Climate
Los Angeles logs 65 hot days a year to Seattle's 2 — Seattle wins by 63. Los Angeles also leads on frost days by 7.
Los Angeles
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Seattle
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
Seattle is $39/mo cheaperLos Angeles runs about $4,351/mo for a balanced lifestyle against Seattle's $4,312/mo — Seattle comes in $39 cheaper each month, roughly 1% less.
Los Angeles
$4,351monthly · balanced
Seattle
$4,312monthly · balanced
Mobility
On mobility, Seattle scores 3.4 vs Los Angeles's 2.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on walkability.
Culture
Los Angeles's culture score of 4.2 sits well above Seattle's 3.8, with the biggest gap on arts & culture.
Nature & Outdoors
Seattle's nature & outdoors score of 4.5 sits well above Los Angeles's 4.0, with the biggest gap on lakes & rivers. Los Angeles still holds an edge on surfing & watersports.
Safety
Seattle's safety score is ~1.6× Los Angeles's — in the middle of the scale, while Los Angeles lands below average, with the biggest gap on road safety.
Career
Los Angeles's career score of 4.4 sits well above Seattle's 4.2, with the biggest gap on economic scale.
Social & Community
Los Angeles and Seattle score neck-and-neck on social & community (3.6 vs 3.4, 0–5 scale).
Food & Dining
On food & dining, Los Angeles scores 4.8 vs Seattle's 4.6 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on brunch availability. Seattle still holds an edge on vegan & vegetarian options.
Family
Los Angeles and Seattle score neck-and-neck on family (4.0 vs 4.0, 0–5 scale).
Healthcare
On healthcare, Seattle 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 Seattle's 6.4 µg/m³ (good) — Seattle breathes ~54% cleaner air (7.4 µg/m³ lower).
Los Angeles
Seattle
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 Seattle (2.1M) are 6.4x in population — Los Angeles is the larger metro, Seattle the smaller; on land area Los Angeles spans roughly 4.0x more ground.
Los Angeles is roughly 5.1x the scale of Seattle
Combined population & area comparison
City Scale Rankings
Los Angeles
Seattle
Who Thrives Here
Los Angeles favours the sunshine lover, while Seattle suits the park & garden lover. Both cities work well for the english speaker.
Also compared
Frequently asked about Los Angeles vs Seattle
▶Which is cheaper, Los Angeles or Seattle?
▶How does the climate compare between Los Angeles and Seattle?
▶Is Los Angeles or Seattle safer?
▶Should I move to Los Angeles or Seattle?
The best city depends on what matters to you
This comparison shows how Los Angeles and Seattle 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 diagnostic10 minutes, no account needed