles

9.4µg/m³
13.8µg/m³

PM2.5 annual average

Good
Moderate

WHO classification

City Scale

Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.

Atlanta (603K) and Los Angeles (13.5M) are 22x in population — Los Angeles is the larger metro, Atlanta the smaller; on land area Los Angeles spans roughly 15x more ground.

19x

Los Angeles is roughly 19x the scale of Atlanta

Combined population & area comparison

US flagLos Angeles
19x
US flagAtlanta
1x

City Scale Rankings

Population
1.US flagLos Angeles13.5M22x
2.US flagAtlanta603K1x
Area
1.US flagLos Angeles4,498 km²15x
2.US flagAtlanta292 km²1x
© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
31 km21 km

US flagAtlanta

© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
144 km83 km

US flagLos Angeles

Who Thrives Here

Frequently asked about Atlanta vs Los Angeles

Which is cheaper, Atlanta or Los Angeles?
Atlanta is approximately $951 per month cheaper. Atlanta averages $3,400/mo while Los Angeles averages $4,351/mo.
How does the climate compare between Atlanta and Los Angeles?
Sunny days: 220 vs 315 d — Los Angeles higher Annual sunshine: 2,407 vs 3,412 hrs — Los Angeles higher Winter sunshine: 138 vs 182 hrs/day — Los Angeles higher Hot days (>30°C): 63 vs 65 d — Similar Frost days: 24 vs 0 d — Los Angeles lower Rainy days: 132 vs 24 d — Los Angeles lower
Is Atlanta or Los Angeles safer?
Both cities have similar safety profiles, scoring around 2.2/5 on our aggregate safety index covering street safety, property crime, and natural hazards.
Should I move to Atlanta or Los Angeles?
Atlanta and Los Angeles are both popular relocation destinations with distinct characteristics. Atlanta is generally more affordable, while Los Angeles may offer different lifestyle advantages. The best choice depends on your priorities — climate preferences, career opportunities, cost constraints, and lifestyle needs. Take the personalized quiz to find your ideal match, or explore the map to compare cities by region and lifestyle factors.

The best city depends on what matters to you

This comparison shows how Atlanta and Los Angeles stack up on the data. But your climate preferences, budget, career needs, and lifestyle priorities can shift the picture entirely. A personalized diagnostic finds what fits your life.

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