Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti could soon be on his way to India as a newly installed U.S. ambassador. So we thought we’d take a look at the differences between the cities of Los Angeles and his likely new home in Delhi to see how the two places stack up against each other.

Here are five things to know:

  1. LA maybe the second largest city in the U.S. but it’s is only roughly in the top 20 when it comes to largest cities in the world. Delhi on the other hand — 8,000 Miles away — is the second largest city in the world! It contains the Capitol of India, New Delhi and it’s surrounding area. Delhi boasts a staggering 22 million+ people, more than five times the population of LA.
  2. Delhi has a massive population density with people living literally on top of each other whereas LA’s not quite so dense. Unless you’re on the 405 during rush hour, that is! It’s also hotter in Delhi on average (88.5°F vs 75.5°F.) by over 10 degrees. LA gets rainfall of 15 inches (if we’re lucky!) vs. Delhi’s 31. Well, they do have monsoons in India so there’s that.
  3. Delhi has public health care,  meaning free medical care guaranteed for every single person. That’s not something LA can boast. Delhi has around 155 more universities than us too and much cheaper public transport, plus the average cost of a city center one-bedroom apartment is eight times cheaper at around $243 a month.
  4. LA has a higher average salary ($4k vs. $650/month), four more airports than Delhi’s one — oh and we do have a beach! So that’s a slight edge, and a bit of a cheat, but hey, every little helps!
  5. A three-course meal for two people in a restaurant here is about $80 bucks. In Delhi it’s $60 cheaper! A McDonald’s is $5 cheaper, so is beer, a cappuccino is a third of what we pay here. Meat is nearly three times cheaper in Delhi and buying a new car nearly two-thirds less with home buying per square foot cheaper in Delhi by over half!


Los Angeles will always be a relevant and important, global city, thanks to it’s port, people and industries. But Delhi and India are just getting started. Soon India will become the third largest economy behind the U.S. and China. Next year, the UN predicts it will be the most populous country in the world with over 1.4 billion people. Let’s hope one day soon we can look forward to welcoming some of them on vacation here!