Should we stay local or try out LA? (Los Angeles, Glendale: sales, real estate)

[CharlotteP]

My husband is considering a job in downtown Los Angeles, near Staples Center, LA Convention Center area. We know absolutely NOTHING about California as we started working in the midwest (least expensive cost of living), then moved to Tampa, FL for about 10 years (COL slightly higher). It appears obvious that living in downtown LA would be less than ideal. I would appreciate any input on where we could possibly live that would: 1. Be safe
2. Be a reasonable commute to downtown & the airport
3. What can we expect to pay (rent) for a safe, clean, 1200 sq ft or larger home/apt/condo?
4. Typical cost of auto insurance, utilities, etc
It would just be the two of us, kids are adults, so schools wouldnt be a factor. We are trying to weigh the benefits of one job offer vs another, but I wonder if the higher cost of living will end up bringing us to break even. We dont plan to sell our home in Florida.

Thank you for any and ALL input and anything else that you would like to tell me about the area.

[909er]

1/3) There are a lot of nice areas around DTLA, but they all have drawbacks. Traffic going toward Santa Monica is more horrendous on top of horrendous, but people like living in SM. Very pricey and liberal though. Glendale and Burbank are very nice, trendy, etc but densely populated. Same with Pasadena. Check Craigslist for rents in these areas, expect to pay minimum $600k to own a home in these areas. Rents for a 2BR, between $1800 and $3000.

If you want a cheaper house, you will have to drive north toward Valencia, Santa Clarita, or Palmdale. Commute is about 1.5 hrs and common.

2) "The airport"? LAX is 15 miles south in the Southbay. A lot of people use Burbank, it costs a little more but is 10 times easier and more friendly.

4) Utilities are cheap due to moderate temps. A/C bill in the summer is the worst, I pay about $150 to $200 to cool the home in July-Sept. Taxes are 9% income, around 8 or 9% sales depending on city, gas is currently $3/gal (always more in CA) and car registration is high here. I pay $117/yr for a 9 year old car. Newer cars are easily over $300. Insurance is high too, we pay $2000 a year for full coverage on 2 cars. Gotta subsidize the un-insured.

[ryanms3030]

Insurance will likely be more. I moved to Northern Virginia for a year and my auto insurance was literally 50% of what it is in socal. Sales tax is over 9% everywhere around LA, income tax which you don't have in FL, taxes and cost of living in general is higher which you know.

2 bed 2 bath apt in a decent area with a commute that won't suck can be $1600-1800/mo and up

[UB50]

From what I understand about Florida insurance rates, insurance in LA will likely be less. (I hear Florida is very very high.) Utilities are cheaper because you rarely need air except for a couple of months in the summer.

Violent crime rates are low in LA, much lower than Tampa or any of the cities in Florida.

Rents are the biggest thing out here. Rent is not cheap for anything in a decent area.

[CharlotteP]

Thanks for the information! This housing thing is going to be an issue....

[ryanms3030]

My mother lives in Tampa and I know you can buy a decent condo for $80k there right now or a fairly new house for $150k. I live in Glendale and you can buy a crappy 2 bed condo for $350k or a "starter" house for $600k+. Houses that are $300k are going to put you in an undesirable area either because of crime or 2 hour commutes or both as in the case of some coworkers I know that bought in Palmdale and commute to Glendale every day.

[jessemh431]

Honestly I would say look right in downtown LA. I'm not sure how old you guys are, but if you're into walking everywhere, being around some really trendy restaurants and bars, and like taking public transit, then Downtown LA is a good option if that's where the job offer is. Traffic into and out of downtown is horrendous at all times of day. I work there and live in West LA. It's horrible. In downtown itself, though, there are some really cool brand new apartments and lofts, and many renovated old buildings converted into lofts...if that's your scene. Downtown LA, just like most cities' downtown's, can be a little sketchy at time, but overall if you just avoid certain parts and have good street smarts, you'll be fine. The sacrifice of having no commute whatsoever would be the slightest bit of more danger.

I would highly suggest Pasadena as well. It's in the San Gabriel Valley. There is a light rail metro line that goes from downtown to Pasadena so the commute to downtown would be easy. It's safer than Downtown LA, and IMO, it seems to cater to an older age group. I don't mean old, though. Like 30s and older. Downtown LA is attracting a lot of millennials in their 20s and 30s. Pasadena has way more families. However, Old Town Pasadena has TONS of restaurants and shops and bars so you honestly would never leave too much.

Studio City, a neighborhood of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley, has some very nice restaurants and a pretty urban feel to it compared to many other parts of the valley. Sherman Oaks is slightly more urban, but I'm suggesting Studio City because the Red Line subway has a stop at Studio City/Universal City that will take you right downtown for work.

All those three mentioned above are close to Burbank airport. As 909er mentioned, it's a smaller airport and can be slightly more expensive. But it's much easier to go through and located much closer to Downtown LA.

The last suggestion I have would be Culver City. That's more on the westside of Los Angeles. It is its own city and has recently made a huge comeback, completely redoing its downtown attracting a lot of bars and restaurants. It can be quite pricey, but the Expo Line has a stop basically in downtown Culver City that will take you straight downtown for work purposes. It is located closer to LAX than any of the others. The weather is also much cooler. If you're looking for a cool down from Tampa, Culver City will give that to you. If you enjoy the hot weather of Tampa, Studio City and Pasadena are the hottest of the ones I've mentioned.

Also one thing to remember. Everything in Florida is air conditioned. In LA, not the case. Before renting, unless you will be within a few blocks of the beach, take A/C into consideration. While it usually isn't hot enough to need A/C in Culver City, it definitely can be if you get hot easily. And in Pasadena and Studio City, be careful of renting a place with just small wall units. When it can reach 108 degrees, a small wall unit is not gonna help you much. Just a heads up since I know nearly everything in Florida is centrally air conditioned and you might overlook that when moving to LA.

[UB50]

Originally Posted by CharlotteP

Thanks for the information! This housing thing is going to be an issue....

If you are primarily worried about costs and don't have an overwhelming "want" to live in a big city, I would stay in Florida.

I moved here from Florida but I wanted to live in a big city. LA is nothing like anything you will find in Florida.

[PDF]

Originally Posted by UB50

If you are primarily worried about costs and don't have an overwhelming "want" to live in a big city, I would stay in Florida.

I moved here from Florida but I wanted to live in a big city. LA is nothing like anything you will find in Florida.

Yeah, I agree. LA would be a good move for some people, but based on the information the OP has given us...I say stay in Florida.

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by UB50

If you are primarily worried about costs and don't have an overwhelming "want" to live in a big city, I would stay in Florida.

I moved here from Florida but I wanted to live in a big city. LA is nothing like anything you will find in Florida.

I agree. I have family in South Florida (which is more expensive than Tampa) and have been working there the past year. Pretty much everything is cheaper . Of course the main thing is housing. Living near the beach for example isn't really a big deal there. In L.A if someone lives walking distance to the beach, that person is usually rich or very high income. Most people in L.A can't even dream of being walking distance to a beach.

When I was there last month I rented a hotel room( in Fort Lauderdale) for an entire week for $325!..It was right across from the beach!

I can't imagine what that would cost in L.A. Gas was like $2.50 a gallon or less. Sales tax is like 6%.

Owning a property there isn't a big deal or struggle like it is in L.A

But what UB50 said is true, LA is nothing like you will find in Florida.

I would also recommend just living in Downtown L.A IF you are looking for the urban experience. Many say that Downtown L.A is turning into a Manhattan like place...of course it's not to manhattan level yet and is obviously smaller and has a lot less people...but that's the direction DTLA is going.

Tons of restaurants, bars, and now more and more retail. Many subway lines to get you to different parts of the city and Pasadena,etc. Great architecture too.

It doesn't sound like you want to live in DTLA though since you said "it sounds less than ideal"

One big issue with DTLA is the homeless issue , even with all the development there is still Skid Row there. Of course this hasn't stopped people from paying sky high rents or real estate prices , but it could be a big deterrent.

As others mentioned there are other places to live..but anything decent honestly is going to cost a lot and likely to be pretty far from DTLA and we don't know how much your husband will be making or what you are willing to spend on housing .

If you are looking for a less urban/gritty experience and a place that has less crime. I'd look into Pasadena. It's not too far from DTLA and it is really a nice city. Burbank is nice too. Glendale also, but some aren't crazy about it because of the large Armenian population...I think Glendale is really underrated though. It's walkable and there's a lot of great places and reasonable to eat especially if you like middle eastern/armenian food. It also puts you near a lot of other cool parts of L.A like DTLA, Atwater Village and Los Feliz.

Definately visit before you make a decision!