The pandemic of COVID-19 has caused a huge impact on migration trends all over California. The most popular and largest cities of the state, San Francisco and Los Angeles, were pushed into a population decline of a huge proportion. However, the one thing that remained constant is that moving from San Francisco to Los Angeles is still one of the most popular routes, not only in California but in the whole of the US. If you have this move on your mind, let Verified Movers guide you through the process of relocating to the City of Angeles, showing you why this may or may not be the right choice for you.
How many people are moving from San Francisco to Los Angeles?
As we mentioned in the introduction, this is one of the most popular routes in the country, so it’s natural to expect big numbers. If we take into account the whole metro area of both these cities, the total number of moves from San Francisco to Los Angeles surpasses 5,000 almost every year. 2022 was no exception. Top moving companies in San Francisco, as well as those from LA, are always busy with relocating people between these cities, and it’s fair to assume that things won’t be different any time soon.
Main differences between LA and SF
Although people think that these cities are very similar due to both of them being in California and being the main centers of the West Coast, they are actually quite different. While there are some similarities in terms of the appeal and opportunities they’re offering, we’ll focus on the differences here so we can show you what will change in your life after long distance moving companies San Francisco help you settle in LA.
There aren’t many cities in the world that are more expensive than LA, but San Francisco is one of them
You don’t hear very often that a certain city is more expensive than the glamourous Los Angeles. And yet, here we are in the situation where we’ll discuss the fact that the reason for your move to LA might actually be a lower cost of living. Truth be told, we don’t want to exaggerate because the difference isn’t huge. San Francisco is 6% more expensive than Los Angeles. Most of it comes from utilities and housing. For example, the average monthly utility bill in SF is $258. In LA, on the other hand, it’s only $155. As far as housing goes, we’ll discuss that in more detail in the next section.
Real estate prices
As of March 2023, real estate all over California has become quite expensive, with just a few exceptions in terms of big cities. What’s important for you is that neither San Francisco nor Los Angeles are among those exceptions. Still, moving to the City of Angels with top moving companies in Los Angeles will give you an opportunity to buy a home at a lower price, but nevertheless a staggering one. The median home price in Los Angeles is currently $1.1M, and it’s somehow more affordable than in San Francisco, where it’s currently at $1.3M. The gap between median home prices is reflected in rents as well, and you’ll find more details on that in the list below.
- Monthly rent for a studio apartment; LA – $1,800, SF – $2,200
- Monthly rent for a 1-bedroom apartment; LA – $2,400, SF – $3,000
- Monthly rent for a 2-bedroom apartment; LA – $3,300, SF – $4,000
- Monthly rent for a 3-bedroom apartment; LA – $4,500, SF – $4,900
Tech vs entertainment: The differences between job opportunities
Job markets in both LA and SF are much more complex than just tech and entertainment. Nevertheless, the first thing that comes to mind when talking about jobs in San Francisco is the tech industry. The same goes for the entertainment industry when talking about LA. But, as we said, it’s more complex than that and both cities really offer amazing job opportunities and chances to build your career and reach the very top. Now, as far as the main stats go, we should start by saying that employees in San Francisco pay more than those in LA. The average annual salary in San Francisco is $90,000 compared to $83,000 in LA.
Furthermore, San Francisco has a significantly lower unemployment rate. As of March 2023, the unemployment rate in SF is 2,8%, almost twice lower than 5% in LA. So, we could argue that there are more downsides than upsides to moving from San Francisco to Los Angeles in terms of job opportunities. But, that all depends on whether you’ve found a job that pays really well, or whether your profession is in demand in LA. After all, Los Angeles is still one of the best cities on Earth, so rest assured that once long distance movers in Los Angeles relocate you there, you won’t experience the lack of job opportunities.
Is commuting longer in San Francisco or in Los Angeles?
Finally, we’ll take a look at commuting in both cities. This is a very important thing considering that it affects your everyday life a lot. Well, this is actually one of the similarities between LA and SF. The average commute time is almost identical. To be precise, it is one minute longer in San Francisco (32 minutes > 31 minutes). So, in terms of commute, things probably won’t be much different for you after making this move.
Now that you know what awaits you in LA, start preparing for the move
There you go. We mentioned the most important difference between these cities. Both are very appealing, but if you feel the need for change, then there’s no better place than LA. After all, everyone who has the opportunity to explore Los Angeles and get a taste of its glamorous lifestyle should go for it. You can consider moving from San Francisco to Los Angeles a good idea, and we wish you a safe relocation!