San Francisco VS Los Angeles. Compare cities

Living in California is a real dream come true, isn’t it? If you at some point decide this dream should better come true already, there will be one tricky thing left: what сity of the Golden State you are going to enjoy living in. How about us at Moving Me comparing two absolutely awesome cities of California: San Francisco vs Los Angeles to ease this hard choice for you a little bit.

A Hard Choice It Is

If you ever face a choice of SF vs LA that would rather be a choice of your personality: a career-oriented techie vs an artistic nightclubber. The one that wins this battle in your head will choose the city. If you were good at school, have a good chance of making money in tech, and maybe aren’t super social, then San Francisco is a good place for you. If career and money aren’t that important to you right now but making friends, creating lifetime memories and adventures are, then Los Angeles is definitely your next destination.

San Francisco VS Los Angeles – Different California

Even though another nickname of California is a Sunny State, it seems like the Sun never Shines around the Bay Area. Still better than LA smog anyways. Los Angeles beaches, on the other hand, proved to be far superior to the ones in San Francisco. Food choices are pretty much the same though. At least here you are not going to sacrifice one or the other. Maybe with an exception of Mexican food, LA won this battle long ago. And the wineries! Both cities have an absolutely wonderful choice of wineries nearby. Don’t miss a chance to celebrate your move with a glass of local wine, you’ll start loving your new place at once!

Counting the Expences of San Francisco VS Los Angeles

From an economical point of view, San Francisco is more expensive and more demanding, yet more rewarding. Overall, the Golden Gate City is 55,4% more expensive than LA. Median Home Cost, which is the biggest factor in the cost of living difference, is around $1400 in SF vs less than $700 in LA. Food and groceries are only a bit more expensive though, about 12% in general, as well as Healthcare. Utilities’ difference is also about 4,%.

In general, you’ll need about $8 000 in San Francisco to maintain the same lifestyle you would spend $6 000 in LA. The good thing is that your $70000 LA salary almost surely will turn into $110000 in SF under the same working conditions.

Getting Around the City

There is one thing that is 12% cheaper in San Francisco – that would be transportation. The reason for that is much less space and, the ecologically friendly approach that SF has been exposed to for the recent decade. That includes a convenient network of cycle lanes, a decent choice of electro vehicles, and a variety of walking spaces across the whole city. Public transportation is so much more developed in San Francisco. LA in that matter has pretty much no public transportation. What is definitely not helping to get around SF is the landscape: it almost feels like you’re trying to climb a mini version of Mount Everest on your bike or scooter.

Choose With Your Heart

They are both amazing places to live and experience even though LA would give you better housing opportunities due to is the vastness of the land and a variety of real estate options. Other than that it really comes down to the lifestyle and environment you want. The tech community in SF is obviously very deep but there is also a certain culture that is associated with the city. It gives the City it’s personality. We would encourage you to explore and dig deeper into the personality of these two cities. In many aspects, SF is more sophisticated and intellectual. And by contrast, the “Silicon Beach” community in LA is much more laid back and relaxed when it comes to work/life balance.

Let’s see what those who have already moved, have to say about both (or either) of the cities:

Michele Robertson, 27

Finding an affordable apartment in the Bay Area proved “near impossible.” And having recently hit age 30, Kehayas was unwilling to spend $2,000 on a dingy room in a house of strangers. So she turned her sights southward, from the foggy city to the smoggy city.

Penny Wide, 32

Fog beats smog. Every single time. Having a vista marred by sweeping fog, drifting and churning past city landmarks will always be more welcome than the sweet, musty, brown combination of nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxide, and carbon monoxide.
Plus, once you really fall in love with San Francisco, you’ll also start referring to the cool evening fog as Mother Nature’s Air Conditioner.

Stella Red, 35

I lived in both San Francisco and Los Angeles. I only stayed in Los Angeles for six months as opposed to three years in San Francisco if they says anything about the two cities. I find San Francisco to be a great city for it’s climate, activities to do throughout the city and it’s conveniences to everything. You don’t need a car in San Francisco, which eliminates insurance and atrocious parking tickets, but also, you can truly get anywhere in the city within 20 minutes. Also, the city has helped the citizens rely on public transportation by providing apps that will help you gadge when and where the next MUNI is coming. It is a wonderful city and I recommend it to anyone.

Moving San Francisco VS Los Angeles Advice

We hope, everything you’ve read would help you decide between the two. Then another stage of your move will sweepingly approach, the Move itself. And here we are ready to assist you again. With our help, you’ll be able to find a reliable professional team of movers that you would entrust your move without a shade of hesitation. There are dozens of moving companies operating locally or between these two cities – San Francisco VS Los Angeles. Choosing one that will match your moving needs is not always an easy task, so check our list of California Top Moving Companies before you make your final decision. And good luck with your move!