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Layover guideLos Angeles · LAX

What to buy in Los Angeles

Tax is added at the till, the rate changes with the city boundary, and there is no refund counter on the way out.

RizaCPH / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
All of Los Angeles

The statewide rate is 7.25 per cent and local districts add between 0.10 and 2.00 per cent on top, so the shelf price is never the price at the register.

Effective 1 July 2026 the rate is 9.75 per cent in the City of Los Angeles and in Los Angeles County, 10.25 per cent in Inglewood, 10.50 per cent in West Hollywood and 10.75 per cent in Santa Monica. Buying the same item a mile away changes the total.

Coming back through US customs, a returning resident's duty-free personal exemption is 800 dollars every 31 days, having remained at least 48 hours abroad. Within it, alcohol is limited to one US litre for anyone aged 21 or over and tobacco to 200 cigarettes and 100 cigars. Alcohol beyond that litre is dutiable and taxed even if you are under the total exemption.

  1. California Department of Tax and Fee Administration: sales and use tax rates · checked 2026-09-03
  2. California Department of Tax and Fee Administration: city and county sales tax rates · checked 2026-09-03
  3. US Customs and Border Protection: customs duty information · checked 2026-09-03

The rest of Los Angeles

The whole guide
Getting out of the airportThere is no train from the gate: the rail station sits away from the terminals and you reach it on a free shuttle bus.Ride-hailingUber, Lyft and Opoli are LAX's authorised ride apps, and they pick up at the LAX-it lot next to Terminal 1.Local laws that catch crew outCannabis is legal in the state and still barred from federal land, and your phone is inspectable at the border.Staying connectedFree Wi-Fi covers the public areas of every LAX terminal, in unlimited 45-minute sessions after a short ad.WeatherDry and mild at the coast for most of the year, and the sea is more dangerous than a calm afternoon suggests.Eating near the crew hotelsA letter grade on the door tells you the inspection score, and the menu price is never the price you pay.TippingA tip is the employee's property by statute, and it is on top of a full minimum wage, not instead of one.