Moving to Los Angeles... (Compton, Santa Monica: apartment, rental, crime)

[MetallicSky]

I'm from the UK, I'm 18 and considering moving to LA, at least, for a short time. Firstly, I am aware that not everyone is in show business, most areas aren't the glamerous places you seen on films. And that's certainly not why I'm going - I'm going for the challenge of living in such an area. I have a few friends out there who know the score and I can get advise from.

My question is, I'm a Brit with no qualifications past high-school level, at the momment I have a job in a supermarket and do a bit part-time with my friends computer firm. Doing this I can just make ends meet in a relitively decent area of London lodging with a friend.

Basically, I'm looking for advise and suggestions.

[calistro]

LA is expensive - very expensive. based on your education/work exp you might have to room with friends to get by & not necessarily live in a decent place as you state you have... still, if what you want is a challenge, you'll also get the depression of seeing so much wealth around you vs. what you have... my suggestion, take the challenge of getting a career ( which does not necessarily means college or long term) & then move for the challenge of making on your own... good luck

[fastfilm]

Try to find a roommate near University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) which would put you in a safer part of L.A., the West side. You'll need to be staying in a safer part until you get your bearings here. I don't know if its student newspaper The Daily Bruin is online, but that's always a great source of classified adverts for lodging.

Check out some of the British/UK move to LA theads here. Good luck.

[saimamom]

There's a guy in my building who works at Trader Joe's (a supermarket). He can't be making too much but he seems to be doing ok. I live in WLA which is a nicer, safer area, but not too expensive like Santa Monica or Brentwood. You can check www.craigslist.org to find a roommate or rental apt.

[Sorcerer68]

You'll find L.A. very, very cheap compared to London. Those telling you how expensive it is have no idea how much the cost of living is where you come from.

Your opportinities will be in direct proportion to your determination. You'll love the weather.

[fastfilm]

Actually, according to an informal poll amongst several sources, that's not true. The Workgateways site currently lists an "average" 1-bedroom flat in various sections of London at between 600 and 800 pounds a month. The equivalent in L.A. would be a studio, as opposed to 1-bdrm, apartment in a non-dangerous area. A non-bedsit here therefore is obviously more.

Amongst those personally polled was my husband who lived in a poorer section of London for a while. I asked him about comparisons for those of lower incomes there to here, and he bristled "no comparison whatsoever," explaining that there is no equivalent of Compton. You wake up in White City, and you take the tube somewhere and try to find work. You wake up in Compton, there's no mass transit, and your car has been stolen or its tires slashed. You get on the bus here and answer the question "where you from?" to the gangmember's dissatisfaction and you die that day. London: discontent youths. L.A.: armed, multi-generational gangbangers.

MetallicSky, although I'm not your generation, I'd like to help. Maybe the best way to get specific info is to run past this foruh what your "friends who know the score" are suggesting, and we can fact check for you.

[Need_affordable_home]

Your better off staying in London. The crime is terrible in LA and costs of living almost as bad! You are familiar with London, LA would be a foreign world to you. Yes itll be a major challenge for you, is that what you want? Dont you think youll be happier staying in London or at least considering a safer city?

[Sorcerer68]

Originally Posted by fastfilm

Actually, according to an informal poll amongst several sources, that's not true. The Workgateways site currently lists an "average" 1-bedroom flat in various sections of London at between 600 and 800 pounds a month. The equivalent in L.A. would be a studio, as opposed to 1-bdrm, apartment in a non-dangerous area. A non-bedsit here therefore is obviously more.

Considering only housing is a simplistic and inaccurate way to compute cost of living. Factor in durable and consumable goods and London is more expensive than NYC. Trust me on this one.

[fastfilm]

Metallicsky, you will not be able to afford a relatively decent area of Los Angeles on a lower pay scale, it's just the way things evolved here. And our poorer areas aren't just indicative of lesser amenties, they are outright dangerous. Some young people are able to able to rent in better places if there's 4 or 5 of them, but it's also just as difficult to find landlords who will let you do this, as there are laws concerning unrelated tenants.

When you're young, family-less, and most flexible (and hardy) is a good time to experiment with life's options, so I'm not dissuading you of the idea of moving here. But L.A. is not London, although it's equally spread out and made up of enclaves, with the rich enjoying things out of your sight. Transportation is extremely different, our crime is more confrontational and serious, and you'll find whole large areas where no English is spoken or understood. Again, give us an idea of what your friends are suggesting you do, and we can fact check for you. Housing is indeed the single most important factor in any relocation alongside one's employment plans, and ours is famously, and genuinely, expensive. How could someone your age ever enjoy the clubs here if one has no disposable income after the rent?

[UB50]

One of the things I haven't seen anyone mention is the fact that it's going to be hard for the OP to get a work visa here in the USA without a special skill or a gazillion dollars to invest. Since everyone here is so against illegal immigration, it seems this would be a primary concern to people. The few "regular" people I have known who have come to LA have come on a tourist visa then forgotten to go home. If the OP intends to come here legally, it probably will take many years and by then, the housing/economic situation may be totally different.