Renting in Los Angeles? (Santa Monica: apartments, rentals, car insurance)

[Mr.Professional]

So hows the rent out here in Los Angeles?
I may move out here and I make 52K now as a Field Tech for a School District
I may expect another raise but not anytime soon
For a single person how would I live and how much would I pay?
I think of getting a room and renting or 2 bedroom apartment or single bedroom?
pay like around 700 to 1200
we both split the rent or i pay myself around 700 to 1200

Any advice or stories may help thanks

[Corn-fused]

Have you done any research like via craigslist to determine what average rent is for apts in the areas you are interested in? That would benefit you more than trying to get answers in here.

[brrabbit]

My rule of thumb. 1 room = $1K in more or less decent areas of the Valley. Double that for any desirable location in the West parts of LA (such as Santa Monica, etc). You can find lower one if you do a lot of apartments hunting (and can afford waiting and going during less active season), more like $600-700 per room in the Valley.

[quixotic59]

We're also in the process. We check Craigslist, Padmapper and Westside Rentals and compare among the three. You should have an idea about what area you need to look at. Everyone has warned us to live relatively near the job.

[landsend]

even at the upper end of your budget (1200), you'll find it challenging to rent a 1 bedroom apartment in a decent area in or near LA. not impossible, but if you don't have pets and have pristine credit, a good apartment manager will give you a discount.

[Dunbar42]

You would have a hard time finding a halfway decent 1BR apartment in a safe area of the inland empire for $1200/mo. You'll spend more on the west side/south bay.

[thelopez2]

Don't underestimate car insurance and driving cost. $4.00+ a gallon is common.

I've known people to buy a 2 bedroom and rent out a room and their monthly portion ended up to be lesss than what their rent would have been.