Fish as an economic indicator: Sushi is most expensive in L.A.

Los Angeles is the priciest place to live in the country according to one fishy economic indicator.

Angelenos can gorge on the most expensive sushi in the U.S., according to Bloomberg Rankings.

Then again, they may not want to, considering that they have to shell out 27% more than the average American for raw fish on rice. And at establishments such as Urasawa in Beverly Hills, a pair of sushi lovers can easily spend more than $1,000 on a single meal.

The Sushinomics Cost-of-Living Index is based on prices for spicy tuna and California rolls at restaurants across 27 major cities. New York sushi costs a pretty penny -- nearly 21% above the average -- as does sushi in San Francisco, Minneapolis and Austin, Texas.

Restaurants in Princeton, N.J., price sushi more than 27% below the national average.

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-- Tiffany Hsu

Photo: Sushi in West Los Angeles. Credit: Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times