It is not so always to decide between two cities when you plan on moving. A quick listing of your basic needs and what they have to offer will quickly result in the winner. But when you are thinking about two, probably the most popular cities in the USA, your job will not be easy. San Francisco vs Los Angeles has been the dilemma of many, as those two giants are world leaders in so many different areas. However, making a decision is a must and you will have to decide at some point. Royal Moving & Storage will, like always help you, as we can direct you to the most important things. Get ready to see which city is the best for you!
Let’s begin with some basic differences
The total driving difference between San Francisco and Los Angeles is 382.01 miles. That means that with the fastest route, you will need around 7 hours to arrive. Considering that is not a small amount of time, you should know more about some basic differences between these two cities. Even though they are both coastal cities, they are in different regions in California.
This will affect the weather and climate and many other things that you will find out later. It is also interesting to mention that San Francisco is all about the hills while Los Angeles is a completely flat region. To some of you out there, this could be a sign already, as we all love different areas.
Another interesting fact is that Los Angeles covers a much bigger area. Your long-distance moving companies in Los Angeles surely will not have a problem locating you but you should be aware that this city has many neighborhoods. With almost 468.67 square miles of homes and buildings, it surely has more areas for living and working to offer. If that is what you need, make sure to start looking for a good neighborhood on time.
That leads us to San Francisco vs Los Angeles climate
A lot of people will agree that this is one of the main differences between these two cities. You don’t even have to visit San Francisco to know that it is famous for its fog. It has been captured in many movies, shows, and music videos. San Francisco has a cooler, more temperate climate than Los Angeles and fog is indeed often there. The weather can be cool even on summer days, especially early in the morning.
The average temperature in summer will reach up to 69°F while in winter they go as low as 51°F. But when the weather is nice and the fog finally rises, San Francisco is absolutely beautiful and extremely pleasant. Yes, if you are going to San Francisco be sure to wear some flowers in your hair, as it will offer you enough sunny days after all.
On the other hand, Los Angeles has a warm, almost Mediterranean climate with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. The temperatures can reach over 100°F during that season and it is when most people love to visit. If you are one of those who love hot cities Los Angeles could be a great option. However, keep in mind that this can have its cons as well. A city this big will easily get almost unbearable and you will need to spend a lot of time in your home.
Costs of living
This one will affect your entire life after relocation and you must think well before making a final decision. San Francisco vs Los Angeles in terms of living costs is a separate subject and you will need to include your budget as well as your future job in this process. If you hire movers and packers in San Francisco to carry out your move and don’t deal with your finances, you will find it difficult to adapt. Let’s dive into more details on this topic and compare these two cities.
Living costs in San Francisco
Currently, living costs in San Francisco rate 244/100, where 100 is the national average. This is mainly because the city is so popular and the economy is still going with higher standards. All costs except for utilities will go above the average. This is something you have to consider before choosing a place to move to, especially if you plan to look for a job later.
Your future income must cover a lot of expenses while leaving you enough space to have fun or plan a trip. This will be even better once you get the moving quotes from San Francisco and balance your moving costs too. Here are the rest of the living costs in San Francisco:
- Groceries 116.6/100
- Housing 504.4/100
- Transportation 158.2/100
- Health 114.9/100
Living costs in Los Angeles
On the other hand, Los Angeles is much more affordable. Living costs there rate 176.2/100 and even though they also go above the average, the difference is not as huge. To a lot of people, prices matter a lot and San Francisco vs Los Angeles in terms of your budget is pretty clear. Lower living costs will give you a chance to settle in better and have more time to find a good job. The rest of the living costs in this city rate:
- Groceries 104.1/100
- Housing 302.8/100
- Transportation 165.3/100
- Health 90/100
With a good and stable job, no matter how high the living costs are, you and your budget will be just fine. Since that is one of the keys to always having a balanced budget, these two matters will be always tightly connected. If you have friends and family in both cities you can ask them to share their experiences with living costs and give you even more details.
Job opportunities in San Francisco and Los Angeles
Once you realize that living costs fit your budget, you can proceed to another, equally important thing. If you will not be moving your job with you, you will soon have to find a new one. And since your entire future will depend on it, you should know on time which city can offer you more. The easiest way to find this one out is to compare the unemployment rate and see what companies are based on each one of them. This will give you a much better insight and help you understand how your profession will fit. Since these two cities have different vibes, job opportunities will vary as well.
In San Francisco, you can easily find a job related to technology or finance. These two fields are extremely developed and are the main sources of a stable economy. The most notable companies regarding tech based in SF are Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Apple which says a lot. If your profession is related to tech you will have a chance to skyrocket your career within a company or on your own. You will have to trust long-distance movers in San Francisco with your items, as you will surely have to be there much earlier.
Los Angeles is more focused on entertainment and healthcare. The city is the entertainment capital of the world, with many major movie studios, television networks, and music companies based in the city. If you love showbusiness you will hear many celebrities stating that their careers began in Los Angeles. Living there will give you a chance to get closer to this lifestyle and show yourself among the huge stars. Warner Bros. Studios and Universal Studios are probably the most notable employers, as both studios are worldwide famous.
San Francisco vs Los Angeles: The unemployment rate
If we take a closer look at the official statistics, the unemployment rate is clear. In San Francisco, it is 2.8% while in Los Angeles is 5%. Knowing this, you should be careful when choosing Los Angeles as your option before doing better research. Job opportunities in San Francisco will be a much safer option which is recommended for young people and those who are straight out of college.
Keep in mind that a lot of companies nowadays offer remote work to older employees. If this is the case, you will surely have the benefits of having headquarters in San Francisco or at least a couple of employees there. Before moving, don’t forget to compare both cities with your current one. This will help you decide even faster and there are cities with much lower as well as higher unemployment rates in the USA.
Culture
Now off to a fun part. When people start looking for a new place to move to, they usually love exploring its culture and everything it will offer to them. Since you have the two most iconic cities in California in front of you, it is only normal to expect two completely different things. The first thing you will notice is food. While Los Angeles is full of restaurants with Mexican and Korean cuisine, San Francisco is all about seafood. This city will also offer more restaurants than street markets and almost every part of the city has at least one notable location.
Music is also a very important factor in both cities but in different ways. Those who love music and even devote their careers to it will know that Los Angeles is famous for electronic and hip-hop music. A lot of famous performers call this city their hometown including Billie Elish and Adam Levine.
On the other hand, if you decide to move to San Francisco, you will feel the influence of rock. Creedence Clearwater Revival is probably the most popular band with roots in this city and San Francisco is extremely proud of it. A lot of bars and pubs tend to organize live music performances mainly based on this type of music.
Communities and neighborhoods
Before choosing moving services in San Francisco, you should find out more about neighborhoods in the city as well. By now, you probably have a better picture of these two cities and what to expect on this matter. Living in San Francisco will get you closer to families and young couples, especially in the suburbs. The further you go from the city center the more you will come across beautiful homes and yes, lovely communities.
The most notable SF neighborhoods include Haight-Ashbury, the Castro, and Chinatown. A lot of newcomers come from smaller towns around SF but some will come from LA or even different states.
Los Angeles is a little bit more dynamic, especially because of the entertainment industry we mentioned earlier. This city welcomes many more young people and they usually tend to stick closer to the city. Suburbs in Los Angeles are extremely diverse meaning there are people of different ages professions and nationalities.
LA neighborhoods that could be interesting to you surely are Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and Silver Lake. As locals love to say making new friendships in Los Angeles is extremely easy as almost every place is giving you the chance to meet someone who has something in common with you.
So, which city is right for you?
It looks like now you have plenty of information to answer the question yourself. All you need to do is compare them to what your needs and plans are. To sum it up, both cities are once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Extremely different but at the same time always ready to give their residents everything they need.
If you find it extremely hard to decide maybe a trip will settle the score. Organize a short vacation and try to see the best of both places. The San Francisco vs Los Angeles dilemma will be much clearer and you will even get some information firsthand. If this is not an option, just leave yourself plenty of time to consider every option.
