Moving from Los Angeles to Santa Cruz
Los Angeles to Santa Cruz: $693 less leftover
$1,007/mo leftover in Santa Cruz vs $1,700 in Los Angeles after tax and rent ($693 less). −$8,316 a year — not a moving-company quote.
Los Angeles leftover
$1,700
a month after tax and rent
Santa Cruz leftover
$1,007
−$693 vs Los Angeles
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
Leftover is not a cost-of-living index. Leftover vs a COL index
Who already made this move
In 2022-2023, 393 households moved Los Angeles → Santa Cruz (about 511 people, average AGI $70,623). 388 households went the other way.
Source: IRS SOI county-to-county migration. Not a moving company; not a recommendation.
| Per month | Los Angeles | Santa Cruz |
|---|---|---|
| Take-home | $6,372 | $5,704 |
| Rent | $2,273 | $2,638 |
| All other costs | $2,399 | $2,059 |
| Left over | $1,700 | $1,007 |
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Los Angeles and Santa Cruz moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Full line-by-line comparison →
What the move itself costs
About 353 road miles, 1 bedroom. Typical ranges, not quotes.
- Full-service mover
- $2,100–$3,950
- Container or pod
- $1,450–$2,700
- Rent a truck
- $600–$1,150
Other moves from Los Angeles
Dig into Santa Cruz
Paycheck
Take-home pay after tax and rent, and what's left at the end of the month.
Who moved
Which metros people actually left and arrived from, according to IRS tax returns.
Rent vs buy
Asking rent, the median home, property tax, and months to a down payment.
Monthly costs
Groceries, getting around, utilities, healthcare and childcare at your household size.
Daily life
Homicide and firearm death rates, heat, cars and commute.
Kids
Public-school enrollment, pupil–teacher ratio, bedrooms and childcare.
Getting there
Typical cost to get here, then leftover after tax and rent — not a moving-company directory.
Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Santa Cruz than Los Angeles?
A one-bedroom is about $2,273 in Los Angeles versus $2,638 in Santa Cruz. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $693 a month lower in Santa Cruz. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Santa Cruz have state income tax?
Santa Cruz is in California, which taxes wage income.
Did people actually move from Los Angeles to Santa Cruz?
When IRS county-to-county data covers this pair, the page lists how many households made the Los Angeles → Santa Cruz move and their average AGI. Leftover after tax and rent is shown for the same household on both sides.