Both Cities are Iconic, But Nothing Alike…
Let’s be honest- most of us have dreamed of living in either Los Angeles or New York City. There’s something about each city that makes it so appealing, but they couldn’t be more different. So if you’re planning on living your best life like your favorite reality TV star, here’s a breakdown of what each city has to offer.
Commute
When it comes to commuting between work and school, you’re going to be frustrated no matter what city you choose. Each have downsides, however NYC is a lot easier on your wallet and caters to your travel needs. The NYC subway system is incredibly convenient when it comes to traveling anywhere within the city. After you get used to your subway routes and stops it’ll become second nature. After you’ve got your routes down, you’ll learn that everything is within walking distance once you’re in the city.
LA will require you to have a vehicle, pay for gas and sit in hours-long traffic just to get anywhere during rush hour. Yes, Los Angeles offers public transportation also, but it’s nowhere near the scale of the New York City Metro or as easy to use. You’ll have to ask yourself if you’ll be happier sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic in the comfort of your own car, or sitting in a hot subway surrounded by dozens of people. We’d rather let someone else do the driving and deal with sitting next to another commuter…
Winner: NYC
Activities & Recreation
This one is tough, but I’m going to try to compare it in an easy-to-understand way. Imagine that LA and NYC both have 200 places to choose from to go out with friends. In LA, those 200 places are scattered, with about 4 or 5 of them in a somewhat close range to each other. New York City has all 200 within about 15 mins of each other, and accessible without having to drive.
Most people would choose the latter, but if you don’t mind all the driving, they’re just about equal. Personally, we’d prefer NYC’s convenience of bars, restaurants and general entertainment to LA’s. Los Angeles offers higher-end experiences, but sometimes convenience trumps quality.
However, if you’re just looking to run some quick errands or meet a friend for coffee … Los Angeles takes the cake. You’ll learn it’s much easier to get in the car and complete a small task in LA. You don’t have to plan a trip on the subway for something simple. Just get in the car and go! You live by your own schedule in LA, not the Metro’s!
Winner: Draw
Weather
Look, having seasons is great … for the Instagram shot. It’s nice to see snow and the pretty leaves of autumn, but it gets old really fast. After you get over the initial thrill of a beautiful snow covered Central Park, you’ll discover how annoying it really is. Walking anywhere in the snow is similar to having someone constantly throwing small shards of glass at your face … really hard. It also gets so cold it’s physically impossible to do anything enjoyable outside.
In Los Angeles, you’ll never have to worry about the weather keeping you from getting anything done. The winters are mild and summertime is legendary. You also don’t have to deal with the gross humidity of a New York summer…
Winner: LA
Culture
A city’s culture refers to its overall way of life. Each person is different and you can’t exactly rank which is better. It all falls on what type of person you are at heart. If you’re looking for a laid back, keep-to-yourself type of life, then Los Angeles is for you.
Here’s the thing — New York City is an incredible place to live. It has this extraordinary sense of community you won’t find anywhere else. It’s a melting pot of cultures and personalities sharing these unspoken rules — such as not getting on a subway car if it’s empty. There’s a reason it’s empty. People from all walks of life share a small island and eventually you’ll see they all deal with the same stuff. For example — sharing an annoyed glance when you’re just trying to get home quietly after a long day of work, and the showtime dancers burst through the doors.
Once you get over the initial culture shock of New York’s fast-paced way of living, you start to accept it and embrace it. New Yorkers don’t mean to be abrasive, it’s just the way people are raised. In LA, people are generally more laid back and polite. As long as you don’t take anything personally, you’ll love NYC.
Winner: NYC
Food
I’m only including this category so I can give it to NYC. During the time I lived there I had food delivered every single day. It’s convenient and doesn’t charge the ridiculous prices UberEats does. There are so many choices for delivery in such a small radius, it’ll be hard NOT to find something to eat. Plus, you can’t beat a large slice of pizza and drink for $1.50.
In LA you’ll be limited to a select few places that offer delivery, most of which are either pizza joints or places that’ll only deliver if you’re ordering an insane amount of food. Luckily, apps like UberEats and GrubHub have made it much easier to order food, but the delivery fees are a major turn off.
Winner: NYC
Affordability
It’s no secret that both Los Angeles and New York City are crazy expensive to live in. However, when it comes to getting more bang for your buck, Los Angeles wins. It’s easier to find a small apartment or even a room to rent in LA. Apartment-hunting in New York City is incredibly difficult and even if you do find a place, it’ll almost certainly be hilariously small and uncomfortable — not to mention you’ll pay a lot more for a smaller place.
Winner: LA
Quality of Life
The old cliche that life moves fast in New York City couldn’t be any closer to the truth. Everyone is always in a rush and the people looking for jobs outweigh what’s available. This can become incredibly stressful if you’re trying to start a new life on the East Coast. So unless you know exactly what you’re going to do, where to live and have the logistics figured out, it’s going to take a while to get settled in.
LA is much easier to settle into if you’re moving from a different state. California is pretty much the same throughout, but Los Angeles is just the epicenter of anything important. Downtown LA is nowhere near as big as Manhattan, but it still feels like city-living. It also has hills, beaches and deserts that each carry their own subcultures. You’ll soon learn that almost everything is calmer and more simple to do in LA.
Winner: LA
Verdict
New York City is the place to go if you’re looking for life experience. There’s no time to mess around and you’ll be thrust into a beautiful metropolis of hard workers. It’s a rock tumbler of a city that’ll smooth out your edges and make you a better person.
Los Angeles is funner, but a lot harder to create a life for yourself. The city is full of natives and plenty of transplants try and fail to make it out here. Some are lucky, but LA is huge and that means there’s more competition. If you’re up for a challenge, then it may be the place for you.
If you’re still weighing the pros and cons, check out the video below…
