Climate
Los Angeles logs 65 hot days a year to Phoenix's 191 — Los Angeles wins by 126. Los Angeles also leads on outdoor-dinner months by 1.
Los Angeles
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Phoenix
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
Phoenix is $910/mo cheaperLos Angeles runs about $4,351/mo for a balanced lifestyle against Phoenix's $3,441/mo — Phoenix comes in $910 cheaper each month, roughly 26% less.
Los Angeles
$4,351monthly · balanced
Phoenix
$3,441monthly · balanced
Mobility
On mobility, Phoenix scores 2.2 vs Los Angeles's 2.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on car efficiency. Los Angeles still holds an edge on walkability.
Culture
Los Angeles's culture score of 4.2 sits well above Phoenix's 3.1, with the biggest gap on arts & culture.
Nature & Outdoors
Los Angeles's nature & outdoors score of 4.0 sits well above Phoenix's 3.5, with the biggest gap on surfing & watersports.
Safety
Phoenix's safety score is ~1.2× Los Angeles's — below average, while Los Angeles lands below average, with the biggest gap on walking safety. Los Angeles still holds an edge on flooding safety.
Career
Los Angeles's career score of 4.4 sits well above Phoenix's 3.8, with the biggest gap on career opportunities.
Social & Community
Los Angeles's social & community score is ~1.2× Phoenix's — in the upper band, while Phoenix lands in the middle of the scale, with the biggest gap on multicultural mix. Phoenix still holds an edge on local-first community.
Food & Dining
On food & dining, Los Angeles scores 4.8 vs Phoenix's 2.8 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on restaurant variety.
Family
On family, Los Angeles scores 4.0 vs Phoenix's 3.1 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on universities.
Healthcare
On healthcare, Los Angeles scores 2.8 vs Phoenix's 2.1 (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 Phoenix's 9.8 µg/m³ (good) — Phoenix breathes ~29% cleaner air (3.9 µg/m³ lower).
Los Angeles
Phoenix
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 Phoenix (2.6M) are 5.2x in population — Los Angeles is the larger metro, Phoenix the smaller; on land area Los Angeles spans roughly 3.4x more ground.
Los Angeles is roughly 4.2x the scale of Phoenix
Combined population & area comparison
Los AngelesPhoenixCity Scale Rankings
Los Angeles13.5M5.2xPhoenix2.6M1xLos Angeles4,498 km²3.4xPhoenix1,304 km²1xLos Angeles
Phoenix
Who Thrives Here
Los Angeles favours the cosmopolitan, while Phoenix suits the park & garden lover. Both cities work well for the english speaker.
Also compared
Frequently asked about Los Angeles vs Phoenix
▶Which is cheaper, Los Angeles or Phoenix?
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The best city depends on what matters to you
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