How expensive is Long Beach compared to the US average?

Long Beach's composite cost-of-living index is about 145, meaning living there costs roughly 45% more than the US average of 100. Housing is the main driver, running far above the national norm in this coastal Los Angeles County city.

What is a cost-of-living index?

A cost-of-living index sets the US national average at 100 and scores cities relative to it. An index of 145 means costs are 45% higher; an index of 90 means 10% lower. It bundles housing, food, transport, utilities, and healthcare into one figure.

Why is Long Beach so expensive?

Housing dominates the index, and Long Beach's coastal Southern California location pushes home prices and rents well above the national average. California's high sales tax, gas prices, and utility costs add further to the total.

How do I compare my salary to another city?

Enter your income and the other city's index. The tool scales your income by the ratio of the two indices, showing how much you would need there to maintain the same standard of living you have in Long Beach.

Is the index the same as inflation?

No. A cost-of-living index compares one place to another at a point in time, while inflation measures price changes over time. The index here is a snapshot of how Long Beach costs compare to the US average today.

Long Beach Cost-of-Living Index

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This tool benchmarks Long Beach’s cost of living against the US average and converts your income into equivalent purchasing power in any other city.

How it works

The US national average is fixed at 100. Long Beach’s composite index of about 145 means costs run roughly 45% higher. Your income is scaled by index ratios:

purchasing_power   = income * (100 / 145)
equivalent_income  = income * (target_index / 145)

Purchasing power restates your income in average-cost dollars, and the equivalent income shows what you would need in a comparison city to live the same way. The composite blends weighted categories — housing carries the most weight.

Example

A $90,000 income in Long Beach has purchasing power of about $62,000 in average-cost terms ($90,000 × 100/145). To match it in a city with an index of 100, you would need roughly $62,000 there.

Notes

Category indices are representative weighted components, not exact survey figures. Housing is the dominant driver of Long Beach’s high composite; transportation and utilities also sit above the national average, while some categories are closer to the norm.