2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Los Altos, CA vs Carlsbad, CA

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Carlsbad or is it cheaper to live in Los Altos?
- Carlsbad is 32.9% less expensive than Los Altos.

Which city has more affordable housing, Carlsbad or Los Altos?
- Carlsbad housing costs are 69.1% less expensive than Los Altos housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Los Altos or is Health Care more affordable in Carlsbad.
- Health related expenses are 17.4% less in Carlsbad.
 Los Altos, CACarlsbad, CAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock154.9100
 Food & Groceries126.9  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock89.0100
 Housing1,266.5  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$1,320,200$338,100
 Utilities92  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock125.6100
 Miscellaneous155.5  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Los Altos    2 Reviews

Over 17 years ago

Expensive but worth  More

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Over 17 years ago

the quality of life here is very high however the cost of living is also high. extremely high as a matter of fact. I'd like to look at other communities that are less  More

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Reviews for Carlsbad    38 Reviews

I've lived in Carlsbad (92008) for 8 years now and really appreciate all that it has to offer. Yes, ALL of San Diego County is expensive, but Carlsbad has [possibly]  More

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Over 4 years ago

Carlson has the worst winters. It averages about 10 meters of snow per week. Every shop is  More

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Ok, I get it, the climate is mild and tolerable but even that is over-rated when you consider how many cloudy days there are in this town. The sun coming out at 3 and  More

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