is 65k doable for a single guy to live in LA? (West Hollywood: rent, car registration)

[jm1982]

If you'll likely be spending $1300+ on a 1 bedroom..and you'll still have a car in L.A not sure if I see how you'll be in the same or better position as making $100,000 in NYC and paying $1750 in rent..

Maybe I am missing something though?.. It seems like you could be in a lot worse situation with 65k here versus 100k there even if your rent is a little lower.

I know parking a car can be a huge expense in NYC too though and there are other costs I might not be thinking of.

[YoungTraveler2011]

Originally Posted by hipcat

The most expensive part would be the insurance, depending on your driving record.

Driving record should be close to perfect. I've gotten a couple of tickets for speeding but that's about it lol.

[YoungTraveler2011]

Originally Posted by jm1982

If you'll likely be spending $1300+ on a 1 bedroom..and you'll still have a car in L.A not sure if I see how you'll be in the same or better position as making $100,000 in NYC and paying $1750 in rent..

Maybe I am missing something though?.. It seems like you could be in a lot worse situation with 65k here versus 100k there even if your rent is a little lower.

I know parking a car can be a huge expense in NYC too though and there are other costs I might not be thinking of.

I have no car in NYC...also the taxes here are higher....everything is higher in cost...

you go to almost any decent sit down restaurant and you're going to spend at least 40 dollars on it.

go to a decent lounge/club and you'll pay 18 for a long island, 8 on a beer, etc. to give you an idea.

the worst of it all is housing. im paying 1750 for a studio thats probably 300 sq ft in a building that has no elevator, doorman, or laundry room. it blows. LA id pay 1200-1500 but it'd be a decent building, in a bigger apartment with washer and dryer in the building at least.

groceries here are also expensive as ****. a jar of organic peanut butter is like 12 dollars. lol?

edit - just got an email back from the manager at the company, he said hes gonna talk to his boss about me asking for 70k. i dont think ill make the move on anything less than 70k.

[jm1982]

I haven't lived in NYC , but only visited. I'm guessing the high end lounge/club areas here aren't going to be too much cheaper.. but there are a lot of bars that have happy hour and stuff.

Not sure what you consider decent sit down restaurants..but they could also be $40+ too.

i know housing can be cheaper for sure though.

Good luck on your move.

[PDF]

NYC has much more fine dining than LA does. It's not even a comparison. And bars/clubs in NYC are so much more expensive. LA is cheaper overall.

[jm1982]

So I'm guessing NYC doesn't have many midrange places to eat , and it's mostly upscale or cheap eats like $1 pizza or cheap hot dogs? That makes NYC suck more if you are not rich and like to eat!

A lot of this probably have to do with cost of rents being higher,and spaces being smaller. Dive bars can probably exist in L.A because profit margins are higher than food and they might have a very long lease with low rent...but to build anything new rent is going to be sky high.

Every NYC bar that i've been in or seen seems pretty small compared to the average L.A .

I guess it all comes down to real estate costs.

[YoungTraveler2011]

Originally Posted by jm1982

So I'm guessing NYC doesn't have many midrange places to eat , and it's mostly upscale or cheap eats like $1 pizza or cheap hot dogs? That makes NYC suck more if you are not rich and like to eat!

A lot of this probably have to do with cost of rents being higher,and spaces being smaller. Dive bars can probably exist in L.A because profit margins are higher than food and they might have a very long lease with low rent...but to build anything new rent is going to be sky high.

Every NYC bar that i've been in or seen seems pretty small compared to the average L.A .

I guess it all comes down to real estate costs.

Yeah, the big issue here is housing. Everything is smaller and more expensive. Renting a 1 bedroom in a building with an elevator start at around 2,500 / month.

in newer buildings, you will literally pay almost FOUR GRAND for a 1 bedroom.

[PDF]

Originally Posted by jm1982

So I'm guessing NYC doesn't have many midrange places to eat , and it's mostly upscale or cheap eats like $1 pizza or cheap hot dogs? That makes NYC suck more if you are not rich and like to eat!

A lot of this probably have to do with cost of rents being higher,and spaces being smaller. Dive bars can probably exist in L.A because profit margins are higher than food and they might have a very long lease with low rent...but to build anything new rent is going to be sky high.

Every NYC bar that i've been in or seen seems pretty small compared to the average L.A .

I guess it all comes down to real estate costs.

NYC has all your typical eat-out places LA or any other city does. But I was saying that NYC has way more upscale dining choices.

[jm1982]

Oh ok I see. I did get that sense too. I'm not too keen on the upscale places since I don't have much $ and don't like feeling ripped off...although some can provide a 'good value' i guess..

[BarcelonaFan]

Single, of course. Family, probably not.

65k is good money for a single guy if you're not moving into a place that's too expensive or drive a hummer.