Question For All of You LA Types Who Support Yourselves

[fangirljen]

Heyas! A good friend of mine is interested in moving out to LA and asked me about the cost of living out there. Well, one, I live in Upland (hardly LA...) and two, I live with my parents in a house that they own. I share the brunt of utilities, but that is hardly an accurate reflection of what it takes to support yourself in LA.

What is the cost of living in LA? What should my friend expect to pay for rent in an apartment or a house? Utilities? Any basic information about living--and if you have any information about what it is like to relocate from across the US, that would be great, too! :D

Thank ye! &hearts

Comments

[babyfirefly.livejournal.com]

In my case.... my best friend and I pay 750 for a studio apartment in the heart of downtown. Only utilities we pay are electric and gas and that comes to about 80 dollars.

We are moving into a bigger apartment in a week and that will be 1000 dollars. Cable comes with our building but it tends to be out half the time.

[commodoremarie.livejournal.com]

My best suggestion is to check listings for LA on Craigslist. That'll give you a good idea of what's available and what it goes for. I know where I'm at in California, a 1 bedroom apartment starts around $1,200 to $1,4000 plus utilities. A quick look on the Central LA Craigslist makes it look like they've got places in Koreatown starting at $1,000 (which seems low to me) plus utilities. But depending on where you want to be, the prices will change drastically.

[ewanspotter.livejournal.com]

I've seen, for a single person, studios and one-bedrooms ranging from $800 - $1500.

It just depends on the location (downtown LA? surrounding city)? And the cheaper ones go FAST. I tried Craig's list, but only one person ever got back to me, and ended up renting it before I could get to CA. It's hard if you're not in the area.

If they doesn't mind roommates, I saw a lot of listings for that. Some in the $600 and $700 range. But, again, you have to have a roommate you don't know. Could go well, could go bad. Could be a big space, could be small. Some roommate stuff costs more than a studio/one-bedroom, which is ridiculous.

(One thing I've learned: Studios, not THAT small for one person. I mean, do you really NEED a separate room for your bed? Not really. Typically a little bigger than a dorm room, but again... unless you're having massive parties, as long as you have a fridge, oven, and bed, you're set.)

[forestcats.livejournal.com]

Try posting this in the Los_angeles LJ community