Should we stay local or try out LA?

[UB50]

Originally Posted by jm1982

I agree. I have family in South Florida (which is more expensive than Tampa) and have been working there the past year. Pretty much everything is cheaper . Of course the main thing is housing. Living near the beach for example isn't really a big deal there. In L.A if someone lives walking distance to the beach, that person is usually rich or very high income. Most people in L.A can't even dream of being walking distance to a beach.

I lived on the beach in Florida at one time, and when I first moved here, my best friend lived right on the beach in Manhattan Beach. But living on the beach isn't everything. I grew tired of the heat and humidity in Florida. I hated having to drive all over the place because everything was so spread out. (We once drove 70 miles to shop for bras. Who the heck drives 70 miles for bras? They didn't carry that brand in our town.) I hated the lack of cultural things to do. And there were many many days when there was literally *nothing to do.*

Gas may be cheaper, but you have to buy so much more of it. Most years I was driving 25,000 miles plus down there.

[StreetLegal]

Originally Posted by UB50

I lived on the beach in Florida at one time, and when I first moved here, my best friend lived right on the beach in Manhattan Beach. But living on the beach isn't everything. I grew tired of the heat and humidity in Florida. I hated having to drive all over the place because everything was so spread out. (We once drove 70 miles to shop for bras. Who the heck drives 70 miles for bras? They didn't carry that brand in our town.) I hated the lack of cultural things to do. And there were many many days when there was literally *nothing to do.*

Gas may be cheaper, but you have to buy so much more of it. Most years I was driving 25,000 miles plus down there.

Where in Florida did you live?

[StreetLegal]

Originally Posted by CharlotteP

It appears obvious that living in downtown LA would be less than ideal. I would appreciate any input on where we could possibly live that would:
1. Be safe
2. Be a reasonable commute to downtown & the airport
3. What can we expect to pay (rent) for a safe, clean, 1200 sq ft or larger home/apt/condo?
.

OP: I agree with the sentiment from some of the other posters. If you don't have a strong desire to be in Los Angeles, the sticker shock may simply not be worth it. And it really comes down to the cost of housing.

Culver City is a good mid-point between Downtown LA and the Airport. You don't sound keen on downtown living but the airport (LAX) is actually pretty easy to get to from downtown LA.

Here is a 2 bed/1 bath, 1050 square foot apartment "cottage" in Palms just west of Culver City. Considered a good area. Rent is $1,750 per month. Sounds like parking for at least one car is included (that is hard to find in many parts of LA). But take note, the landlord claims this is an "updated" apartment. Looks like it has not been updated in years, though it certainly looks decently maintained.

2BDR 2BTH Grt Culver City/Palms/WLA Area: Remodeled Cottage Apt

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by UB50

I lived on the beach in Florida at one time, and when I first moved here, my best friend lived right on the beach in Manhattan Beach. But living on the beach isn't everything. I grew tired of the heat and humidity in Florida. I hated having to drive all over the place because everything was so spread out. (We once drove 70 miles to shop for bras. Who the heck drives 70 miles for bras? They didn't carry that brand in our town.) I hated the lack of cultural things to do. And there were many many days when there was literally *nothing to do.*

Gas may be cheaper, but you have to buy so much more of it. Most years I was driving 25,000 miles plus down there.

Yeah that is one thing that's not too great . In south Florida at least it feels a lot more suburban . There is Miami for the urban experience but there are a lot of downsides to there . If you hate humidity that's still there too .
I feel like overall Florida cities are cleaner though versus LA . I think a lot of it is because they break down the areas into cities , rather than having one huge area like city of LA .

I don't think OP will likely move since it doesn't sound like there is a desire to move .

[UB50]

Originally Posted by StreetLegal

Where in Florida did you live?

Central Florida

[StreetLegal]

^^Thanks for replying.