Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm contemplating moving to the area, pending job opportunities, but I'm going to be be spending some time saving up some money before I move down there. I was told to prepare for at least three months unemployment while searching for jobs, but what do you think is the bare minimum amount one should have saved before moving to LA? I realize this is incredibly subjective, so I should throw out some info:
1) I'm a single guy.
2) Willing to rent a single bedroom in an apt. with other roomates, but NOT share the bedroom.
3) I'm looking at renting in the Hollywood/NoHo/West Hollywood/ Los Feliz area to be close to friends.
I'm asking this quetion to get a helpful indication of the cost of living in the area from someone who knows. I have a pretty decent sense of the rent in the area, but I'm worried about finding a job quickly enough. I'm thinking a realistic number is about $5,000, but with this poor economy that may be a low number.
Thanks in advance for any information you can give me.
Would your $5000 include moving expenses, or would you arrive with the $5000 untouched?
Will you have a car? If not, what transportation will you use? Find out what that costs.
What will you need to buy when you arrive? (Renting a room rather than your own apartment is a great idea: you won't even need to buy dishes or a broom. You might want a bed, though, or you might not care.)
Ask your friends in the area how much they pay for rent, utilities, and transportation.
When you say, "pending job opportunities," do you mean you'll move if the job opportunity arises? In that case, you don't need to have as much saved. If you mean you'll move to Los Angeles hoping for job opportunities, that's another story.
Are the kinds of jobs you will be looking for the kind you can apply for from a distance? Are you looking for a certain kind of job? Do you have education, skills, or training, or are you looking for a job flipping burgers? Are you hoping to be a waiter - oops, I mean actor?
If you run out of money, will you have a backup plan for going home?
I think three months is appropriate in a good economy, but not now, unless you have someone who will bail you out. Six months is more realistic, and still risky enough to be exciting.
All of these factor into how much you should plan on bringing with you.
I'm contemplating moving to the area, pending job opportunities, but I'm going to be be spending some time saving up some money before I move down there. I was told to prepare for at least three months unemployment while searching for jobs, but what do you think is the bare minimum amount one should have saved before moving to LA? I realize this is incredibly subjective, so I should throw out some info:
1) I'm a single guy.
2) Willing to rent a single bedroom in an apt. with other roomates, but NOT share the bedroom.
3) I'm looking at renting in the Hollywood/NoHo/West Hollywood/ Los Feliz area to be close to friends.
I'm asking this quetion to get a helpful indication of the cost of living in the area from someone who knows. I have a pretty decent sense of the rent in the area, but I'm worried about finding a job quickly enough. I'm thinking a realistic number is about $5,000, but with this poor economy that may be a low number.
Thanks in advance for any information you can give me.
---------------------------
I live in Hollywood (born and raised), work in Los Feliz, and am in Weho and Noho often.
1) Welcome in advance! We love that you are coming. LA is the best. Now get seriously ready.
2) Plan on $1000/ mo minimum for rent...thats with roommate. Best you be on your own to avoid hitching up with some unfortunate soul. While the laws affecting renters is good around here, there is not enough affordable housing for renters. If your friends can take u in, do that.
3) Please land a job before you move, that will determine your ability to get by. If you decide to come here without a job then plan on bringing as much dough as is humanly possible. I think 3 months cushion is too short.
4) You'll have to get a CA license and register your car in 30 days after moving which will include a yearly tax based on the value of your car . To calculate that go to: https://mv.dmv.ca.gov/FeeCalculatorW...esidentForm.do
Also, talk to your current auto insurer and get an estimate for your policy here. There will very likely be an increase.
5) Get a local phone number so you will be taken seriously.
6) Weho area is great but street parking is mostly by permit and they collect a lot in parking tickets. I was 5 minutes late for a meter and there was a $40 ticket on my window. My partner accidentally parked in LA during the street cleaning hours and got a $60 ticket. Make sure your apt has off street parking.
7) Los Feliz and Silver Lake are way fun areas (bars, restaurants, shops) and less crowded therefore less draconian re parking. Rents are cheaper.
8) Transportation is an issue here. People speak in terms of how long it takes rather than distance. Miles are irrelevant. Most commutes are done by car. If you are lucky enough to get a job and live near the subway, happy day!
9) Get a Thomas Brothers map book now and start familiarizing yourself with the lay of the land. I am available to bounce things off of if you like.
Please know we are glad you are bringing your energies to CA. You will like it. It is universally diverse here. There is every kind of person, visual excitment, art, culture, food, architecture, parks, hobby, and climate,... and of course "the industry" (show biz).
We need creative, positive, hard working people. Just be serious about taking care of yourself and you'll be fine. This is the big city.
My opinion is $20,000.
$10,000 to come here and live and try to find a job and get established
$10,000 to re-start your life back where you came from if it doesn't work here
i'm contemplating moving to the area, pending job opportunities, but i'm going to be be spending some time saving up some money before i move down there. I was told to prepare for at least three months unemployment while searching for jobs, but what do you think is the bare minimum amount one should have saved before moving to la? I realize this is incredibly subjective, so i should throw out some info:
1) i'm a single guy.
2) willing to rent a single bedroom in an apt. With other roomates, but not share the bedroom.
3) i'm looking at renting in the hollywood/noho/west hollywood/ los feliz area to be close to friends.
I'm asking this quetion to get a helpful indication of the cost of living in the area from someone who knows. I have a pretty decent sense of the rent in the area, but i'm worried about finding a job quickly enough. I'm thinking a realistic number is about $5,000, but with this poor economy that may be a low number.
Thanks in advance for any information you can give me.
I am moving to LA in July. I already have a job which begins July 1st, and despite this I will need I think 35000 saved before moving.
Why?
Because there are a lot of unfreseen expenses when moving to a new area. Including new phone, cable, light, natural gas, car registrations ( sometimes requiring new state tax payments), and insurance. There is also a deposit to be placed on a new place ( closing costs if buying or rent security deposits if leasing). In addition remember that even if you have a job you may not actually get a paycheck for a month after you begin working, so you need at least one month's expenses saved in addition to the amount needed to get a job.
Would your $5000 include moving expenses, or would you arrive with the $5000 untouched?
Will you have a car? If not, what transportation will you use? Find out what that costs.
What will you need to buy when you arrive? (Renting a room rather than your own apartment is a great idea: you won't even need to buy dishes or a broom. You might want a bed, though, or you might not care.)
Ask your friends in the area how much they pay for rent, utilities, and transportation.
When you say, "pending job opportunities," do you mean you'll move if the job opportunity arises? In that case, you don't need to have as much saved. If you mean you'll move to Los Angeles hoping for job opportunities, that's another story.
Are the kinds of jobs you will be looking for the kind you can apply for from a distance? Are you looking for a certain kind of job? Do you have education, skills, or training, or are you looking for a job flipping burgers? Are you hoping to be a waiter - oops, I mean actor?
If you run out of money, will you have a backup plan for going home?
I think three months is appropriate in a good economy, but not now, unless you have someone who will bail you out. Six months is more realistic, and still risky enough to be exciting.
All of these factor into how much you should plan on bringing with you.
When I say pending job opportunities, I mean that I won't move unless the economy picks up and I have a decent chance at a job. I will try applying to places before moving, but it will be tough to come down for interviews. That'll leave me bankrupt for sure.
I would plan on arriving with the $5,000 untouched. I will not have much to move, as I will be selling mostly everything I have on CL before I come down. All I'll have is an air matress, clothes and other necessities until I can get a job. I will have a car, and insurance will be costly, but it's decreasing. I'm thinking about getting a scooter for transportation.
I have a Master's in English, and have college teaching experience, but apparently the job market for adjuncts isn't too great down there, so I'm thinking that I'll be looking for a technical writing position. Or anything I can get my darn hands on, if push comes to shove.
Like I said, I'll apply as much as possible before the move, but I'm coming down anyway.
I'm thinking that what a lot of other posters advised--having $20000 saved or planning on $1000/ mo rent with a roomate--are a tad exaggerated. How could LA be that expensive? I've seen rooms going for as low as $350 on CL, and they looked decent enough for my purposes. I don't need anything nice, and I'm not a snob. I would say that $10000 is much more reasonable. It's really unlikely that I'll have $20,000 saved in a few years, let alone a few months with my job. Adjunct positions don't pay well.
Is it really inadvisable to come down jobless? Is the economy so rough that I could be looking at 4+ months of unemployment?
I wouldn't move anywhere without a job, but I definitely wouldn't even consider moving to California without a job. California has quite high unemployment and the job market is competitive even in good times. I think you could be looking at indefinite unemployment.
1) Welcome in advance! We love that you are coming. LA is the best. Now get seriously ready.
....Please know we are glad you are bringing your energies to CA. You will like it. It is universally diverse here. There is every kind of person, visual excitment, art, culture, food, architecture, parks, hobby, and climate,... and of course "the industry" (show biz).
We need creative, positive, hard working people. Just be serious about taking care of yourself and you'll be fine. This is the big city.
Thanks for the welcome and the really helpful info. I'm certain I will do fine there. LA tenacity is one thing, but Alaskan tenacity is another world . It's not cocky if it's true (lol).
Well my $20,000 recommendation may be a bit exaggerated but I'm an extreme planner. I doubt it will cost you as much to move as me since I used rented a u-haul. When I moved from the East Coast here's what it cost me:
U-Haul - $2,000
Gas + Hotels + Other moving expenses - $1,000
First months rent + Sec Deposit - $2,500
Basic furniture and appliances - $2,500
Random expenses (registration, setting up cable, electric etc...) - $500
So that's $7,500 right there. I guess you can do without the furniture and maybe appliances but like I said I'm an extreme planner so I had a job and $20,000 and I was still nervous.
I'm not trying to make you nervous I just want you to plan properly so you don't end up in trouble. Imagine how much easier life would be if you had a bigger savings when you came?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. It's not cocky if it's true (lol).
