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

Comments

[babyfirefly]

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]

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]

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]

Try posting this in the Los_angeles LJ community