Moving to Santa Barbara with low income (apartments, to rent)

[Nexis]

i'm considering the option of moving to santa barbara early next year- currently live in central florida. will i be able to make ends meet on a small salary of 24,000/year (before taxes)?
i'm single, own a car but have no car payment, no debt and don't mind living in a small studio apartment, but without roomates. a friend of mine was able to live alone ok farther south (san diego) and he didn't make much more than i do. any help would greatly be appreciated.

[Havasu]

That will be vary hard to do. Not impossible but very hard to do. Rent about 1200 if you want a place to yourself,and thats a dump. Jobs are low pay, crime is high, weather during the winter is great, summers are foggy and cold. One of the most beautiful places is all it has going for it. Just my 2 cents though.

[katie45]

Originally Posted by Nexis

i'm considering the option of moving to santa barbara early next year- currently live in central florida. will i be able to make ends meet on a small salary of 24,000/year (before taxes)?
i'm single, own a car but have no car payment, no debt and don't mind living in a small studio apartment, but without roomates. a friend of mine was able to live alone ok farther south (san diego) and he didn't make much more than i do. any help would greatly be appreciated.

Maybe you could check into renting a room in someone's house. Rents, even for a studio, are way above what you could afford. Not sure what your net would be; but 24k gross is not even half of what it would cost to live in Sta Barbara and be able to do much of anything. What type of employment will you be seeking that will earn 24k?

Why have you selected S.B.? I am sure there are a multitude of places to live that are much more affordable for you.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Santa Barbara's the wrong place to move on a low income unless you want to share an apartment with 3 college kids.

[Nexis]

Originally Posted by Havasu

That will be vary hard to do. Not impossible but very hard to do. Rent about 1200 if you want a place to yourself,and thats a dump. Jobs are low pay, crime is high, weather during the winter is great, summers are foggy and cold. One of the most beautiful places is all it has going for it. Just my 2 cents though.

thanks. thats good to know. i picked SB because of its warm climate, cleanliness, incredible scenery, mountains rising abruptly so close to the coast and spanish architecture. i didn't know crime was a big problem there. i was hoping to avoid the kinds of things one might find in LA-gangs, shootings, graffiti, nightmarish traffic, smog, ect. would you say crime is widespread or limited to certain parts of town? i would want to avoid those areas if at all possible when searching for a studio.

[tigerclaws]

Originally Posted by Havasu

That will be vary hard to do. Not impossible but very hard to do. Rent about 1200 if you want a place to yourself,and thats a dump. Jobs are low pay, crime is high, weather during the winter is great, summers are foggy and cold. One of the most beautiful places is all it has going for it. Just my 2 cents though.

I don't think crime is high by any standards. But 24k is not going to cut it for you. My combined income was in the 100k and I moved out of there, not to discourage you or anything.

I think you should look at a major metro area if you are going to start at around in the 20's. The metro will have better jobs options. SB unfortunately does not have many industries.

On the other hand, it is the best place I have ever lived in my life.

[Havasu]

When i lived in SB for 10 years i had items stolen from my boat 2 times my tires slashed once so to me SB does have some crime. As far as the Gangs they are called wannabe gang members and would not last a night in LA. Smog is not a problem at all and the city keeps up on any graffiiti. The city takes very good care of the place i feel they put tax dollars to good use. It would be much cooler then Florida.Traffic in town isnt bad but to go south on 101 at times can be bad. I myself moved away to Lake Havasu City and i like here more but i love heat. Havasu sure isnt for everyone. SB would not be a place for me to return to live even if it was cheap. Mostly because there is no summer its about 70 year round for highs thats great for most but not for me. Winter is perfect though.
24,000 a year before taxes wont cut it there. Stay away from the east side and west side mostly during the night. The waterfront and mesa are good and so is the north end. One more thing there are ALOT of homeless people all over town some bother you some dont but they are an eyesore for the town.They seem to double in population during the winter months.

[Sarah_Ca]

I have lived in Santa Barbara and did ok on a limited salary. I lived for a time with a roomate and did ok and lived by myself for a while and still did ok on less than 30k. Really it all depends on how you live and what you are willing to sacrifice. I have lived in places like Honolulu and NYC and that were even more expensive than Santa Barbara and was able to pay my bills. With some searching you will be able to find some decent apartments for as low as $1000 a month but you have to look hard. I paid $1100 for an apartment which included utilities in the rent. I didn't drive much and took the bus almost everywhere. I loved living in Santa Barbara. Good luck!

[Nexis]

You all have been very helpful, thank you. Looks like I'll have to find a roomate for a while till my income builds. So are people generally friendly and welcoming to outsiders or do they shun you unless you are part of their clic. Is the Hollywood "attitude" prevalent here?

[IcantSELLmyHouse]

Its very expensive to live there. Gas there is about 50 cents a gallon more then national average. Jobs pay very little.Yep!! Get a few lousy roommates that might clean you out when your working 2 jobs to make it. Also dont be mad when someone side swipes your car because you had to park on the street because someone parked in your spot.
Good luck with Santa Barbara.