Best place in OC for young professionals and cost of living?

[r3dbullet89]

Originally Posted by ragnarkar

If you're Chinese: Irvine, Newport Beach

If you're Vietnamese: Garden Grove, Westminster, Fountain Valley

I've found reasonable deals for renting in the Chinese language papers (i.e. World Journal), usually a bit cheaper than than what you find on Craigslist..

Very true but Garden Grove, Westminster, Fountain Valley aren't that nice and don't offer a very good atmosphere for a young professional. I would say Irvine would be a good bet for you... very diverse (Asians, East Indians, etc) but really nice with a close proximity to Costa Mesa and Newport's night life. I feel that Costa Mesa apartments are usually too old and overpriced and Newport is just too overpriced. Irvine is overpriced (not as bad as Newport) but at least you get a brand new apartment with resort like amenities.

[TidyAtac]

Originally Posted by r3dbullet89

Very true but Garden Grove, Westminster, Fountain Valley aren't that nice and don't offer a very good atmosphere for a young professional. I would say Irvine would be a good bet for you... very diverse (Asians, East Indians, etc) but really nice with a close proximity to Costa Mesa and Newport's night life. I feel that Costa Mesa apartments are usually too old and overpriced and Newport is just too overpriced. Irvine is overpriced (not as bad as Newport) but at least you get a brand new apartment with resort like amenities.

Thanks! Yeah, I was checking apartment cost in Costa Mesa. There's a place right by south plaza that is called 3400 but its like $1600 for the cheapest small 1 bedroom....

I already will be taking a pay cut going from 100K in Dallas to 100 to 110K ball park in the OC with the higher taxes and all....1K in Texas would get a great apartment in the suburban type setting..

I'm Korean and heard there's a lot of Koreans in Irvine.
I'm not willing to spend more than 1600 a month for rent. That's the maximum but I can't stand old appliances and carpeted floors. Some of the really nice apartments are going for well over 2K.. wow!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by TidyAtac

I'm Korean and heard there's a lot of Koreans in Irvine

One thing you could do is look for Korean churches. Chances are there is a higher density of Koreans in that neighborhood. And yes, there seem to be a lot of Koreans and other Asians in the Irvine. I work near Alton and Jamboree and when I'm waiting at that light, everyone looks Asian. Lots of Asian stores at marketplace there.

Check this neat tool out for rentals.

https://www.padmapper.com/?lat=33.68...ng=0&maxTime=0

[1200RT]

Originally Posted by TidyAtac

I'm not willing to spend more than 1600 a month for rent. That's the maximum but I can't stand old appliances and carpeted floors. Some of the really nice apartments are going for well over 2K.. wow!

Welcome to CA. I'm less familiar with rental prices in OC, but $1600 is certainly the going rate for nicer 1-bedrooms in most semi-desirable areas of LA - and by nicer, I mean newer renovations, similar to what you're seeing in Orange County. OC has the benefit of new construction a majority of the time.

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by TidyAtac

I'm not willing to spend more than 1600 a month for rent. That's the maximum but I can't stand old appliances and carpeted floors. Some of the really nice apartments are going for well over 2K.. wow!

$1600/month is not considered to be outlandish in today's OC rental market. Consider it to be part of the "Sunshine Tax."

Newport Beach monthly rents jump $156 - Lansner on Real Estate : The Orange County Register

Five highest rental markets in OC:
Newport Beach $2,212
Irvine $1,933
Dana Point $1,880
Aliso Viejo $1,702
Costa Mesa $1,677

The five top OC cities with the biggest jumps in rent over the past year are:

Newport Beach +$156
Placentia + 120
Huntington Beach + 99
Costa Mesa + 93
Aliso Viejo + 89

Hmm, I don't detect a pattern.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by 1200RT

OC has the benefit of new construction a majority of the time.

There's new construction in certain areas, mostly in Irvine and farther south, but there's an awful lot lot of old apartments in OC. Some of them have been truly renovated and improved, but most of them just get the lipstick on an old pig treatment. Who wants to put millions into a major renovation when everyone's still paying top dollar for creaky, un-insulated 40 year old junk?

[1200RT]

I should have specified Irvine, seems to be newer in that area.

[Coldjensens]

Orange (Old Town only), Balboa (Newport Beach), Huntington Beach, or Laguna Beach. If you are going to move to CA you may as well live somewhere cool. Just get a small or trashy place or get a decent place in a roommate situation to make it affordable. I would not think you want to be concerned about being Asian unless you have some desire to only live around other Asians, but I thought you were trying to get away from boring (not saying Asians are boring, but limiting yourself to only people of your own ethnic background is boring).

Orange is close to FV. It has a neat downtown with a handful of bars (not dance clubs) some cafes and coffee houses and resturuants. The area is called Old Town. Most of the rest of Orange is basically sprawl (except some areas you cannot afford). There is a college in Orange and a larger one in nearby Fullerton so there is some life, not a lot, but a bit. Orange is cheaper than the other places mentioned, but it is a bit more of a family place and less of a young single place. Still it is neat and not horridly boring. Great access to LA, beach communities, and the inland empire from Orange. You are right at the 5, 55, 22 and 91 freeways, plus there is a train station in Orange where you can catch metrolink. You can also readily reach the bike trail to Huntington Beach or to the foothills if you are into biking. To me it is also a big plus to have easy access to Irvine Park and Silvardo Canyon (Cleveland National Forest) for hiking.

Balboa is a raucous fun place. It is a village of Newport Beach and is on the beach. It is crammed packed with people in the summer but kind of like a small town in the winter because only a fraction of the population is year round. Students from UCI tend to rent places in Balboa during the off season and then move out in the Spring. There are a few decent hang out type bars (dancing is not allowed), lot of boats, plenty of beach. You will have to make some concessions to stay affordable, but it is a fun place. It is loud and weekends are crazy. Traffic and parking are a PIA. Be sure to get a pass for the big public parking lot even if you have parking at your place (guests will need to park too) and also get the pass that allows you to take the shortcut lane for residents during the summer. Do not confuse Balboa villiage with Balboa Island. The island is expensive and comparatively boring. It is a bit of a drive ot Fountain Valley. With light traffic it will take 20 -30 minutes depending on where in FV you go. However in the summer it can take more than an hour to get home. Still it is totally worth it to live there at least for a while.

Huntginton Beach is more surfur dude type of place. It is a little less nice than Balboa and bigger. There are bars and loads of people. Downtown or anywhere along the beach is pricy. Inland a bit is more affordable. INland gets more family oriented. It is closer to FV than Balboa. IMO it is not as much fun as Balboa, but probably cheaper and more accessible to FV.

Laguna is really super cool, but pricy and very difficult to get in and out of. Small town atmosphere. Picturesque, quite a few bars, resturaunts, and art galleries. Lots of authors live there so lots of books are set in laguna or feature Laguna. Laguna woudl be the longest commute, the most expensive, and the most difficult to get into and out of. It is the place where everyone wants to live (so they all go visit on nice days.). Parking is horrible, traffic is horrible and even a small house costs $1 million so rent is pretty up there as well. It also has the best scuba diving sites in OC as far as I know.

You can tolerate a trashy apartment becasue you will rarely be there. There is so much to do in and around OC and a lot of it is at no cost. Be prepared for sticker shock for your living expenses. Figure on a minimum of $1500 for rent. Then gas is more (when I last flew through houston on my way to OC, gas in OC was $1 a gallon more); food, insurance, health care, pretty much everything costs more. You can find bargains and if you avoid playing the Orange County prestige games, you can live compfrtably on that income. Your play time clothing may come from Target or Costco and you will need to avoid fancy cars, fancy resturuants (at least sometimes) and eat at home/ bring your lunch to work part of the time. Stay aways from expensive girls. Take advantage of cheap or free things to do. You will probably love it.

BTW. Most rentals do nto come with a fridge. So you have to buy or rent one. At least that appliance will be new. If you do not like the carpeting in the renatl, ask the landlord whether they will allow you to rpelace it yourself. THere is a place in Santa Ana that sells end runs of carpeting for really low prices and their installation prices are slightly lower than market as well.

[r3dbullet89]

Originally Posted by TidyAtac

Thanks! Yeah, I was checking apartment cost in Costa Mesa. There's a place right by south plaza that is called 3400 but its like $1600 for the cheapest small 1 bedroom....

I already will be taking a pay cut going from 100K in Dallas to 100 to 110K ball park in the OC with the higher taxes and all....1K in Texas would get a great apartment in the suburban type setting..

I'm Korean and heard there's a lot of Koreans in Irvine.
I'm not willing to spend more than 1600 a month for rent. That's the maximum but I can't stand old appliances and carpeted floors. Some of the really nice apartments are going for well over 2K.. wow!

I can definitely relate to you since I recently moved into an apartment after a three month long search for the perfect place. I decided on Irvine (as stated before) because of its newer developments and the amenities that come with those developments. Yes, Irvine company does own most of Irvine but their apartments are new, come with house like features (granite, ceramic tile, hardwood floors, two tone paint, jr olympic salt water pool, full size gym, etc), and are really well kept. $1,600 would get you something nice albeit it will be sort of small. You're talking 500-600 square feet. PM me if you would like a list of apartments that I would recommend.

[SunnyTXsmile]

Originally Posted by TidyAtac

Thanks guys. I will be working in Fountain Valley.
I'm Asian and I kind of find Dallas a little boring. Everything in Dallas is spread out and there's not a lot to do... The night life in Dallas is definitely lacking as well but its very inexpensive to live here. There's maybe 1-2 spots in downtown/uptown area that isn't bad. I figure that at a certain level of income, money has diminishing returns (you can't take it to your grave). The people in Dallas are polite but in general, the city sort of has a family suburban feel.

Being able to go running with good scenery,nice weather, beaches, nightlife, attractions, social events, etc... OC is really 40% more expensive? I figured around 10% more in taxes and maybe an extra 7K in apartment cost and then going out, etc... Even 85K anywhere should be enough.

On your budget, you should be absolutely fine. Yes, the more desirable coastal areas of CA are more expensive than most of TX, but many people in CA are quite content to simply downsize their living arrangements to make it work.

Speaking only for myself, I'd much rather have a smaller place with no garage in CA than a huge house with a 2-car garage somewhere less desirable. It is what you make of it. It really comes down to your priories.

CA isn't for everyone, but if it's what you want, you will make it work, and on your budget, you should have absolutely no problem doing so. Good luck with whatever you decide.