Help me out - What's better? (San Diego, San Francisco: 2014, apartment, rentals)

[Arrowman90]

Alright so basically, I'm 20 and live in Eastern Europe. I won a greencard so now I'm trying to find a good place to live in the US, specifically California.

Okay so the things that I'm looking for are:

- A not so populated area in which I wouldn't need a car and instead use the public transport
- The beach would be a huge plus
- Maybe a place where finding a minimum wage job wouldn't be a problem (waiter, dishwasher etc)

I don't need a fancy house or anything like that. All I'm looking for is a room with a bathroom (lol), not over $500-$600 rent a month.

How possible is that and if it is, where are the best places for it?

P.S: I realize everything I have mentioned above sounds a bit cocky and that I'm asking for too much but I was just describing the place of my dream.

[Electrician4you]

You're not gonna find a place at the beach for 5-600. A room in a house someone has will be 5-600. Sometimes utilities are included others its shared.

In SoCal the public transportation us usually by bus. Get a bus pass if you plan on using OCTA

Minimum wage jobs are easy to find but why the hell do you want that? Are you good with your hands? I know a lot of construction companies hire. If you're good you move up. Don't settle for some crap job somewhere.

Where in Eastern Europe are you from? Because you write really really good.

[Arrowman90]

Originally Posted by Electrician4you

You're not gonna find a place at the beach for 5-600. A room in a house someone has will be 5-600. Sometimes utilities are included others its shared.

In SoCal the public transportation us usually by bus. Get a bus pass if you plan on using OCTA

Minimum wage jobs are easy to find but why the hell do you want that? Are you good with your hands? I know a lot of construction companies hire. If you're good you move up. Don't settle for some crap job somewhere.

Where in Eastern Europe are you from? Because you write really really good.

I'm from Moldova if you ever heard of it (I suggest you google it as I'm sure you haven't :/). Not too many know English around here but I guess I just like the language a lot.

Anyway, the reason why I asked about minimum wage jobs is because everybody needs a place to start off. I doubt I'll be able to get hired at a job where they pay a high salary straight away as I'll be new to the country itself and I got a feeling they will rip me off a lot at the start.

I don't necessarily need a place right at the beach but maybe close to a town that is on the coast. I do understand that the closer you are to the coast, the more expensive it gets.

Is it even possible to live alone on a job such as a waiter? Temporarily of course until I get used to the place. I mean as far as the internet says, waiters in California for example get paid around 20-25 thousand a year which would be around $1600-2000$ a month. If you rent some place for $1000, would the rest be enough to live?

I'd also like to know some specific cities which fall under my description!

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by Arrowman90

I'd also like to know some specific cities which fall under my description!

Tell us why you chose California, and what you want from your city. The state is so big, some say it's like 6 different states.

An eccentric multi-millionaire wants to split California into six new states

[OwlKaMyst]

Minimum wage in the state is $8.00 an hour but I think is supposed to go up.
Figure that at 40 hours a week and then subtract 20% for taxes.
40 hours a week is working 5 days a week. Figure tips per shift at $100. You could make more, but also could make less depending on the shifts hours and the amount of business the place has.
That totals $756 a week. If you have more in tips, more tax is taken out. So if you consider the low end of even $600 take home, you are making over $2,000 a month.
But don't count on those numbers. It could be that you would only get a part-time job.

You won't get great public transportation in less populated areas, but some areas that are smaller the limited public transportation works just fine.
You might consider Morrow Bay or San Louis Obispo, on the opposite end of the State is Eureka-Arcata-McKinnleyville.

As a general rule, more population means more money in, but also more money out.
I rented a two bedroom house in Eureka for $975. That same house in the south end of the state would have been twice as much.

[Arrowman90]

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

Tell us why you chose California, and what you want from your city. The state is so big, some say it's like 6 different states.

An eccentric multi-millionaire wants to split California into six new states

I want a city where I could reach the beach, if not by foot, at least by a public transport within an hour...

I want a city where there isn't TOO many skyscrapers, cars etc. I guess a rural environment wouldn't be too bad, as long as it's not way too far from the beach.

I want a city where I could go and have some fun on a Saturday night with friends.

I want a city where I didn't have to waste all my income on the rent of an apartment. The apartment doesn't have to be too fancy. A one bedroom apartment with all the necessary needs like a bathroom would be sufficient. Just a place where I could come and relax, preferably rent it by myself and not share it with someone.

[mrsltd]

Originally Posted by Arrowman90

I'm from Moldova if you ever heard of it (I suggest you google it as I'm sure you haven't :/). Not too many know English around here but I guess I just like the language a lot.

Anyway, the reason why I asked about minimum wage jobs is because everybody needs a place to start off. I doubt I'll be able to get hired at a job where they pay a high salary straight away as I'll be new to the country itself and I got a feeling they will rip me off a lot at the start.

I don't necessarily need a place right at the beach but maybe close to a town that is on the coast. I do understand that the closer you are to the coast, the more expensive it gets.

Is it even possible to live alone on a job such as a waiter? Temporarily of course until I get used to the place. I mean as far as the internet says, waiters in California for example get paid around 20-25 thousand a year which would be around $1600-2000$ a month. If you rent some place for $1000, would the rest be enough to live?

I'd also like to know some specific cities which fall under my description!

Basically, you're next to Romania and at one time long ago part of it before the Soviets (back in the day) took over after World War II until 1991.

Do you need a visa to come here or do you already have the passport/Visa thing figured out?

Surprised more Moldovans don't know English but then not many of us know Moldovan/Romanian.

By the way, it's not a good idea to spend half of your income on rent. 28-30% is better if you can manage it.

[Dean Trails]

Originally Posted by mrsltd

Basically, you're next to Romania and at one time long ago part of it before the Soviets (back in the day) took over after World War II until 1991.
Surprised more Moldovans don't know English but then not many of us know Moldovan/Romanian.

I am surprised you are surprised. Moldova only has around 3.6 million folks. Why would anyone learn the language when so few speak it? English is more universal and the voice of commerce. It is the Lingua Franca of the modern world.

And, if memory serves me, Romania was an ally of the Axis in WW2 and helped the Germans by invading the USSR. After that I don't believe the Soviets treated them very favorably. It tended to stunt their economy for many years.

[Arrowman90]

Originally Posted by Dean Trails

I am surprised you are surprised. Moldova only has around 3.6 million folks. Why would anyone learn the language when so few speak it? English is more universal and the voice of commerce. It is the Lingua Franca of the modern world.

And, if memory serves me, Romania was an ally of the Axis in WW2 and helped the Germans by invading the USSR. After that I don't believe the Soviets treated them very favorably. It tended to stunt their economy for many years.

The reason why the Romanians joined the German side is because USSR invaded Romania (specifically Moldova as it was part of Romania) and forcefully annexed it. Before that, Romania was a neutral country but of course they had to try and save their boarders so they went against USSR.

We went off topic here though. To answer your question regarding visa... No I do not have it yet, though every single year we have a lottery drawing for greencards where a couple of hundred or even thousand people win annually. I was one of the lucky ones so I'm trying to find a place to live in the US and there couldn't be a better place than California, at least that's how I see it, even though it is considered to be one of the most expensive states, I just like pretty much everything about it so I decided that it would be a good choice.

[lrmsd]

I cannot think of a place in coastal CA where you could rent your own studio or one bedroom for 500-600. For $700-800, you can find suitable studios or one bedroom places in the central San Diego neighborhoods of North Park, Normal Heights, Golden Hill, etc. [Some generally good areas, with certain parts that are more sketchy. You can research the threads on these areas here on CD for more specifics].

It's not rural, but not extremely urban like NYC, either. You'd be 20 min. car ride to SD beaches. Public transit [buses mainly] is not the best (the city is spread out series of suburbs with a bit of an urban central area), but is available. The rental area mentioned above is quite walkable, with many stores, restaurants, etc. Mission Valley is just down the hill, and it is filled with malls/office complexes, etc. Both locations are potentials for finding employment of the type you mentioned.

I cannot think, off the top of my head, of any 'more rural' areas where you'd find the list of amenities/lifestyle you are looking for, in coastal CA. Eureka was mentioned-not sure about job options and the location, while a beautiful region [Redwood forests], is very isolated from the rest of the state. Not sure if OP is looking for this. Also, it rains or is overcast most of the year in that area. Foggy, cooler. Northern CA will be rainier, though hot and sunny inland in the summer. Southern coastal CA will have milder weather year round, and mostly sunshine.

SLO is a nice college town, and also a bit isolated geographically. Depends on what type of nightlife and social amenities a person wants. Southern CA is filled with cars and 6 lane freeways, and is densely populated along the coast [and when people say 'coast', coastal CA does not just mean 'on the beach', just the coastal region, extending inland, but includes 15-40 miles inland, give or take, where the major population centers are]. So maybe a quieter town such as SLO, with a few bars for nightlife, would be better suited for you...I can think of great northern CA towns within an hour from San Francisco that you might enjoy, but the rental budget would not fit and there's no public transit.

In addition to SLO: Chico is a nice college town; the rental market is less expensive there, on average. It is not, however, near the coast.

Also, it's really common for people to share homes; you can often find rentals with private bath and bedroom, sharing kitchen and living area, outdoor living area/yard, etc. This would give you more rental options in your price range and slightly higher.

Good luck to you...