Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pago Pago and Los Angeles, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Pago Pago: $1,479 a month against $4,102 in Los Angeles, CA, rent and utilities included – about $31,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Pago Pago
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Pago Pago Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in Los Angeles, CA
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Los Angeles, CA Living Index

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Pago Pago

🇦🇸 American Samoa

$1,479

/mo nomad

Los Angeles, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pago Pago and in Los Angeles, CA

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Pago Pago and in Los Angeles, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,479 in Pago Pago versus $4,102 in Los Angeles, CA.

Pago Pago $1,479
Los Angeles, CA $4,102

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,291 in Pago Pago versus $6,042 in Los Angeles, CA.

Pago Pago $2,291
Los Angeles, CA $6,042

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,102 in Pago Pago versus $7,983 in Los Angeles, CA.

Pago Pago $3,102
Los Angeles, CA $7,983

Living in Pago Pago costs roughly 64% less than in Los Angeles, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Pago Pago 9% above, Los Angeles, CA 203% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.98 $27.98

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.28 $36.28

$120 $120

-69.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.05 $10.05

$14.95 $14.95

-32.78%

Cappuccino

$5.82 $5.82

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 $3.85

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.63 $2.63

-62.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.63 $8.63

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 $3.97

$10.08 $10.08

-60.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.28 $1.28

104.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.92 $2.92

$4.73 $4.73

-38.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$4.93 $4.93

-10.55%

Eggs

$4.61 $4.61

$5.57 $5.57

-17.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$10.90 $10.90

-7.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$15.73 $15.73

-35.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.57 $11.57

$20.32 $20.32

-43.06%

Apples (1kg)

$6.03 $6.03

$5.15 $5.15

17.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.19 $2.19

-52.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$4.88 $4.88

-37.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$5.43 $5.43

-26.89%

Potato (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$3.31 $3.31

23.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.88 $2.88

37.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.94 $1.94

2.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.62 $2.62

-22.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.37 $11.37

$11.93 $11.93

-4.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.86 $14.86

$15.18 $15.18

-2.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$3.08 $3.08

-67.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.80 $2.80

4.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.79 $1.79

12.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$126 $126

$103 $103

21.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 $4.95

$3.71 $3.71

33.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.12 $2.12

-8.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.48 $29.48

$37.25 $37.25

-20.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.64 $1.64

-17.07%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.2K $30.2K

$35.4K $35.4K

-14.75%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$19.7K $19.7K

$26.9K $26.9K

-26.94%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$411 $411

$298 $298

38.01%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$29.94 $29.94

$78.6 $78.6

-61.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.9 $73.9

$79.0 $79.0

-6.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 $50.9

$78.0 $78.0

-34.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.12 $10.12

$12.20 $12.20

-17.05%

Cinema Ticket

$8.75 $8.75

$18.18 $18.18

-51.87%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$994 $994

$1,688 $1,688

-41.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K $10.1K

$48.6K $48.6K

-79.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 $69.9

$91.7 $91.7

-23.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 $50.2

$67.9 $67.9

-26.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 $79.9

$121 $121

-34.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.1 $99.1

$215 $215

-53.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$326 $326

$2,564 $2,564

-87.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$202 $202

$2,290 $2,290

-91.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 $901

$5,213 $5,213

-82.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$706 $706

$3,921 $3,921

-81.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K $17.5K

$7,107 $7,107

146.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.7K $10.7K

$6,985 $6,985

53.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,194 $1,194

$4,211 $4,211

-71.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.91

-56.58%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Pago Pago: October 31, 2026

Last update for Los Angeles, CA: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pago Pago

$515 34.8%

Los Angeles, CA

$455 11.1% 11.5% $59

Groceries & Markets

Pago Pago

$368 24.9%

Los Angeles, CA

$466 11.4% 26.6% $98

Accommodation & Living

Pago Pago

$202 13.7%

Los Angeles, CA

$2.3K 55.8% 1032% $2.1K

Getting Around

Pago Pago

$149 10.1%

Los Angeles, CA

$125 3.1% 16.1% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Pago Pago

$135 9.1%

Los Angeles, CA

$223 5.4% 65.8% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Pago Pago

$68 4.6%

Los Angeles, CA

$114 2.8% 67% $46

Eating Out

Pago Pago

$42 * 2.8%

Los Angeles, CA

$428 10.4% 918% $386

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $326 in Pago Pago and $2,564 in Los Angeles, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Angeles, CA pays about 3.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Pago Pago vs $120 in Los Angeles, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $466 per month, with Pago Pago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇸 Pago Pago

🇺🇸 Los Angeles, CA

🕒 Local time

20:52 8:52 PM

23:52 11:52 PM

3 h ahead of Pago Pago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,500 Capital

4,030,904

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pago Pago Los Angeles, CA 7,720 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Pago Pago
Los Angeles, CA

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Pago Pago vs Los Angeles, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pago Pago is about 64% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Pago Pago. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $326 in Pago Pago versus $2,564 in Los Angeles, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Los Angeles, CA runs roughly 18% less than in Pago Pago. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $994 in Pago Pago versus $1,688 in Los Angeles, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Pago Pago is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Pago Pago wins on affordability, Los Angeles, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.