01 · the cities
Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 88 cities pretending to be one, connected by freeways and a shared love of really good tacos. Every neighborhood is its own scene: surfers in Venice, the Korean grandmas of K-town, mountains rising behind Pasadena, Persian rugs in Westwood. The light at golden hour is so good it makes Instagram filters jealous. Roll the windows down at golden hour, put on a playlist, and let the city stretch out.
full dispatch→Indianapolis
Indianapolis circles its downtown with a literal loop (the Mile Square) and hosts the Indy 500 every Memorial Day weekend like clockwork. Basketball is woven into the state DNA (Hoosiers, the movie, is essentially a documentary). The Cultural Trail connects six districts on bike-friendly paths through the heart of downtown. The food scene has quietly leveled up.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,899/mo
$1,511/mo
$1,388/mo less than Los Angeles (92%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.0M
$296k
$734k less than Los Angeles
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
3.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,659/mo
$6,572/mo
Indianapolis has $1,913/mo more gross after rent at $100k
Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.
03 · the weather
Pleasant days/yr
Pleasant days/yr
283 days
174 days
109 fewer than Los Angeles
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
19 days
0 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
30 days
days below 20°F per year
Los Angeles has 19 more days above 95°F each year than Indianapolis. Indianapolis drops below 20°F on 30 more days per year than Los Angeles.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
67 / 100
62 / 100
5.0 pts behind Los Angeles
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
150 routes
35 routes
115 fewer direct routes than Los Angeles
Metro size
Metro size
12.8M metro
2.1M metro
Los Angeles has 3.9x more events per month than Indianapolis.
the verdict
4
Los Angeles
categories won
5
Indianapolis
categories won
Indianapolis wins on money. Los Angeles has the edge on weather and lifestyle.
run your numbers
How far does your Los Angeles salary go?
Enter your salary to see a full ranked list of cities where you would live better.
see your top citiesWe use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.
Walk Score® is a trademark of Walk Score, a Redfin company. How Walk Score works