US flag
Los Angeles

United States

vs
US flag
Raleigh

United States

Climate

Los Angeles logs 0 frost days a year to Raleigh's 39 — Los Angeles wins by 39. Los Angeles also leads on sunny days by 86.

Los AngelesRaleigh
Sunny days
315229
Hot days
6577
Frost days
039
Rain days
24124
Snow days
01
Outdoor dinner months
6/127/12
Avg wind
2.1 m/s2.5 m/s
Sunshine hours
3,4122,512
Darkest month sun
182 hrs/mo138 hrs/mo
UV peak month
10.28.2

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

Raleigh

Feels-like °C

4
8
12
18
24
28
32
31
26
20
13
6

Dinner outside

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

Cost of Living

Raleigh is $969/mo cheaper

Los Angeles runs about $4,351/mo for a balanced lifestyle against Raleigh's $3,382/mo — Raleigh comes in $969 cheaper each month, roughly 29% less.

Los Angeles

$4,351

monthly · balanced

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

Raleigh

$3,382

monthly · balanced

Minimalist $2,613Comfort $5,216
Top 51%in Among 45 US & Canada cities

Mobility

On mobility, Raleigh scores 2.4 vs Los Angeles's 2.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on car efficiency. Los Angeles still holds an edge on flight connectivity.

2.0/5
vs
2.4/5
Los AngelesRaleigh
Flights
Car EfficiencyFlightsAirport
Raleigh leads

Culture

Los Angeles's culture score of 4.2 sits well above Raleigh's 3.1, with the biggest gap on arts & culture.

4.2/5
vs
3.1/5
Los AngelesRaleigh
ArtsHistoryTheatreVenuesNightlife
Venues
Los Angeles leads

Nature & Outdoors

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

4.0/5
vs
3.8/5
Los AngelesRaleigh
SeaMountainsForestGreen AreasRunningHikingCampingBeachSurfingDivingSkiingClimbing
ForestGreen AreasLakesRunningHikingCampingDiving
Los Angeles leads

Safety

Raleigh's safety score is ~1.7× Los Angeles's — in the middle of the scale, while Los Angeles lands below average, with the biggest gap on wildfire safety. Los Angeles still holds an edge on flooding safety.

1.8/5
vs
3.0/5
Los AngelesRaleigh
Street SafetyProperty CrimeRoadEarthquakeWildfire
RoadFlooding
Raleigh leads

Career

Los Angeles's career score of 4.4 sits well above Raleigh's 3.7, with the biggest gap on economic scale.

4.4/5
vs
3.7/5
Los AngelesRaleigh
JobsEconomyStartupsCoworking
JobsEconomyStartupsCoworking
Los Angeles leads

Social & Community

Los Angeles's social & community score of 3.6 sits well above Raleigh's 3.3, with the biggest gap on multicultural mix. Raleigh still holds an edge on local-first community.

3.6/5
vs
3.3/5
Los AngelesRaleigh
Everyday EnglishExpat-First CommunityMulticultural MixExpat Integration ExperienceUrban EnergyAdmin English Support
Everyday EnglishExpat-First CommunityMulticultural MixExpat Integration ExperienceUrban EnergyLocal-First CommunityAdmin English Support
Los Angeles leads

Food & Dining

On food & dining, Los Angeles scores 4.8 vs Raleigh's 2.8 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on restaurant variety.

4.8/5
vs
2.8/5
Los AngelesRaleigh
RestaurantsBrunchVeganDelivery
BrunchDelivery
Los Angeles leads

Family

On family, Los Angeles scores 4.0 vs Raleigh's 2.7 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on yoga studios. Raleigh still holds an edge on playgrounds.

4.0/5
vs
2.7/5
Los AngelesRaleigh
Intl SchoolsUniversitiesAmenitiesSportGroceriesGymYogaSpaTennis
Intl SchoolsUniversitiesAmenitiesPlaygroundsGroceriesGymTennis
Los Angeles leads

Healthcare

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

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

Air Quality

Los Angeles averages 13.8 µg/m³ (moderate) PM2.5 annually versus Raleigh's 7.7 µg/m³ (good) — Raleigh breathes ~44% cleaner air (6.0 µg/m³ lower).

Los Angeles

Raleigh

13.8µg/m³
7.7µg/m³

PM2.5 annual average

Moderate
Good

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 Raleigh (153K) are 88x in population — Los Angeles is the larger metro, Raleigh the smaller; on land area Los Angeles spans roughly 62x more ground.

74x

Los Angeles is roughly 74x the scale of Raleigh

Combined population & area comparison

US flagLos Angeles
74x
US flagRaleigh
1x

City Scale Rankings

Population
1.US flagLos Angeles13.5M88x
2.US flagRaleigh153K1x
Area
1.US flagLos Angeles4,498 km²62x
2.US flagRaleigh72 km²1x
© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
144 km83 km

US flagLos Angeles

© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
15 km8.8 km

US flagRaleigh

Who Thrives Here

Frequently asked about Los Angeles vs Raleigh

Which is cheaper, Los Angeles or Raleigh?
Raleigh is approximately $969 per month cheaper. Los Angeles averages $4,351/mo while Raleigh averages $3,382/mo.
How does the climate compare between Los Angeles and Raleigh?
Sunny days: 315 vs 229 d — Los Angeles higher Annual sunshine: 3,412 vs 2,512 hrs — Los Angeles higher Winter sunshine: 182 vs 138 hrs/day — Los Angeles higher Hot days (>30°C): 65 vs 77 d — Los Angeles lower Frost days: 0 vs 39 d — Los Angeles lower Rainy days: 24 vs 124 d — Los Angeles lower
Is Los Angeles or Raleigh safer?
Raleigh scores higher on safety. Los Angeles rates 1.8/5 while Raleigh rates 3.0/5, based on street safety, property crime rates, and natural hazard exposure.
Should I move to Los Angeles or Raleigh?
Los Angeles and Raleigh are both popular relocation destinations with distinct characteristics. Raleigh 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 Los Angeles and Raleigh 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.

Take the free diagnostic

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