Job offer and Cost of living for single male in Irvine (Orange: apartments, lease)

[marnouaz]

Hi,

I got a job offer in Irvine.

I am looking for some help for the present cost of living in Irvine?


I am looking for details like the minimum amount required for a single male to live with moderate life style in Irvine.

When I said moderate lifestyle, I meant the below.

Accommodation - 1 bedroom furnished apartment for rent.
Food - I mostly cook so cost of groceries. Restaurant food - monthly 5 times approximately.
Transportation - Public transport. if not available, a car for lease and gas.
Entertainment/Travel - Leisure travel and visits to nearby places twice a month.
Utilities - Internet, mobile phone, TV.

My prospective employer proposes a pay of $85000 a year. This sounds around the average for the position. But look like Orange County and in particular Irvine is a very expensive place. Should I ask for more?

My office would be located at Parker Street Irvine. Where can I stay such that the rents are not so high and can still commute daily to office with in 20-30 min?

I am a Canadian citizen and would be working on Visa in USA, what are the tax rates applicable for single Visa worker in California?

Thank you a bunch.

Mar

[pacific2]

Mr. Goggle is your best friend for this type of very detailed information, but you can easily make it in Irvine on 85K.

Originally Posted by marnouaz

Hi,

I got a job offer in Irvine.

I am looking for some help for the present cost of living in Irvine?


I am looking for details like the minimum amount required for a single male to live with moderate life style in Irvine.

When I said moderate lifestyle, I meant the below.

Accommodation - 1 bedroom furnished apartment for rent.
Food - I mostly cook so cost of groceries. Restaurant food - monthly 5 times approximately.
Transportation - Public transport. if not available, a car for lease and gas.
Entertainment/Travel - Leisure travel and visits to nearby places twice a month.
Utilities - Internet, mobile phone, TV.

My prospective employer proposes a pay of $85000 a year. This sounds around the average for the position. But look like Orange County and in particular Irvine is a very expensive place. Should I ask for more?

My office would be located at Parker Street Irvine. Where can I stay such that the rents are not so high and can still commute daily to office with in 20-30 min?

I am a Canadian citizen and would be working on Visa in USA, what are the tax rates applicable for single Visa worker in California?

Thank you a bunch.

Mar

My office would be located at Parker Street Irvine. Where can I stay such that the rents are not so high and can still commute daily to office with in 20-30 min?

Rents are high everyplace in OC, but try Lake Forest, Mission Viejo or Aliso Viejo for rents that are lower than Irvine's, but with a 20-30 minute commute to the city.

[psichick]

Unfortunately, everything you're asking about just depends on things.

Accommodation - 1 bedroom furnished apartment for rent.
Unfurnished, you're looking at $1600+ in Irvine. Outside of Irvine, maybe as low as $1200

Food - I mostly cook so cost of groceries. Restaurant food - monthly 5 times approximately.
Yes, but what kind of food do you buy, organic? generic? and where do you eat? $10/plate or $50/plate?

Transportation - Public transport. if not available, a car for lease and gas.
There's really no public transportation, so you'll probably need a car. A car lease can go for $200+ depending on what you want. As for gas, it depends on the MPG of the car, how far you drive, and how you drive. I may spend $120/mo, but others, spend over $300/mo.


Entertainment/Travel - Leisure travel and visits to nearby places twice a month.
Again, depends on where you go. Hotels, say in Santa Barbara can cost in the $200-300 range. Hotels in Vegas, maybe $100. Entertainment, what kind? A concert/show can cost $100+ per ticket. A movie, what are we up to now, $12?

Utilities - Internet, mobile phone, TV.
Cheapest internet via cable, maybe $40. Cheapest TV via cable, around $60. Cheapest mobile phone, pay as you go, otherwise, maybe $50. Again, depends on what you want. My internet/cable bill with my XH who wanted all the sports channels was about $180 and going up.

If you want to know costs, you're going to have to look into the specifics. If you need a car, go online and check out a model/make you like. They have calculators. Look at MPG for how much gas you'll use. For entertainment/travel, look it up, pretend as if you were going there. Apartments? Do a search in Irvine. Most other cities aren't as expensive, so if you find something in Irvine, most likely, you can find it cheaper in another city. Internet? You could look at Cox.com (they're in Irvine, so you can get a feel for their lineup/prices. Mobile phones, look at individual carriers (ATT/VZW/T-mobile/Sprint).

[tstwahine]

I would check out costa mesa. My sister lived off of mesa and santa ana ave there in a one bedroom apartment for about $1000. I really loved the neighborhood as she lived incredibly close to the upper newport bay preserve. She worked at executive park in Irvine. She preferred to ride her bike everyday which was about 3 miles and took her maybe 20 minutes. If it was raining she drove and because she didn't have to take any freeways she said the longest it ever took was 25 minutes (which in orange county that is not bad at all). I'd nix most of the cities in south orange county just because your commute times would suck and you usually do have to take the freeway to get anywhere, my father lives in aliso viejo and getting up to irvine is usually a pita unless it's 3am and they are not doing construction on the 405 freeway. Good luck!

[kasuga888]

85k is enough to live a moderate lifestyle, but you really need to have a car to survive out here. Most singles in irvine are 1500 and above, you best bet is to look at costamesa, tustion, santa ana, anaheim, and fullerton for cheaper rents. But be careful since, the demographics of certain areas may not be your preference

[Lycanmaster]

That's well above the average median income for male workers in Irvine so you'll definitely be fine...

Irvine, CA Income and Careers

[Cheektowaga_Chester]

Originally Posted by kasuga888

85k is enough to live a moderate lifestyle, but you really need to have a car to survive out here. Most singles in irvine are 1500 and above, you best bet is to look at costamesa, tustion, santa ana, anaheim, and fullerton for cheaper rents. But be careful since, the demographics of certain areas may not be your preference

I'd agree to a certain extent but at some point the commuting distance/time isn't worth the cost savings. The 5 is nasty in the afternoon heading south - even if he pulled a 7-330 shift.

[SandyVegas]

I am a retired nurse, looking to move to Orange County.The 60 plnus retirement communities are quite expensive. I need two bedrooms, I need room for a office. I want to pay no more than a thousand per month.(I travel alot) What city would you suggest, in O C. THANKS

[manhattangirl]

If you are able, definitely ask for more. Also find out about any job perks that may help you such as discounts or memberships.
If you have any medical checkups (including eye and dental) I suggest taking care of these before you come to the USA. Our healthcare system has issues and your company plan may require hefty copays or a high deductible. If you take any medications, also consider getting a good supply (a few months) before you move here.

[saibot]

Originally Posted by SandyVegas

I am a retired nurse, looking to move to Orange County.The 60 plnus retirement communities are quite expensive. I need two bedrooms, I need room for a office. I want to pay no more than a thousand per month.(I travel alot) What city would you suggest, in O C. THANKS

I don't think there is a town in OC where you can get a decent 2-bedroom apartment for only $1000/mo.