A budget template for those moving to Los Angeles CA

[twiz88]

This is great, I'm actually moving to LA in two months from the northeast. Thanks

[Mr_Geek]

Originally Posted by 11thHour

The sad part is that at 80k, you still need a roommate, or 2 or 3.

Unless you have serious debt or a lavish lifestyle, this isn't really true.

[adr3naline]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

Nice, but vehicle registration fee of $15? Is that a typo?

Originally Posted by TacoSoup

I believe that’s broken down monthly, which is about right for an average car

Exactly--it's broken down monthly. My wife has a Ford Focus and we pay about $165/yr in registration. My car is of high value and I pay $680/yr.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by adr3naline

Hi there,

If you're looking to move to LA and are concerned about the cost of living (COL), you're not alone.

Thousands of people move to LA every year. Some move for high paying jobs and succeed at carving out a great life, others move without doing due diligence and end up moving back home after going broke in a few short months. LA is often a brutal and unforgiving city for transplants, and this post is intended to help you avoid falling into the latter group.

To assist, I've created a high-level budget outline for a single person making $80,000. Unfortunately, City Data doesn't allow Excel files, but the table can easily be recreated.

I hope it helps in your search.

Cheers.
- an analytical LA transplant

You can easily save quite a bit here on monthly expenses.

First off, sure if you make $80K, you might be in the %25 tax bracket, though if you're just under $75000, then it will be closer to 20% maybe less, I don't know - I'm not a tax person and don't have figures off the top of my head. And most of that tax is federal.

Rent: If you look hard enough, and are open to less trendy areas, you can find studios that are decent for under $1,100. I pay $1050 for my spacious studio in Pasadena in a nice, quiet neighborhood with a walk in closet, crawl space for storage, and a kitchen nook that can be used for a home office. Over $400 savings right there.

When I was living on the west side I shared a 2-bedroom with someone, and I paid $950. Though that was 5 years ago, and I know things have prices have definitely gone up.


Vehicle payment IF you don't have a vehicle paid off (though you should put that money away for a new vehicle) but still, most vehicle payments are between $200-$250. I guess if you factor in, a down payment that you have to pay - sure I guess. But in any case - Another $50 in savings.

Groceries are a bit high, unless you eat out like everyday. $6.00 a meal?? If I don't go out, my food expenses are under $10 for the day, often under &8. But lets just say even with going out for at least one meal 1/3 of the days - that's potentially $100-150 savings per month.

Gas - depends on where you work, how much driving you do. But yeah, its better to assume you'll be driving a lot.

Debt - depends on how much debt you have. I have no student loans, but do have credit card debt from when times when work was slow.

Entertainment/going out - $250? - That sounds like a lot! I would say you can comfortable do fun things for half that/month. There is a LOT of free to cheap entertainment out there. Festivals, free museum nights, etc. $120 in savings.

I would say cable and cell might actually be higher. I pay more for them.

Suffice to say, you could easily save $700-800 a month here, possibly more depending on your situation, making actually earning close to $10,000 less and being in a tax bracket lower. (I make around 70K or so).

[adr3naline]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

You can easily save quite a bit here on monthly expenses.

First off, sure if you make $80K, you might be in the %25 tax bracket, though if you're just under $75000, then it will be closer to 20% maybe less, I don't know - I'm not a tax person and don't have figures off the top of my head. And most of that tax is federal.

Rent: If you look hard enough, and are open to less trendy areas, you can find studios that are decent for under $1,100. I pay $1050 for my spacious studio in Pasadena in a nice, quiet neighborhood with a walk in closet, crawl space for storage, and a kitchen nook that can be used for a home office. Over $400 savings right there.

When I was living on the west side I shared a 2-bedroom with someone, and I paid $950. Though that was 5 years ago, and I know things have prices have definitely gone up.


Vehicle payment IF you don't have a vehicle paid off (though you should put that money away for a new vehicle) but still, most vehicle payments are between $200-$250. I guess if you factor in, a down payment that you have to pay - sure I guess. But in any case - Another $50 in savings.

Groceries are a bit high, unless you eat out like everyday. $6.00 a meal?? If I don't go out, my food expenses are under $10 for the day, often under &8. But lets just say even with going out for at least one meal 1/3 of the days - that's potentially $100-150 savings per month.

Gas - depends on where you work, how much driving you do. But yeah, its better to assume you'll be driving a lot.

Debt - depends on how much debt you have. I have no student loans, but do have credit card debt from when times when work was slow.

Entertainment/going out - $250? - That sounds like a lot! I would say you can comfortable do fun things for half that/month. There is a LOT of free to cheap entertainment out there. Festivals, free museum nights, etc. $120 in savings.

I would say cable and cell might actually be higher. I pay more for them.

Suffice to say, you could easily save $700-800 a month here, possibly more depending on your situation, making actually earning close to $10,000 less and being in a tax bracket lower. (I make around 70K or so).

Good addition to the thread. Thanks!

My expense estimates were intended to reflect america's "average" lifestyle, which many transplants come from and tend to take for granted. Seeing how much that average lifestyle translates to LA dollars can be an eye opening sight...which is exactly why I created this thread.