Los Angeles · United States
January
Mild, quiet, and 30% cheaper — the smartest time to do LA without the circus.
Best match
#6 of 12 months
There are better months for Los Angeles — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
19.8°C
Low
8.5°C
Rain
79mm
Sun
7.2hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How January scores in Los Angeles
Weather
Very good
Value
Excellent
Crowds
Excellent
Events
Good
Atmosphere
Very good
What you gain in January
- ↑Hotels across West Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Downtown average 25–35% below summer peak rates, with mid-range properties on the Westside running $180–$240/night instead of $300+. Airbnbs in Silver Lake and Los Feliz drop to their annual lows.
- ↑The Rose Parade in Pasadena on January 1st draws around 700,000 spectators along the 5.5-mile Colorado Boulevard route — a genuinely spectacular free street event that feels nothing like the tourist-trap events of peak summer.
- ↑Griffith Observatory, the Getty Museum, and LACMA are walkable at a human pace. Griffith Park trails — particularly the West Observatory Trail — are uncrowded, and the views across the basin on a clear January day after rain are the best in the city.
What you sacrifice
- ↓January is LA's rainiest month, with periodic multi-day storms that can bring 25–50mm in a single event. The city's road drainage is poor by design — locals joke that Angelenos forget how to drive in rain — and mudslides can close canyon roads after heavy events.
- ↓Beach culture is functionally off the table. Malibu and Venice Beach are walkable but water temperatures drop to 14°C and the boardwalk vendors largely disappear. Rooftop bars like Perch and Mama Shelter stay open but the experience is different without the warmth.
How January compares to April (best month)
| Factor | January | April ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 7 | 9 |
| Value | 8 | 6 |
| Crowds | 8 | 6 |
January in other destinations
Lisbon (13.6°C)Barcelona (13.2°C)Tokyo (9.8°C)Bali (30.2°C)Santorini (13.4°C)Paris (7°C)New York (3.3°C)Marrakech (17.3°C)Amsterdam (5.6°C)Maldives (30.1°C)Rome (11.6°C)Bangkok (31.1°C)Istanbul (8.7°C)Vienna (3.2°C)Seoul (1.1°C)Dubrovnik (11.1°C)Rio de Janeiro (30.9°C)Kyoto (9.2°C)Phuket (31.5°C)Cape Town (26.1°C)Prague (2°C)Amalfi Coast (12°C)Mexico City (21°C)Medellín (28°C)Fiji (31°C)London (8°C)Sydney (26°C)Iceland (2°C)Tulum (28°C)Dubai (24°C)Singapore (30°C)Hoi An (24°C)Chiang Mai (29°C)Miami (24.1°C)Florence (9.2°C)Queenstown (22°C)Madrid (9.4°C)Porto (14°C)Edinburgh (7°C)Copenhagen (4°C)Budapest (4°C)Kraków (2°C)Tbilisi (6°C)Palawan (29°C)Hanoi (18°C)Osaka (9°C)Goa (32°C)Cusco (19°C)Buenos Aires (30°C)Mykonos (13°C)Zanzibar (32°C)Sri Lanka (31°C)Costa Rica (25°C)Cancun (28°C)Krabi (32°C)Athens (13°C)Seville (15°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (29°C)Havana (26°C)Split (10°C)Taipei (19°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (15°C)Ho Chi Minh City (33°C)Hawaii (27°C)Cappadocia (4°C)Dominican Republic (28°C)Jamaica (30°C)Tanzania (28°C)Seychelles (30°C)Nepal (18°C)Jordan (12°C)Azores (17°C)Bora Bora (30°C)Cairo (19.1°C)Kenya (26.8°C)Jaipur (22.2°C)Las Vegas (13.9°C)San Francisco (13.2°C)Madeira (19.5°C)Vancouver (6.9°C)Muscat (26.4°C)Lima (26.2°C)Cinque Terre (11°C)Kotor (10°C)Tel Aviv (18°C)Santiago (30°C)Bogotá (19°C)Bruges (5.8°C)Penang (31.5°C)Lombok (30.8°C)Cape Verde (26.2°C)Fez (13.8°C)Kerala (31°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (18°C)Oslo (-1°C)Auckland (24°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Los Angeles, not across destinations. Methodology →