It varies quite a bit depending what you consider "LA". Unfortunately a lot of tech jobs are in parts of LA that are just as expensive or even worse than the Bay Area. You can always commute, but minimizing car time is like the #1 most important thing for maximizing happiness here

Not sure if you mean LA-LA proper, but Orange County is definitely cheaper. Of course, it depends on where you work. I used to commute from Irvine to Santa Monica, and that drive was hell.

Not really better than the Bay Area I’d say, especially in areas with a higher concentration of tech jobs. I think LA (and SD for that matter) are poor choices strictly financially speaking. But there’s more to life than spending every dollar as efficiently as possible.