moving to pasadena (apartments, for rent, health insurance)

[wkwheel]

ok so I might be moving to Pasadena CA with my boyfriend. Im scared to death... If we do he'll have a job that makes about or little over 60grand. Ill be there unemployed til I can find somethng. I figure whatever I get Ill be lucky to make more then 25 grand a year. If anyone from or around there is reading this, how hard will it be to make ends meet? We want an apartment and we have two cats. I know its expensive out there. Very worried...

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by wkwheel

ok so I might be moving to Pasadena CA with my boyfriend. Im scared to death... If we do he'll have a job that makes about or little over 60grand. Ill be there unemployed til I can find somethng. I figure whatever I get Ill be lucky to make more then 25 grand a year. If anyone from or around there is reading this, how hard will it be to make ends meet? We want an apartment and we have two cats. I know its expensive out there. Very worried...

Relax, you will be fine even without a job. I don't mean you shouldn't get one, you should and the sooner, the better, but you will be able to find an apartment and live on his income. Where are you moving from and what will be your hounsing budget? The things you will find more expensive? Gas (probably) housing and some taxes. Entertainnent might be higher, depending on where you are now living, but food should be similar or in some cases cheaper (not in all, I will add) Utilities are one thing that are almost always lower, not because of the rates but because of the mild weather, winter and summer. Yes, overall living in Ca is much higher than other places in the country but having no kids and probably no serious medical problems to worry about you should be fine.

Good luck, enjoy your new home.

NIta

[BRinSM]

to add to what nmita said, you should be fine as long as you don't have significant debts (ie student loans & car payments). try to find a one bedroom for under $1500 and you should be just fine. if pasadena is too expensive, consider other nearby areas that would be less expensive, ie eagle rock, arcadia, monrovia, etc..

[uptown_urbanist]

I agree with Nita and BRinSM. Assuming no massive debts you should be able to easily afford a place on his salary. It is expensive (more so for buying than for renting, though), but two people and two cats living on 60k a year will be fine, especially since at some point you'll be bringing in another 25k or so yourself (or just as significantly, a job that comes with health insurance, as that's one of those costs that can really kill a budget fast). Pasadena's a great city. Good luck with the move!

[UB50]

I have to disagree on a couple of things.

I actually found gas to be cheaper in LA -- not because gas was actually cheaper but because I didn't have to drive very far to get what I wanted -- so I saved a lot on gas. (Went from driving 25,000 miles a year to driving around 10,000 miles a year, so that was a huge savings.)

Entertainment can actually be cheaper here because there are a lot of cheap/free events around. Where I had lived in the past, every type of entertainment (even street festivals) had an admission charge. Here they are usually free or you only have to pay for parking.

The most expensive thing is rent.

[JohnG72]

One bedroom apartments in decent areas of Pasadena are $900-1300 a month.

You'll do fine even if you don't have a job.

[wkwheel]

We currently live in Michigan, its a BIG jump... you guys made me feel a lot better.I honestly appreciate it!!

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by UB50

I have to disagree on a couple of things.

I actually found gas to be cheaper in LA -- not because gas was actually cheaper but because I didn't have to drive very far to get what I wanted -- so I saved a lot on gas. (Went from driving 25,000 miles a year to driving around 10,000 miles a year, so that was a huge savings.)

Entertainment can actually be cheaper here because there are a lot of cheap/free events around. Where I had lived in the past, every type of entertainment (even street festivals) had an admission charge. Here they are usually free or you only have to pay for parking.

The most expensive thing is rent.

you can't compare your gas without knowing more about the OP, we are talking cost per gallon..As for entertainmet, again, there are several things to consider, overall entertainment will be more costly, but we don't know the Ops habits. I was simply generalizing.

Nita