considering southern california (Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo: to rent, how much, college)

[miss.kayla]

Hey I've recently been considering moving somewhere in southern California/ the central coast region from Billings Montana, thinking mostly about Santa Barbara, Ventura, or San Luis Obispo, simply because the organization I work for has branches in those areas. I've heard good reveiws of Santa Barbara from friends and family who've lived there and was wondering about San Luis Obispo and Ventura as well. Would these areas come reccomended to a 20 year old looking to escape Montana and would they be a decent starting place for a broke punk kid?

[killer2021]

well considering the rent/cost of living is incredibly high I would not recommend it personally.

How much is rent in Montana? $500 for a 1 bedroom? In CA it is around 1300+ for a 1 bedroom.

Here is a good example of what you can get for 46k in CA. Note, this budget is not living a fine livestyle. 1250 rent will get you a studio/1bedroom. That is it. It won't be near the ocean. It won't be in a good area. The median income for a male in Santa Barbara is 37k. So you will need to get roommates if you don't make that much. 43% of net income goes to rent which by federal standards means the place is still not affordable.

The only way I would recommend CA to someone is if they are rich or have a super high income (100k+). Otherwise you will hate CA. CA is a great place to go on vacation but not to live and work. Stay in Montana and go on vacation to CA, just my two cents.

[MtnSurfer]

Hi Miss Kayla!

Well first off I love your name because that is my 4 y/o daughter's name as well.

Second in trying to answer your question I would say these are all some of the nicer parts of Southern and Central Cal. The big piece of advice you will get on here is to make sure you have a job lined up. But it sounds like you may already have that covered for now at least.

Coastal CA is a great place for young ppl and many flock here because of it. Most ppl your age are living the college lifestyle attending UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly SLO, etc... The thing with CA is there is a lot of opportunity 'but' it takes a lot of hard work to get somehwere.

If you come out here my main advice to you is to life by the motto 'work hard and play hard.' Life is faster paced than what you are used to in Montana. But you are young enough to handle it if you so desire. Your best bet IMO is to continue your education to get a decent paying job. The cost of living is higher here. And while some ppl just scrape by from paycheck to paycheck it is good to work toward bettering yourself long term.

Anyway my second biggest piece of advice is to come out and visit. See what you like/dislike about these areas. Then pick the one you like the most. Look at it as an adventure, a stop along the way which could lead into something more.

Oh and roomates are essential if you are on a tight budget!

Enjoy,

Derek

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by miss.kayla

Hey I've recently been considering moving somewhere in southern California/ the central coast region from Billings Montana, thinking mostly about Santa Barbara, Ventura, or San Luis Obispo, simply because the organization I work for has branches in those areas. I've heard good reveiws of Santa Barbara from friends and family who've lived there and was wondering about San Luis Obispo and Ventura as well. Would these areas come reccomended to a 20 year old looking to escape Montana and would they be a decent starting place for a broke punk kid?

I have no idea of your income, but the central part of the state near the ocean is quite pricey as is most of the state.

Sure, you will have the freedom to enjoy all that Ca has to offer young people, but it isn't anything like living in Billings Mt, it is a whole different life. Do you have friends to live with or hang out with, what do your parents think about your desire to re-locate and do you have a salary of at least $2,000 a month and I mean at least to live on?

All the areas you have mentioned would be fun for someone your age, but if you were my daughter I would do anything to get you to find someplace else if you really want to escape..at least find somewhere else for now..

Moving from Mt to central or So Ca is like moving to an entire new country, I am not kidding about that.

Nita