Opportunity to move to LA. Help! (Vista, Santa Monica: apartments, rent, car insurance)

[KP360]

Hey Everyone,

Past few months have been weird. I've moved from St. Louis, to Detroit, then to Reno, NV for a few weeks, back home to Detroit, and now I have a chance to move to LA. I still have a few weeks to make a decision so I can really do my research.
I have a job and school opportunity out in LA that I'd like to take advantage of. The job would be about $60k a year, and the school is USC for a Masters program. Classes are Hybrid so work will not interfere.
The only thing holding me back are the apartment prices. Everything here is like beyond expensive, compared to where I'm from or have lived.

My job would be in Venice, CA. And my classes are literally every once in a while since they are Hybrid so I'm cool with not being close to USC. Does anyone here have any suggestions on where I should live if my job is in Venice?

I'm a 24 year old guy. Single, no kids, and literally only have one bill outside of future rent which is my car note ($250 a month.)

Please help me out.

Thank You

[GSR13]

LA isn't much better than STL or DET. It's just bad in different ways. You've made one regretful decision with the car note. Don't make another one and move to Socal. By the time you realize it was a grave mistake, you'll be too broke to move out.

[KP360]

Originally Posted by GSR13

LA isn't much better than STL or DET. It's just bad in different ways. You've made one regretful decision with the car note. Don't make another one and move to Socal. By the time you realize it was a grave mistake, you'll be too broke to move out.

lmao what? My car note has less than a year to be paid off so I'm not worried. Second, SoCal (at least when I've been) has been great. Great weather, decent people, and lots of fun. Not missing out on an opportunity to move out there.
If you don't have anything positive to say just don't respond.

[socal88]

Given that the job is in Venice, you'll definitely want to be in or near the west side to reduce commute time.

Considering that the area in and around Venice has some of the most expensive rents in LA, I'd consider getting an apartment with a roommate, especially if you're interested in Venice or Santa Monica.

You can probably find some 1 bedrooms under $2K/month in Culver City/Palms if you prefer to live alone. Apartments will be pretty old though.

[jacktravern]

Originally Posted by KP360

Hey Everyone,

I'm a 24 year old guy. Single, no kids, and literally only have one bill outside of future rent which is my car note ($250 a month.)

Thank You

One bill?
How about car insurance, gas cell phone, cable/internet service, food, utilities, possible gym membership, dates (women generally don't pay)....I think you have under estimated things a bit.

Honestly I've had better luck finding apartments pounding the pavement and calling places as opposed to using the internet. I'm sure in Venice or the surrounding areas you can find a studio for 1300-1600

[KP360]

Originally Posted by jacktravern

One bill?
How about car insurance, gas cell phone, cable/internet service, food, utilities, possible gym membership, dates (women generally don't pay)....I think you have under estimated things a bit.

Honestly I've had better luck finding apartments pounding the pavement and calling places as opposed to using the internet. I'm sure in Venice or the surrounding areas you can find a studio for 1300-1600

Haha, I have a family plan for cell phone, car insurance (and I won't switch until I'm settled in.) and yeah I forgot to include internet and utilities. I'm so used to my last place including all that in rent.
And I only ask on here and search apartments.com because right now I'm in Michigan.

[DKM]

You know why there are jobs available in Venice? Because they don't pay enough for competent people to live there. So pick what you can sacrifice and since you'll need to be in two places in LA, you don't have a wide range of options. Getting a marginal studio or being a roommate is in your future. Location matters here as much as it does in Detroit and you know what I mean by that.

[DawnW]

Is your work paying for your MA at USC or will that be paid by you?

My husband has an MA from USC and we had to pay that for a while, mind you, it was worth it for the field he is in, but it certainly wasn't cheap.

[PDF]

If you are 24 and will be making 60k a year, why are you even worrying about apartment prices? Not to mention you said your bills are the basics.

[kishac]

Originally Posted by KP360

Hey Everyone,

Past few months have been weird. I've moved from St. Louis, to Detroit, then to Reno, NV for a few weeks, back home to Detroit, and now I have a chance to move to LA. I still have a few weeks to make a decision so I can really do my research.
I have a job and school opportunity out in LA that I'd like to take advantage of. The job would be about $60k a year, and the school is USC for a Masters program. Classes are Hybrid so work will not interfere.
The only thing holding me back are the apartment prices. Everything here is like beyond expensive, compared to where I'm from or have lived.

My job would be in Venice, CA. And my classes are literally every once in a while since they are Hybrid so I'm cool with not being close to USC. Does anyone here have any suggestions on where I should live if my job is in Venice?

I'm a 24 year old guy. Single, no kids, and literally only have one bill outside of future rent which is my car note ($250 a month.)

Please help me out.

Thank You

First off, congrats on going to USC for grad school (I'm a USC alumnus so I'm a little biased!).


As for where to live, venice is very pricey and some people love it while others don't. It's an eclectic community with a charming (and older) housing stock. Some people find venice charming while others find it eccentric in a bad way. you be the judge. You'll have some posh areas with multimillion dollar homes along the silver strand, and a few blocks down at Washington square you'll see street performers mixed with tourists and homeless people. There's also plenty of boutique shopping and nightlife.


The areas immediately adjacent to Venice are:


Santa Monica
Mar Vista
Marina Del Rey
Playa Del Rey


Out of all of those, Mar Vista will likely yield the most affordable options but it's still a desirable place to live for a 24 year old single person. As for Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, and Playa Del Rey, you'll end up spending around $2k or more per month for an older one bedroom apartment. These areas are among the priciest in southern California. You'll quickly find out that a $60k salary doesn't take you far here unless you live with a roommate.


The tricky part about venice is that it's not always feasible to live farther away for reduced rents, because the main freeways in the area (10 and 405) are extremely congested during commuting hours. As another poster mentioned, also consider Culver City (nice downtown area to hang out), and parts of Westchester are pretty nice too.