Can OC be done on $15/hr (maybe a little less?) (Los Angeles: apartments, rent)

[AmyM]

It can be done but you will probably need a roomate. I recommend at least having 10K saved up before the big move so you can settle in a little bit easier.
But don't forget that OC is an expensive place to live, don't forget about medical insurance, taxes, and car payments, etc.
You will probably make it, but you might not save money. I'd suggest moving a bit more interior at least to start off.
Although admittedly I wouldn't recommend moving here unless you make at least 100K if you want to live in a nice place. It is possible though, but it'll be hard.

[AnaheimDude07]

Well, if your b/f also made 15.00 per hour then you might make it is you choose to live in one of the cheaper places to live like Anaheim or Buena Park. My fiance and I make about that much and we do o.k. although we wopuld do much better if we didn't have a truck payment, insurance and 1300 per month rent.

[J20]

While living in the OC on $15/hr. is possible, I wouldn't recommend it. If you're able to find a roommate or a private room for rent in a townhouse / home, I think you'll be okay. I lived with a roommate while making approximately $15/hr. and was able to get by. I had saved up $8,000 and decided to rent my own place. I currently earn $17/hr. (full-time) and pay $1000 for a small 1 bdrm./1 ba. and am living paycheck to paycheck. It is very hard to find a studio or 1 bed. / 1 ba. in a "decent" area for under $1,000 / mo. I went into the move with the intention of being frugal and staying within a very limited budget, but I've found it's so much easier said than done. The cost of food, gas, and other necessities adds up very quickly. There definitely won't be any room for "extras" living by yourself on $15/hr. I don't really think it's worth it. After you have a couple years of work experience on your resume, you may be able to demand a higher salary and then the move may be worth it. Either way, I wish you the best of luck!

[sam88]

$15/hr isn't going to cut it in this part of the country unless you plan to test your frugality to it's limits. It may work in parts of LA but not in OC..especially South OC. Also consider that insurance, gas etc. is very expensive here compared to the rest of the country and distances are HUGE so the cost of commuting is quite high.

[urbandeco]

I think you may want to wait and get established in your career so then you make a decent wage when moving to the OC. I have visited that area and it is beautiful. However, if you have to live in some crap apt, in a not so nice part of town then is it really worth it. I think when someone moves they should have as little debt as possible. Pay off the credit cards and then think about it.

[rockx]

Anything is possible, but I wouldn't recommend it.

I think it would be too rough and if you have to work 2 jobs just to live here, you will be missing out on your youth.

If you insist on moving to SoCal, have you looked at San Diego? It is still very nice, more young college types than OC and much more affordable.

[fg2]

My coworker here (Irvine) lives on about this much money. It can be done if you are frugal. He initially rented a room in the house, then moved to the apartment in Tustin ($1050/month). He takes a bus to work which wouldn't work for most people. I found that if you already have a car you can live ok on ~$2000/month after taxes (assuming you don't go out much).

[TurcoLoco]

Originally Posted by fg2

My coworker here (Irvine) lives on about this much money. It can be done if you are frugal. He initially rented a room in the house, then moved to the apartment in Tustin ($1050/month). He takes a bus to work which wouldn't work for most people. I found that if you already have a car you can live ok on ~$2000/month after taxes (assuming you don't go out much).

Being 'frugal' won't cut it if your net income is only $2000 a month and you are paying like $1000+ for rent! That is not living my friend!
I was making over $3000 net and paying $1070 for a shoebox 1-bdrm apartment with no night-life, no credit debt and bo bad habits of any kind (smoking, snorting, drinking, gambling, women, etc.) and it was still a paycheck-to-paycheck situation!
You can never save any money regardless of how frugal you are, even if you managed, something comes up and drains it, never fails!
In my 20s having roommates was OK and in your 30s you get an apartment then what? Even on two income, it is very very very hard to afford a decent house payment! What was I supposed to do (even on 2 decent incomes), buy a 30yr old fixer-upper with a neg-am or option-arm type of loan where you either only pay the principle or just the interest and still barely afford the monthly mortgage payments? Beautiful weather and scenery becomes a never-ending nightmarish twillight zone episode where you either worry yourself to death, get on drugs or alcohol or start doing some illegal biz to provide the needed $$. Needless to say, I moved out of CA .
Best luck to those who are relocated or will be relocating to CA and do not have/make bundle of $$.

[justsomeguy]

Originally Posted by TurcoLoco

Being 'frugal' won't cut it if your net income is only $2000 a month and you are paying like $1000+ for rent! That is not living my friend!
I was making over $3000 net and paying $1070 for a shoebox 1-bdrm apartment with no night-life, no credit debt and bo bad habits of any kind (smoking, snorting, drinking, gambling, women, etc.) and it was still a paycheck-to-paycheck situation!
You can never save any money regardless of how frugal you are, even if you managed, something comes up and drains it, never fails!
In my 20s having roommates was OK and in your 30s you get an apartment then what? Even on two income, it is very very very hard to afford a decent house payment! What was I supposed to do (even on 2 decent incomes), buy a 30yr old fixer-upper with a neg-am or option-arm type of loan where you either only pay the principle or just the interest and still barely afford the monthly mortgage payments? Beautiful weather and scenery becomes a never-ending nightmarish twillight zone episode where you either worry yourself to death, get on drugs or alcohol or start doing some illegal biz to provide the needed $$. Needless to say, I moved out of CA .
Best luck to those who are relocated or will be relocating to CA and do not have/make bundle of $$.

I don't see how you could be living paycheck to paycheck with $2,000 left over after paying your rent? I moved to SoCal with $10k in bank, I would recommend to the OP to have at least $14k saved up. $9k will go very quick after deposits, driving, getting stuff for your place, etc.

If you live very frugally, make your own meals, eat off the dollar menu, and skimp on most forms of entertainment, you can make it on $15/hr. But is it worth it? Depends on where you are coming from. I came from a small town with bad weather and no real college job opportunities. It might be worth it for me to stay out here a little while, but I wouldn't live like that for more than a few years.

I guess a good rule of thumb is this:

$1,000 - rent (for a crummy studio)
$150 - $200 - utilities, cell phone, cable, etc.
$100-$250 - gas
$400-$600 - food, depending on how much you eat out
$30-$50 - misc. items, haircuts, soap, shampoo, household items
$50-$150 - car insurance

So basically you're looking at expenses that will range from $1700-$2300, and that's not even counting money you spent on what I call "recreation" (lotto, liquor, bars, concerts, casinos, etc.).

So $15 MIGHT be enough to just scrape by, living on your own. Having roommates will help. The problem is 6 months of "scraping by" is going to get old after a while, especially when you realize you can move somewhere else and save about $500 if you rent someplace else.

[movingfromheretothere]

I have lived in Orange and am well aware of the cost of living. In simple yet delicate words, "GET A ROOM MATE "