LA/Sherman Oaks vs PHX/Scottsdale? (Pittsburg: apartment, to rent, how much)

[Heisenburgh]

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.

Also, thinking my income will be somewhere around $40k-50k starting out.


Thanks guys!

[ryanms3030]

You should not move to either place without a job lined up. You should have at least $10k saved up before you think about moving. $2000 will barely get you from PA to CA never mind paying for anything once you get here. A 1 bedroom apartment in a barely acceptable part of LA is about $1200/mo and you usually need to come up with at least first month and one month security deposit to rent (and have a job). Let's say you get a roomate and pay $800/mo, you would still be out of money in a month and odds of you having a job that quickly are very slim

[Heisenburgh]

Let me clarify, I'm not moving without a job lined up. Lol idk why you would've gotten that impression.

[ryanms3030]

Because you don't have a job lined up. Good luck finding a job in LA and come back and ask questions when you know where you'll be working and how much you'll be making

[Heisenburgh]

I was basically asking whether I should mainly concentrate my efforts in Sherman Oaks/North Hollywood or the Phoenix area.

[V8 Vega]

Its over 110 for a whole month everyday in Phoenix, I like to be warm but not that warm.

[Astral_Weeks]

Originally Posted by Heisenburgh

I was basically asking whether I should mainly concentrate my efforts in Sherman Oaks/North Hollywood or the Phoenix area.

You are young enough that I think you should focus on the area which appeals to you the most. Have you been the LA area before? Scottsdale is nice but yeah, hot as hell in summer. And I generally like warm weather.

[Heisenburgh]

Originally Posted by Astral_Weeks

You are young enough that I think you should focus on the area which appeals to you the most. Have you been the LA area before? Scottsdale is nice but yeah, hot as hell in summer. And I generally like warm weather.

Southern California is where I ultimately want to end up.


I want to start another business venture once I'm there and settled, but I've read up on California business law and it seems they're a little more strict than other states and have a much higher business tax rate.

[Bruce81]

Phoenix is nothing like SoCal. The only similarity is the palm trees. Phx is hot, does not have the SoCal diversity or anything but old people and golf. I recommend you save and end up where you want to be than just settling for Arizona which many people regret afterwards. Yes you will save lots of money in Az but California is expensive for a reason.

[ryanms3030]

CA is a horrible place to start a business. If it's a business that is tied to being in CA then it may be worth it. If it's an online business or something else that is location independent you'd be much better off in NV, TX or someplace with no business tax