Climate
Los Angeles logs 65 hot days a year to New York City's 22 — New York City wins by 43. Los Angeles also leads on frost days by 53.
Los Angeles
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
New York City
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
Los Angeles is $1064/mo cheaperLos Angeles runs about $4,351/mo for a balanced lifestyle against New York City's $5,415/mo — Los Angeles comes in $1,064 cheaper each month, roughly 24% less.
Los Angeles
$4,351monthly · balanced
New York City
$5,415monthly · balanced
Mobility
On mobility, New York City scores 3.6 vs Los Angeles's 2.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on walkability.
Culture
New York City's culture score of 4.8 sits well above Los Angeles's 4.2, with the biggest gap on history museums.
Nature & Outdoors
Los Angeles and New York City score neck-and-neck on nature & outdoors (4.0 vs 4.0, 0–5 scale).
Safety
New York City'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.
Career
New York City's career score of 5.0 sits well above Los Angeles's 4.4, with the biggest gap on startup ecosystem.
Social & Community
New York City's social & community score of 4.3 sits well above Los Angeles's 3.6, with the biggest gap on street atmosphere.
Food & Dining
On food & dining, New York City scores 5.0 vs Los Angeles's 4.8 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on vegan & vegetarian options.
Family
On family, New York City scores 4.3 vs Los Angeles's 4.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on family amenities. Los Angeles still holds an edge on tennis/pickleball.
Healthcare
On healthcare, New York City scores 3.5 vs Los Angeles's 2.8 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on private healthcare quality.
Air Quality
Los Angeles averages 13.8 µg/m³ (moderate) PM2.5 annually versus New York City's 8.6 µg/m³ (good) — New York City breathes ~38% cleaner air (5.2 µg/m³ lower).
Los Angeles
New York City
PM2.5 annual average
WHO classification
City Scale
Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.
Los Angeles (13.5M) and New York City (14.2M) sit at a similar population scale; on land area Los Angeles spans roughly 1.5x more ground.
Los Angeles is roughly 1.2x the scale of New York City
Combined population & area comparison
Los AngelesNew York CityCity Scale Rankings
New York City14.2M1.1xLos Angeles13.5M1xLos Angeles4,498 km²1.5xNew York City3,031 km²1xLos Angeles
New York City
Who Thrives Here
Los Angeles favours the winter escapist, while New York City suits the park & garden lover. Both cities work well for the english speaker.
Also compared
Frequently asked about Los Angeles vs New York City
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The best city depends on what matters to you
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