Salary comparison
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education: Kennewick vs Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA pays about 1.5% more for elementary school teachers, except special education on paper — $101,860 vs $100,380. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, Los Angeles comes out ahead by $1,480 a year in real buying power.
Kennewick, WA
$100,380
$79,600
$111,690
$48.26
100
$100,380/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Los Angeles, CA
$101,860
$77,000
$123,800
$48.97
100
$101,860/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $1,480 a year (1.5%) in favor of Los Angeles. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Kennewick runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Los Angeles sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, Los Angeles is the better deal by $1,480 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Kennewick to Los Angeles for this role, the raise needs to beat 1.5% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do elementary school teachers, except special education earn more, Kennewick or Los Angeles?
Los Angeles pays $101,860 on median — about 1.5% more than Kennewick ($100,380). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
Los Angeles. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, Los Angeles gives you roughly$101,860 of real buying power versus $100,380 in the other city.