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I moved to LA in 2010, made $42k a year and was comfortable. I was also single, in my mid 20s and had roommates.
I make more now and wouldn't want to live like that again. It really depends on age, experience and priorities.
If you want to live in LA and don't mind living a little mean, I'd say go for it. $50k isn't as poor as some of the dramatic posts claim it is.
Exactly, the dramatic posts are over the top, notice no concrete information either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lily003
Nope not realistic. My husband earned over 60k and we STILL have to move to a cheaper state. Sorry but LA and basically all of California is ridiculously expensive.
There were two of you, and I bet some heavy debt. Home ownership is the biggest hurdle.
And when you get out of the metro areas the home prices(which are ridiculous) drop way down, problem is you have to live there and for a person of working age that could be problematic
Day to day living isn't all that expensive.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RabihaS
Since I am intending to become a special education teacher for elementary school kids and a majority of teachers make around 50K, that's why I was curious if teachers can survive in LA with an income around 50k range?
You need to do more of your own research, but the starting salary for a teacher for LAUSD(City of LA school system) starts above that, around 55K.
As a special education teacher you're looking at probably around 70K to start off.
In addition there are other school districts, Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, etc.
Exactly, the dramatic posts are over the top, notice no concrete information either.
There were two of you, and I bet some heavy debt. Home ownership is the biggest hurdle.
And when you get out of the metro areas the home prices(which are ridiculous) drop way down, problem is you have to live there and for a person of working age that could be problematic
Day to day living isn't all that expensive.
You need to do more of your own research, but the starting salary for a teacher for LAUSD(City of LA school system) starts above that, around 55K.
As a special education teacher you're looking at probably around 70K to start off.
In addition there are other school districts, Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, etc.
A starting teacher's salary, in the LAUSD, for a NEW teacher, is indeed right around 50K. You can find their salary chart, with points, and years previously taught (across the top) here:
I live in LA. Currently. On the Westside, AKA, one of the most expensive areas. I've also lived in NYC and CT. Also, two of the most expensive areas, in the US.
Housing will be your most expensive cost. I agree, that a roommate situation is the best way to go. You CAN find 1 bedrooms (I'm walking distance to the beach) for around 1800, in my area, but they will be older, tiny, and not updated. You would also be paying gas and electric (which is an every two months bill) for your utilites, and I assume you need wifi (another 50.)
Food is DEFINITELY cheaper in LA, than back east. I buy MUCH fresher food and grass fed meat, etc, and my food bill is laughable. I do save on things to do, since there is so much to do outside--and when I do pay to, say, kayak or paddleboard, it is STILL cheaper than back east.
Gas is definitely pricier than a lot of the country. Depending on where you work in relation to where you live, that can add up to a lot of money. I am lucky enough that I only drive to work maybe once a week and, unlike a lot of LA, I do a lot of walking, so I save there.
I will say--I make MUCH more than your 50k. However, my fiance (a teacher with the LAUSD, which is why I know the payscales, how they work, etc--also, he pays 0 for health benefits, they are covered by the LAUSD) makes a teacher's salary. If he didn't live with me (I've been out here longer, he moved to follow me) he could make it work...but it would definitely be a roommate situation. He doesn't have student loans or a car payment (paid it off) so he has more flexibility, on how to spend his money, too.
It's really all about how you approach it...I think it's doable, but you need to keep in mind you will not have the luxury of extra cash, on that salary, as you do in the midwest.
I actually personally find the east coast (NYC/CT area) to be slightly more expensive overall, than out here. The only thing that is different is BUYING real estate--obviously more expensive here, but rent is about the same. COL is actually higher where I'm from than LA, too...so take that into retrospect.
Since I am intending to become a special education teacher for elementary school kids and a majority of teachers make around 50K, that's why I was curious if teachers can survive in LA with an income around 50k range?
It seems quite a few teachers have a spouse making as much or more than them in L.A
A lot of people in L.A have some kind of side hustle . Work in the gig economy doing uber or TaskRabbit etc or they have their own side business selling on eBay or amazon , graphic design etc .
If you google “side hustles” you’ll get a lot of different ideas .
Living in L.A., and existing in L.A., are two vastly different concepts. My daughter graduated college last month, and started her $50k job in West L.A.; She doesn't like to drive, so she lives close to work. Her half of a 2 bedroom apt is $1300 plus utilities. Her car is paid off, and she uses our address in the suburbs for cheaper insurance. I figure she will work hard and get raises, or tire of the area and move back inland.
To me, the biggest problem living in L.A. isn't the city itself, its having the money to enjoy the city. If you're scraping by to pay your bills, and have no money to enjoy the barrage of entertainment and temptation that you're surrounded with, it's no fun. Its stressful. And that's existing vs living. I'd say $75k gives you a little coin in your pocket to enjoy life, anything less than that and you are better off living Inland, or going to Phoenix or Texas.
You can live on 50k in a decent area. It's just that you'll have an old, small apartment and you won't have much discretionary income to enjoy certain amenities. But it depends on what your expectations are.
While most of your income will go toward rent, utilities, insurance, and other necessities, there are still a lot of fun activities that require little to no spending such as hiking, biking by the boardwalk, going to outdoor film screenings, and perhaps visiting a museum. And you can still find many great, cheap places to eat although I'd recommend eating at home most of the time. Food and drink is the one area where you can really reign in spending. If you want to save to buy a nice condo or quaint home in a fairly decent area, this is what you'll need to do. Also, not sure where you'd be teaching, but I'd try to teach in an area where you can live fairly close and that is more affordable such as the Valley.
But if your expectation is to have a new apartment with amenities such as a gym, go out to trendy bars and nice restaurants at least once a week, and enjoy some of the material aspects of LA, then you'll be finding yourself barely above water or underwater financially with no ability to save. If this is the case, don't come to LA.
As previously pointed out, which is an important distinction, there's a difference between living in LA and existing in LA. Obviously, if you have a spouse at some point in the near future with at least the same income or higher, you can definitely live in a nicer place and enjoy some of the finer things in life. Otherwise, while living a more minimalist lifestyle is fine in your 20s and at least some of your 30s, you probably will get to the point where you want to have more discretionary income. Otherwise, by yourself, you're going to get to the point where you're just existing in LA and counting dollars to make sure you've got your basic needs covered. And that's no fun.
Living in L.A., and existing in L.A., are two vastly different concepts. My daughter graduated college last month, and started her $50k job in West L.A.; She doesn't like to drive, so she lives close to work. Her half of a 2 bedroom apt is $1300 plus utilities. Her car is paid off, and she uses our address in the suburbs for cheaper insurance. I figure she will work hard and get raises, or tire of the area and move back inland.
To me, the biggest problem living in L.A. isn't the city itself, its having the money to enjoy the city. If you're scraping by to pay your bills, and have no money to enjoy the barrage of entertainment and temptation that you're surrounded with, it's no fun. Its stressful. And that's existing vs living. I'd say $75k gives you a little coin in your pocket to enjoy life, anything less than that and you are better off living Inland, or going to Phoenix or Texas.
But what do you mean by "enjoy the city"? I worked on a contract at a UCLA-affilitated hosp in 2005, and rented a beautiful studio in Westwood. Admittedly I was making far more than $50k per year, but I spent much less than $25k in those 6 months I worked/lived there (adjusted for inflation). I walked through beautiful surroundings to/from work. My recreational activities included walking all over the city and taking in city sights, hiking out of the city when my boyfriend visited, lounging in a lounge chair in a beautiful lush garden/courtyard of the building while reading books, or swimming in the swimming pool in the courtyard of the building. I didn't need a car (because the hosp was in the walking distance), I didn't even have (or need) a TV, I didn't feel a need to go to "trendy places". The building where I rented the studio had a gym, but I didn't use it (I don't do gym; I am a walker/hiker). I thought my life was totally beautiful, I couldn't think on anything to improve on it with more money (again, I did earn much more money, but didn't need to spend it on anything beyond what I could actually afford for the equivalent of about $3k per month in today's cost (or slightly below $2k in my actual cost in 2005). The key is probably that my chief recreational interests (walking/hiking and reading books) are free.
But what do you mean by "enjoy the city"? I worked on a contract at a UCLA-affilitated hosp in 2005, and rented a beautiful studio in Westwood. Admittedly I was making far more than $50k per year, but I spent much less than $25k in those 6 months I worked/lived there (adjusted for inflation). I walked through beautiful surroundings to/from work. My recreational activities included walking all over the city and taking in city sights, hiking out of the city when my boyfriend visited, lounging in a lounge chair in a beautiful lush garden/courtyard of the building while reading books, or swimming in the swimming pool in the courtyard of the building. I didn't need a car (because the hosp was in the walking distance), I didn't even have (or need) a TV, I didn't feel a need to go to "trendy places". The building where I rented the studio had a gym, but I didn't use it (I don't do gym; I am a walker/hiker). I thought my life was totally beautiful, I couldn't think on anything to improve on it with more money (again, I did earn much more money, but didn't need to spend it on anything beyond what I could actually afford for the equivalent of about $3k per month in today's cost (or slightly below $2k in my actual cost in 2005). The key is probably that my chief recreational interests (walking/hiking and reading books) are free.
What was the rent you were paying in 2005 ?
Just depends on lifestyle , there is more free or cheap stuff to do in L.A versus a lot of cities . You can see a play with live actors for less than a movie ticket at a small playhouse for example . Gold star events has a lot of free tickets you can get to things too .
I think there is a lot more temptation to spend though but that’s probably most big cities . If you are in a small rural area probably different .
Things have gone up a lot . I’d say a lot more than the official inflation of rate of 2% whatever it’s supposed to be .
The only time things seemed cheaper was during the worst years of the recession when places had to offer deals to get people in the door .
Just depends on lifestyle , there is more free or cheap stuff to do in L.A versus a lot of cities . You can see a play with live actors for less than a movie ticket at a small playhouse for example . Gold star events has a lot of free tickets you can get to things too .
I think there is a lot more temptation to spend though but that’s probably most big cities . If you are in a small rural area probably different .
Things have gone up a lot . I’d say a lot more than the official inflation of rate of 2% whatever it’s supposed to be .
The only time things seemed cheaper was during the worst years of the recession when places had to offer deals to get people in the door .
My rent in 2005 was $1,350 per month for a studio in Westwood. I checked just recently on this rental building's website what the studios go for in the same building (it is on Veteran Av), and the website says the studios start at $1,750, but I don't know whether that is the most up-to-date info; I would conservatively guess that they might be closer to $2,000 per month now. Again, if you pay $2,000 per month in rent, and $350 in food and other small incidental costs, that is still less than $3k per month, or less than $36k per year.
I love large cities because so much interesting life goes on around you, but I don't necessarily have to participate in paid urban activities. For me, just the sensation of a huge number of people around me, with a variety of architecture and pleasant common outdoor spaces, is sufficient for the experience of a large city. Again, walking around and just taking in the atmosphere is free of charge. Housing is much more expensive in large cities, and the other basic costs of life (like food) tend to be slightly more expensive, but otherwise, I personally do not spend anything different in a large city than I would spend in a small one.
My rent in 2005 was $1,350 per month for a studio in Westwood. I checked just recently on this rental building's website what the studios go for in the same building (it is on Veteran Av), and the website says the studios start at $1,750, but I don't know whether that is the most up-to-date info; I would conservatively guess that they might be closer to $2,000 per month now. Again, if you pay $2,000 per month in rent, and $350 in food and other small incidental costs, that is still less than $3k per month, or less than $36k per year.
I love large cities because so much interesting life goes on around you, but I don't necessarily have to participate in paid urban activities. For me, just the sensation of a huge number of people around me, with a variety of architecture and pleasant common outdoor spaces, is sufficient for the experience of a large city. Again, walking around and just taking in the atmosphere is free of charge. Housing is much more expensive in large cities, and the other basic costs of life (like food) tend to be slightly more expensive, but otherwise, I personally do not spend anything different in a large city than I would spend in a small one.
$350 would be average $11.6 per day . Is that what you were actually spending ?
I guess it’s possible if preparing every meal yourself but it would probably mean not going out at all to eat.
But i guess it just depend on the person , if it’s not important to you .Food has gone up a ton even within the past couple years. It can add up a lot . The min wage law doesn’t help plus commercial rents have gone up too
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