You need to make a trip out here and canvass several different neighborhoods to get a feel for each one. L.A. in particular is weird in that even one
side of a street can be different from another! Unless you're going to make a lot of money right off the bat, you either need a few thousand dollars as seed money (first, last and security on an apartment can add up to a lot!) or you'll have to find a roommate, rent a room, etc. At under $1,000 a month, you're either looking at a terrible apartment in a bad area - or you'll have to get roommates. Well, the other option is to look outside L.A. and have a horrendous commute into the city, but with gas prices still rising, I wouldn't recommend that.
When you narrow it down a little more, you should post in either the Los Angeles or the San Diego forum to get more specific info. Welcome to City-Data!
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Moving to California
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