Moving from Melbourne to LA (possibly) (Santa Monica, Woodland: apartments, rentals, health insurance)

[prawn_86]

Hi All,

First post here

There is a large possibilty that we (Wife and I) may need to move to LA for my work. We would be coming from Aus (Melbourne specifically) and have only been to LA once before; extensivelly travelled otherwise but not much of the US.

One of the deciding factors for the move will be lifestyle, as we have a great one here in Melbs. Currently pay 2k pm, 100m from the ocean in a fairly modern large 2br apartment, and it takes 30min door to door to work via public transport.

If we want to keep that lifestyle (less being so close to the ocean and with commuting instead of public transport) what would it be reasonable to assume rent would be with no more than a 20min commute to central Beverly Hills, where our office is located?

Also, does any one know the rough salary range for a sales/finance manager role?

[elarbee]

As someone who's from LA now living in Melbourne, I'd suggest going with the expectation that your lifestyle simply won't be the same. LA is just too different.

Try using zillow, Craigslist or curbed LA to find rentals near West Hollywood, the Hollywood Hills or Santa Monica.

Forget public transport, it's all about the car in LA.

Salary wise, surely your company would give you an indication? But my experience was that I earn 30% more in Australia in straight number dollar comparison. But tax is lower there as is cost of living so, assuming they give you health insurance, it's about the same.

[prawn_86]

Thanks Elarbee,

I havent had full negotiations with my work yet hence the salary quetions, but as it is a change of roles i am expecting there to be a pay cut, so i just need to know that we can maintain a similar level of comfort. I work to live, not the other way round, so i dont want to be stuck in traffic for 2 hrs a day or anything like that.

All the aprtments we have looked at so far seem a bit old and tired for the same price range, so might need to up the budget, and demands from work

[elarbee]

Yeah although the US is in the dumps right now, LA rentals are as much or more than Melbourne. As percentage of property value, Melbourne rent is cheap. Anyway, don't sweat it because everything else in LA is cheaper! Much cheaper. Also remember you'll pay less income tax.

I think the median income there is around $40k USD, my friends in tech earn $75-$100k USD but unemployment is high so they're working big hours to keep the job. It's simply more competitive.

I've lived in other cities as well and I've always found it worthwhile spending that bit more for a nicer neighbourhood, especially when you first arrive. Really what's an extra few hundred bucks a month over a year if it's a unique experience in your life?

Best burger joint Apple Pan, but best burger chain InNOut

[BRinSM]

i haven't been to melbourne, but it sounds like you can find a similar lifestyle if you live in santa monica (but probably not 100m from the beach). i doubt you'll find a 2br for under $2000/month, but if you bump your amount to $2500, you shouldn't have any problems. also, the bus system isn't too bad if your commute is relatively short (< 5 miles). santa monica has a few bus routes that go directly to beverly hills along the major boulevards (wilshire, santa monica, olympic, etc). you'll definitely want at least one car for the family though or you won't be able to explore the rest of LA. as for salary for the positions you mentioned, that is a tough one. if you have a bachelor's degree and have a manager position, you should be making at least $75k. if both you and your wife make that much and your rent is around $2500, you should live pretty comfortably assuming you don't have a habit of eating out at five star restaurants every night and exclusively wearing designer italian clothes.

[prawn_86]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

if you have a bachelor's degree and have a manager position, you should be making at least $75k. if both you and your wife make that much and your rent is around $2500, you should live pretty comfortably assuming you don't have a habit of eating out at five star restaurants every night and exclusively wearing designer italian clothes.

Thanks Brin.

Unfortunately the wife is not very qualified hence i would be the sole income earner, but that pretty much confirms my thinking. I was thinking about 130k pa before tax would give us a comfortable/similar lifestyle to what we have now.

[prawn_86]

OK so it looks as though work is happy to come to the table offering an umbrella package while i build up my clients in the US.

My next question is; would the following be a comfortable lifestyle in the area i am looking at? And what have i missed?

Budget (monthly):
Rent 2.5k
Bills 500 (utilities, cable, fuel etc)
Food 800 (we eat in and cook a lot, probably 6 nights a week)
Spending 2k (1k each)
Savings 1k
Holidays 700
Total 7.5k pm after tax

If i used the online calculators correctly then i would need to be 135k pa. Am i missing anything from these rough estimations?

Thanks all

[Dunbar42]

Originally Posted by prawn_86

Am i missing anything from these rough estimations?

Remember, no national health care in the US. Employers typically cover 80% of the premium for white collar jobs which would mean anywhere from $100-250 per month in premiums for you and your wife (so ask your employer.) Also, if you'll be buying a car factor in the monthly payment (if applicable), insurance, registration fees and maintenance if buying used.

I would also recommend browsing westsidrentals.com to see what your money gets you in the various LA neighborhoods. It's free to browse but you can't see the addresses without paying. I can tell you, for example, that $2500 won't get you much in the way of 2BR apartments in north Santa Monica since I live there. My brother has a really nice 1100 square foot loft apartment in Hollywood for $2500/mo. So, on that budget the neighborhood will have a huge impact on what type of place you can expect. Also, it's hard to recommend areas without knowing where your office would be located.

[prawn_86]

We have 2 offices in LA. One in Beverly Hills, on in Woodland Hills, they are still not sure what one i will go to. I thought BH originally and was looking between Wilshire and Santa Monica Blvd so i would be walking or bus ride distance to work.

Now they have thrown Woodland Hills into the mix i'm not quite sure which one I will be at.

Re car we will just buy a used one upfront as we are not big car people, just need it to be reliable for weekend driving

Health Insurance is covered by my employer, just not dental

Thanks for the advice so far

[Dunbar42]

Definitely figure out which office you'd be commuting to. Woodland Hills = the valley which probably isn't what you had in mind when you thought about LA. For Beverly Hills I'd be looking at areas like Hollywood, West Hollywood, Los Feliz and possibly even Beverly Hills itself unless you feel like you need to be closer to the beach since it would involve a not insignificant commute. I wouldn't be counting on public transit until you know exactly how long it will take vs. driving.