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Um we're talking about traffic congestion here, not average commute time. LA consistently ranks as having the worst TRAFFIC CONGESTION in the nation year after year.
Also you do not need to live near manhattan to live in a “cool” area.
This. Nobody understands that our rents are high in NYC because we literally have absolutely costs related to owning a vehicle. Every website has a different number for rents. However, this one seems pretty accurate to me and also includes incomes. So let's go with Business Insider.
Median rent for a 1 bedroom in NYC: $2,650
Median income in NYC: $61,816
Rent = 51.4% of income in NYC
Now, take into consideration the cost of owning/maintaining a car. Even the cheapest regular cars are like $200/mo for payment and say $150/mo for insurance. With how much driving one must do in LA, and the high gas prices, let's say $100/mo on gas. That's $450/mo extra just on car-related expenses. And for one of the cheapest cars you can get. This could easily push over $500/mo and even $600/mo depending on the car you own. But I'm going budget here. Therefore, car + rent equates to around $2812/mo in LA.
All you have to pay for in NYC is rent + MTA 30-day unlimited card. The MTA pass is $127 so that makes monthly costs $2777/mo in NYC. That's $35/mo less in NYC than LA. That makes transportation/rent costs 58.1% of your income LA, but only 53.9%.
That doesn't take into consideration the cost of maintenance. Regular oil changes. New tires are a couple hundred dollars. Hopefully nothing goes wrong with your engine or other major parts.
Then don't forget that that's for a 1 BEDROOM in NYC. Plenty of us live in studios. So the median rent for a studio is even lower than that, bringing the cost of living in LA even higher than NYC.
At the end of the day, NYC rents are higher, but so are our incomes. But the biggest factor is not owning a car. Those metal death boxes are expensive af and literally provide no value to the world. They're money pits. They never appreciate in value. They're a burden when considering where to live/work/play.
Um we're talking about traffic congestion here, not average commute time. LA consistently ranks as having the worst TRAFFIC CONGESTION in the nation year after year.
In my experience cars drive faster in the city of LA than the city of NY, buses are faster, and trains are faster. The big advantage that NYC has is MUCH more grace separated rail transit. But I wouldn't say that the subway in NYC is necessarily faster than driving in NYC. Especially outside Manhattan.
This. Nobody understands that our rents are high in NYC because we literally have absolutely costs related to owning a vehicle. Every website has a different number for rents. However, this one seems pretty accurate to me and also includes incomes. So let's go with Business Insider.
Median rent for a 1 bedroom in NYC: $2,650
Median income in NYC: $61,816
Rent = 51.4% of income in NYC
Now, take into consideration the cost of owning/maintaining a car. Even the cheapest regular cars are like $200/mo for payment and say $150/mo for insurance. With how much driving one must do in LA, and the high gas prices, let's say $100/mo on gas. That's $450/mo extra just on car-related expenses. And for one of the cheapest cars you can get. This could easily push over $500/mo and even $600/mo depending on the car you own. But I'm going budget here. Therefore, car + rent equates to around $2812/mo in LA.
All you have to pay for in NYC is rent + MTA 30-day unlimited card. The MTA pass is $127 so that makes monthly costs $2777/mo in NYC. That's $35/mo less in NYC than LA. That makes transportation/rent costs 58.1% of your income LA, but only 53.9%.
That doesn't take into consideration the cost of maintenance. Regular oil changes. New tires are a couple hundred dollars. Hopefully nothing goes wrong with your engine or other major parts.
Then don't forget that that's for a 1 BEDROOM in NYC. Plenty of us live in studios. So the median rent for a studio is even lower than that, bringing the cost of living in LA even higher than NYC.
At the end of the day, NYC rents are higher, but so are our incomes. But the biggest factor is not owning a car. Those metal death boxes are expensive af and literally provide no value to the world. They're money pits. They never appreciate in value. They're a burden when considering where to live/work/play.
I think that you should compare apples to apples which would be owning a car in both or not owning in either. Otherwise if you're adjusting for the different lifestyles then you need to compare the cost for the median size apartment in LA (which is the figure you quoted) with the cost for the same size apartment in NYC. I'd guess the same size house or apartment in NYC will be about $1,000 more than LA.
I think that you should compare apples to apples which would be owning a car in both or not owning in either. Otherwise if you're adjusting for the different lifestyles then you need to compare the cost for the median size apartment in LA (which is the figure you quoted) with the cost for the same size apartment in NYC. I'd guess the same size house or apartment in NYC will be about $1,000 more than LA.
I agree with trying for apples to apples. The car ownership bit is something that adds to both, so you can compare it either with or without. Without a car, NYC is substantially easier to get around than LA is for the most part and in many more neighborhoods. With a car, NYC is substantially more expensive than LA. Some people love having a car and some people don’t or are ambivalent, so it really depends on the person. The premise of which can you get more for your money is going to be highly dependent on what the person wants more of in general.
Also you do not need to live near manhattan to live in a “cool” area.
I second this. You don’t have to live in West Hollywood/Beverly Hills to enjoy LA, just as you don’t have to live in Upper West Side/Upper East Side to enjoy NYC. There are plenty and plenty cool places in both LA and NYC.
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