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So I'm a 23 year old male, single, looking to move to either the PHX/Scottsdale area or the North Hollywood/Sherman Oaks area.
I know that Phoenix is obviously more affordable than anywhere in LA County but I am liking the looks of LA county more overall. I guess I kinda have always wanted to live in Southern Cali for that "SoCal vibe".
I do not currently have a job lined up but I am looking at the moment and putting in applications.
I formerly owned an e-commerce business that experienced moderate success but ultimately had to be shut down due to not adapting and not reducing costs (I learned alot though!)
I currently work in a human services field and my skills include sales, marketing and social media management. I've also worked in restaurant mangement and am ServSafe certified.
I do not have a degree but I will hustle to get to where I need to get. I currently have around $2k saved up.
Also, I am moving from western PA, I live right outside Youngstown, Ohio and about an hour north of Pittsburgh.
Any suggestions/advice?
I'm looking to be gone by the end of June.
Thanks guys!
Also, thinking my income will be somewhere around $40k-50k starting out.
Last edited by Heisenburgh; 05-09-2016 at 10:17 PM..
I haven't been to Phoenix/Scottsdale but I live in noho.
The noho/Valley village/studio city/Sherman oaks area is one of the better parts of la.
I thought the valley was dull as dishwasher before I moved to la, but this area actually has a West LA vibe. It's home to a lot of celebs, younger actors and writers who want to be close to burbank.
I think studio city is the best, really underated here. It's more expensive though.
The "village " area of noho keeps expanding, full of restaurants and bars. It's always active.
Studio city and Sherman oaks have their own centers on ventura, just full of amenties.
It's walkable. Don't believe this forum..
People aren't walking from strip mall to strip mall.
There's a ton of gorgeous women in that area too,
Which surprised me.
I've heard Scottdale isn't a slouch in that area either.
I'm lived in Chicago, and the valley has a whole reminds me of the bungalow belt, just a little newer.
I have family in the Pittsburgh area, and I can tell you this much - either LA or Phoenix would be a huge upgrade from where you're currently living in terms of weather, scenery, lifestyle, outdoor recreation, dating and QOL in general.
However, LA would actually be a safer alternative than Phoenix, despite the higher COL, because the economy of LA has significantly more breadth and depth than that of Phoenix. Salaries and non-wage benefits are more competitive in Los Angeles and often more commensurate with the COL.
The cost of housing in Phoenix is cheaper, but utilities, auto insurance and basic services are often more expensive there than in LA.
No one is from Phoenix, so there's a lot of cost asymmetry with regard to the prices of basic services, such as car washes, dry cleaning, etc. If people were from the area, there would be more long-term cost and inflation-related knowledge among the general populace as a context for comparison.
This issue is further exacerbated by much less competition overall than what exists in LA.
There's probably a 90% chance you'll be paying an HOA in Phoenix, too, if seek private home ownership. Schools are abysmal in Arizona (51st out of 50 states), so make sure you budget for private school, if and when you decide to have children.
I can almost guarantee that it will easier to secure gainful employment in LA than Phoenix, and you will more than likely have more career advancement opportunities in LA, too.
Phoenix is the type of place where if you get a great job offer, you better hope you don't lose it because it's a lot harder to find comparable, well-paid work in that area due to its comparatively much smaller, less diversified economy.
I have family in the Pittsburgh area, and I can tell you this much - either LA or Phoenix would be a huge upgrade from where you're currently living in terms of weather, scenery, lifestyle, outdoor recreation, dating and QOL in general.
However, LA would actually be a safer alternative than Phoenix, despite the higher COL, because the economy of LA has significantly more breadth and depth than that of Phoenix. Salaries and non-wage benefits are more competitive in Los Angeles and often more commensurate with the COL.
The cost of housing in Phoenix is cheaper, but utilities, auto insurance and basic services are often more expensive there than in LA.
No one is from Phoenix, so there's a lot of cost asymmetry with regard to the prices of basic services, such as car washes, dry cleaning, etc. If people were from the area, there would be more long-term cost and inflation-related knowledge among the general populace as a context for comparison.
This issue is further exacerbated by much less competition overall than what exists in LA.
There's probably a 90% chance you'll be paying an HOA in Phoenix, too, if seek private home ownership. Schools are abysmal in Arizona (51st out of 50 states), so make sure you budget for private school, if and when you decide to have children.
I can almost guarantee that it will easier to secure gainful employment in LA than Phoenix, and you will more than likely have more career advancement opportunities in LA, too.
Phoenix is the type of place where if you get a great job offer, you better hope you don't lose it because it's a lot harder to find comparable, well-paid work in that area due to its comparatively much smaller, less diversified economy.
LA, FTW.
That actually answers the majority of what I had been wondering.
Like, I understand LA is more expensive but there is also a greater chance of getting good employment and jobs tend to pay higher to match COL. I do plan on starting another company/startup very soon after I get settled in wherever I'm going.
That actually answers the majority of what I had been wondering.
Like, I understand LA is more expensive but there is also a greater chance of getting good employment and jobs tend to pay higher to match COL. I do plan on starting another company/startup very soon after I get settled in wherever I'm going.
Your employment field seems like a better matchup for Scottsdale. Scottsdale has a good startup sector, but it might be easier to get funding in LA. As always, apply for jobs in both places and compare the offers.
The cost of housing in Phoenix is cheaper, but utilities, auto insurance and basic services are often more expensive there than in LA.
No one is from Phoenix, so there's a lot of cost asymmetry with regard to the prices of basic services, such as car washes, dry cleaning, etc. If people were from the area, there would be more long-term cost and inflation-related knowledge among the general populace as a context for comparison.
This issue is further exacerbated by much less competition overall than what exists in LA.
There's probably a 90% chance you'll be paying an HOA in Phoenix, too, if seek private home ownership. Schools are abysmal in Arizona (51st out of 50 states), so make sure you budget for private school, if and when you decide to have children.
I can almost guarantee that it will easier to secure gainful employment in LA than Phoenix, and you will more than likely have more career advancement opportunities in LA, too.
Phoenix is the type of place where if you get a great job offer, you better hope you don't lose it because it's a lot harder to find comparable, well-paid work in that area due to its comparatively much smaller, less diversified economy.
LA, FTW.
Utilities and auto insurance cheaper in LA???
Water and car insurance is most of California was crazy expensive.
School funding in AZ is pretty low, but Scottsdale has some of the best schools in the country, as do much of the better suburbs.
Water and car insurance is most of California was crazy expensive.
School funding in AZ is pretty low, but Scottsdale has some of the best schools in the country, as do much of the better suburbs.
My auto insurance premium dropped by nearly $1,000/year when I moved from AZ to CA. Grand theft auto and vehicle break-ins are, to my understanding, more common in AZ vs. CA, and driving habits in the former tend to be more erratic with motorists from all over North America (AZ is full of newcomers and transients).
It was also about $150-200 cheaper to register my car in CA, too. AZ assess a "Vehicle License Tax" (VLT) that is essentially a substitute for automotive property taxes you find in other states such as CT, NC, VA, etc. IIRC, my VLT alone for my current car was somewhere in the range of $200-250.
Water is less expensive in CA, too. My last water bill was ~$15.00. Unless you're working for $8.00/hour,
that's next-to-nothing.
And if you're poor and can't afford a car, at least some CA cities have affordable, comprehensive public transportation alternatives. In Phoenix, there's what, the light rail? LOL.
My auto insurance premium dropped by nearly $1,000/year when I moved from AZ to CA. Grand theft auto and vehicle break-ins are, to my understanding, more common in AZ vs. CA, and driving habits in the former tend to be more erratic with motorists from all over North America (AZ is full of newcomers and transients).
It was also about $150-200 cheaper to register my car in CA, too. AZ assess a "Vehicle License Tax" (VLT) that is essentially a substitute for automotive property taxes you find in other states such as CT, NC, VA, etc. IIRC, my VLT alone for my current car was somewhere in the range of $200-250.
Water is less expensive in CA, too. My last water bill was ~$15.00. Unless you're working for $8.00/hour,
that's next-to-nothing.
And if you're poor and can't afford a car, at least some CA cities have affordable, comprehensive public transportation alternatives. In Phoenix, there's what, the light rail? LOL.
You bring up some good points. Through further research, I found:
So is public transportation (average monthly difference of about 38.00 more in LA). So is rent (average monthly difference for 1-bedroom in city center about 915.00 more in LA and 700.00 more outside of city center). So is just about everything else EXCEPT basic utilities (average difference of about 50.00 more in Phoenix). When it comes to the primary monthly expenses, LA is of course more expensive.
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed
My auto insurance premium dropped by nearly $1,000/year when I moved from AZ to CA. Grand theft auto and vehicle break-ins are, to my understanding, more common in AZ vs. CA, and driving habits in the former tend to be more erratic with motorists from all over North America (AZ is full of newcomers and transients).
It was also about $150-200 cheaper to register my car in CA, too. AZ assess a "Vehicle License Tax" (VLT) that is essentially a substitute for automotive property taxes you find in other states such as CT, NC, VA, etc. IIRC, my VLT alone for my current car was somewhere in the range of $200-250.
Water is less expensive in CA, too. My last water bill was ~$15.00. Unless you're working for $8.00/hour,
that's next-to-nothing.
And if you're poor and can't afford a car, at least some CA cities have affordable, comprehensive public transportation alternatives. In Phoenix, there's what, the light rail? LOL.
The difference in rent between the two cities nullifies all of this.
Will someone please tell this guy the truth....
There might be more jobs in LA but also more and better competition.
Phoenix metro 5 million...LA Metro 15 million.
O.P. If you attempt to move to LA with nothing, you will be chew up spit out bleeding from the mouth and kicked to curb. There are people twice your age with
triple your credentials who are having serious problems just surviving.
LA is no joke, NY is no joke, San Fran is no joke, Seattle is no joke....
The days you could just pop up and move are long gone. Not in those areas.
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