Los Angeles vs Austin
Austin comes out ahead overall, winning 4 of 7 criteria.
Summary
Austin comes out clearly ahead of Los Angeles overall (6.4 vs 5.9, winning 4 of 7 criteria), though Los Angeles still leads on climate — worth weighing if that happens to be a priority for you.
Quick answers
Safety: Austin (7/10 vs 6/10).
Climate: Los Angeles (8/10 vs 7/10).
Overall, Austin scores higher (6.4/10 vs 5.9/10) across all seven criteria combined.
Cost of living: Austin (5/10 vs 4/10).
Austin — Austin scores higher once we weight toward households with kids prioritizing safety, healthcare and clean air (5.8 vs 6.4 for Los Angeles vs Austin), driven largely by safety.
Austin — Austin scores higher once we weight toward remote workers who need fast internet and an affordable, pleasant base (6.1 vs 6.7 for Los Angeles vs Austin), driven largely by cost of living.
Where each city wins
- +Climate: slightly better than Austin (8.0 vs 7.0)
- +Environment & air quality: notably better than Los Angeles (6.0 vs 4.0)
- +Cost of living: slightly better than Los Angeles (5.0 vs 4.0)
- +Safety: slightly better than Los Angeles (7.0 vs 6.0)
Which city fits your profile?
Austin comes out ahead for nearly every profile we tested — digital nomad, freelancer, young family, budget-conscious mover, safety-first mover and retiree, among others — winning 10 of 10 weighted comparisons against Los Angeles. There's no profile in our set where Los Angeles pulls ahead.
See the full breakdown by profile
Austin scores higher once we weight toward remote workers who need fast internet and an affordable, pleasant base (6.1 vs 6.7 for Los Angeles vs Austin), driven largely by cost of living.
Austin scores higher once we weight toward independent workers balancing cost of living against healthcare access (5.9 vs 6.5 for Los Angeles vs Austin), driven largely by cost of living.
Austin scores higher once we weight toward households with kids prioritizing safety, healthcare and clean air (5.8 vs 6.4 for Los Angeles vs Austin), driven largely by safety.
Austin scores higher once we weight toward movers for whom affordability outweighs every other factor (5.5 vs 6.2 for Los Angeles vs Austin), driven largely by cost of living.
Austin scores higher once we weight toward people relocating somewhere unfamiliar who weigh personal safety above all (5.9 vs 6.5 for Los Angeles vs Austin), driven largely by safety.
Austin scores higher once we weight toward retirees prioritizing healthcare, climate and a calm environment over nightlife or internet speed (5.8 vs 6.3 for Los Angeles vs Austin), driven largely by climate.
Austin scores higher once we weight toward students who need affordability, transit and a lively social scene (5.5 vs 6.1 for Los Angeles vs Austin), driven largely by cost of living.
Austin scores higher once we weight toward expatriates relocating for work who lean on safety, healthcare and internet to stay settled and connected (6.0 vs 6.7 for Los Angeles vs Austin), driven largely by safety.
Austin scores higher once we weight toward founders and small business owners who need reliable connectivity and a livable base without big-city costs (6.0 vs 6.6 for Los Angeles vs Austin), driven largely by internet & connectivity.
Austin scores higher once we weight toward early-career movers who want nightlife and transit within budget, without yet prioritizing healthcare or climate (5.7 vs 6.3 for Los Angeles vs Austin), driven largely by cost of living.
Which city should you choose?
Pick Austin instead if you're more of a digital nomad, freelancer, or young family.