Move to Southern California?
Replies
-
what's your budget? 1-2 bedroom apt in "semi" decent areas range from 1200+ depending ...
Yep. Emphasis on the +.
Also, every single other thing will be more expensive too. Groceries are especially costly in CA. I completely hate Southern CA...actually...I don't like any of California at all for living. I think Napa is great for a visit, the beaches are nice, kayaking up north in Sea Ranch was one of the coolest vacations ever, but I absolutely despise living here. I'm a transplant seven years ago from Chicago and I can't wait to get Chicago or farther east.
Groceries are not more expensive here.
While there are ways around it--they are indeed more expensive on average. "Grocery costs in Southern California are up 5.7%, outpacing the U.S., and rising at their highest rate in years."
http://articles.latimes.com/2007/may/16/business/fi-food16
Which I am sure they are comparing non-sale prices. Things are ALWAYS on sale around SoCal. Avocado 3-6/$1, Tomatoes 1-2lb/$1, Broccoli 2lb/$1, etc. Look at your weekly circulars, it is ridiculous.0 -
<
Born and Raised in SO-CAL
I love the fact Im 30 min away from the Beach, the Mountains and the Desert. The weather is AMAZING! Price of Living Sux *kitten* but everything else in between is worth it
0 -
Traffic is REALLY BAD to0
-
Feel free to add me if you have any questions. I was born and raised in Southern Cal so I can be helpful. I'm not one of these East Coast transplants that will complain about how much it sucks.0
-
I just moved from my $900, 3 bedroom 2 bathroom, duplex, 2 blocks from the beach.. in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.. to Santa Clarita, California. -_- I would probably still be in Myrtle Beach if it wasn't for my fiancé. I love him and I'm here for him
It is VERY expensive.. we are staying with family and paying them $400 a month.. but the rent for this 3 bd 2 br is like $1450 or so, DISCOUNTED. The cheapest gas I can find.... is $4.19 a gallon. I'm in school with my Dad's GI Bill.. so using that housing allowance I'm going to try to move to Valencia. That area is VERY pretty 0 -
I just moved from my $900, 3 bedroom 2 bathroom, duplex, 2 blocks from the beach.. in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.. to Santa Clarita, California. -_- I would probably still be in Myrtle Beach if it wasn't for my fiancé. I love him and I'm here for him It is VERY expensive.. we are staying with family and paying them $400 a month.. but the rent for this 3 bd 2 br is like $1450 or so, DISCOUNTED. The cheapest gas I can find.... is $4.19 a gallon. I'm in school with my Dad's GI Bill.. so using that housing allowance I'm going to try to move to Valencia. That area is VERY pretty
I have to add: F*CKING FREEWAYS!! I hate them! I avoid them 99% of the time. I've driven on them like 3 times since December. I fudging hate the traffic. I REFUSE to drive into LA. or any other bigger town here. Hell No! O.O My nerves couldn't take it.0 -
Hi All. I'm thinking about moving to Southern California. Anyone have any advice or knowledge of the area and where is a nice place to live? I do have a budget, so any places that are at a reasonable price range.
Anyone from Southern Cali? Tell me everything!
I'm strictly a San Francisco/Los Angeles resident (West Coast-relevant), but having considered what it is you might be going for, within your likely budget (reasonable price range), for the most suitable of areas (nice place to live) for you to ponder over, I recommend: Santa Barbara ($700 per month minimum rental - 1 bedroom/1full/1partial) and Valencia ($1,300 per month minimum - 1 bedroom/1 bathroom).
Within my immediate surroundings of Southern California, those who do rent pay an average of $3,500 per month for 3 bedrooms/2 bathrooms (on average +/-) to $16, 750 for 5 bedrooms/7 bathrooms (+/-) ; Followed by the renters who pay around $1449 for studios and $2900+ for 3 bedroom/2 bathroom apartments - mostly the young professionals and mid-management executives.
Sincerely hope you'll soon find the best place for you to kickstart your Southern Cali experience.
Edited to add: Winnetka $1055 for a studio and between $1225 - $1475 for a one bedroom/1 bathroom, along the more affordable San Fernando Valley corridor (the West part). Ventura, CA - There are apartments available for $1,100 - $1,200 for studios and $1,300 - $1,600 for 1 bedroom/1 bathroom.
* The cultural practice here is room sharing amongst young professional couples and friends - to mid management level executives. The Marina Del Rey apartments (new constructions) specifically cater to this - they have 3 exits/entrances per apartment and the apartments may have 2 or 3 bedrooms which are self-contained studios with shared common areas (kitchen/living/porch).0 -
I live in San Diego and it's pretty affordable here. So long as you stay away from the super north part of the county.0
-
Well I am from LA.. been in Texas about 8 months... BUT So. Cal is and will ALWAYS be home.... In fact I'm planning on moving back ASAP.. LOL!!!
Well aside from being very fun and having a lot of diversity... I can say that no where in the US is the same as So. Cal.. and depending on where you go.. your experience will be different...
It is VERY costly to live in So. Cal and the taxes are SKY HIGH!!! So be VERY sure you have a good stable income if you plan on living comfortably!!0 -
Carlsbad!0
-
As someone born and raised in SoCal... Nice place to live? There are places like that?
Just kidding. Avoid Riverside, San Bernardino, Moreno Valley - that whole part of SoCal. Really. Since it's been a while since I lived there myself, I can't say I remember any specifically "nice" places, but I sure as heck can tell you where to stay away from! Haha.
If you're moving from another Western state, it shouldn't be too much of a culture shock, but if you're out East (like I currently am) you're in for a world of Different.
Feel free to message me to chat if you like. I haven't lived there in a while, but my sister does so I keep up with a lot of it.
Agree - I live in San Bernardino. Sadly the term budget and nice place to live do not go together in SoCal. Not in a positive manner anyway. I am looking for work in Orange County ( most of it is decent, at least by my standards) but rent is more than I make alone.0 -
There is good and bad everywhere.... You would want to go check out the area to see if you like the vibe... Older parts of Tustin and Orange are cool, Huntington is laid back.... Irvine is safe, but boring and WAY overpriced (there are townhomes by my office that go for $3,000+ a month!)... But then, a lot of OC can be boring unless you are closer to beaches, older areas, or colleges...0
-
I moved from So. Cal (Lakewood) to Nevada 4 years ago and I have not looked back. Born and raised in Long Beach and watched it deteriorate over the years. Now instead of the polluted ocean I have the High Sierras and clean air, hiking, boating, swimming, skiing(snow and water). Nothing better in this world!0
-
I have been thinking of moving there as well .. well anywhere in CA.. so let me know what you find out would LOVE to hear!0
-
As a San Diego native-my city is called America's Finest City for a very VALID reason! Great weather (85* right now, and its' MARCH!!) - great people-great beaches.... plenty of jobs BUT not the best paying ones. We are not paid to scale for our cost of living. There truly is a sunshine tax factor (someone earlier mentioned this) and everything is expensive. Housing, gas, milk, cigarettes...? It's a great place to live but just be ready for the sticker shock. Find a place to live that's close to your job, why spend your life wasting time in traffic?0
-
bump0
-
go. risk it! you can always go home.0
-
As for housing cost ranges, expect to pay between $1,000-1,600/month depending on size and location.
The cheapest place I have lived here was in Reseda in a studio apartment for $900/month.
i grew up in Reseda before moving more north!0 -
I've lived in Southern California my whole life.
Gas is more here. The cheapest I've seen is $4.15 a gallon.
Groceries are more expensive.
Housing is more and wages aren't always enough more to compensate for that.
Taxes are insane. Our sales tax is high (10% in LA county). We pay state and federal income tax. We pay supplemental property taxes from time to time. There are businesses looking to leave the state because it's hard to run a business here.
That said, I live in what I feel is an affordable community. We're in the mountains and it's a rural town so we have to commute for work or shopping. There are affordable places that aren't Riverside/San Bernardino, but you have to hunt for them and be prepared for a longer commute.0 -
I moved to San Diego from Chicago and I'll never look back!! It is really expensive, but it is beautiful. As for jobs, I've been trying to find a job in the medical field for 6+ months. So it's not easy trying to get one of those, LA might have more options. Where I live rent is 1450 for a 2 bed 2 bath but I live about 25 miles east of Downtown San Diego. But no matter where you go in SD everything is 20 mins away. The trolleys are pretty awesome, the beaches are nice the people are actually really friendly. Sorry LA but i never feel welcomed when I visit. Most people are so presumptuous up there. No matter where you chose, it's expensive in SoCal, it's just a matter of where you think you'd be more comfortable!! Good luck on your search!0
-
I've lived in So Cal my whole life and like most have said it has its good and bad points.
Good: Weather and proximity to plenty of attractions (beaches, mountains, amusement parks, etc.)
Bad: Traffic, Taxes (close to the highest in MOST categories), politics (Orange & San Diego County tend to be more conservative, while the rest of the state is primarily liberal), Gas prices (Second only to Hawaii and averaging $4.25 in OC).0 -
Not my cup of tea. Nice state to vacation in but for living purposes unless you have a lot of money I do not think it's that great. I was born in CA and haven't been back since. Much happier in the mountains in a small population... City but not too much city and traffic is a cake walk.
I hope you find a lovely place. I would move to Truckee or Lake Tahoe if a gun was held to my head.0 -
Depending on what you like SoCal is an amazing place to live - you can live a rural life style and still be an hour from the beach and the city, you can live a city lifestyle and be an hour away from the wilderness and snow capped mountains. I've been to about 40 of the 50 states so far an have lived in a few different cities around the US and haven't found anywhere as unique as SoCal. The only draw back is the cost of living but it's offset by the availability of high paying jobs - if you want to live in a nice area on the west side of LA prepare to pay 2,000 and up for a single.
LA is very culturally diverse and is booming with arts and culture - if you are into great music, nightlife, and great food you would probably enjoy LA. Can be very expensive and is for the most part very liberal. Los Angeles county has some pretty nice areas that are relatively affordable around 30 mins or so outside of LA.
The Inland Empire is the most sprawling area in the entire country, it includes deserts, mountains, and lake areas - it's a very conservative leaning area - lots of old town and rual areas mixed in with tons of development and cookie cutter suburbia. The cost of living here is relatively cheap but it's also the Meth capital of the world.
Orange County is very suburban and conservative - it has some wonderful areas but doesn't offer much in the way of arts and culture. It's pretty expensive in most of the nice areas. It's home to Disneyland which is always a plus. Also the crime rate in most of the OC is very low which is another plus.
The good thing about SoCal is being able to choose where you want to live while still having access to the wealth of diverse landscape that the area has to offer.0 -
I live in southern california. It's beautiful and I"ve lived here since I was three but unless you're from Cali be prepared that our tax rate is pretty high and so is the cost of living. Also I don't know what type of work you do, but the job market isn't the best lol.
With that said, I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. We are pretty spoiled recreationally and I love to be outdoors.0 -
I currently live in Ohio!
OMG I MISS OHIO! I am from Canton but now live in PA, which I don't really care for. What part of Ohio?
GO BUCKEYES!!!!!:drinker: :drinker:0 -
OP, hard to get a job anywhere if you aren't actually there...unless you are highly skilled!
I moved from Ohio to S. Lake Tahoe when I was 23 years old with about $3000. You can make anything work if you want to.
Good luck.
p.s I'm still on the Left Coast. Love it here.0 -
I've lived in SoCal my whole life. I'm going to move in a year or two. Honestly, I don't think it's that great.
I'd do nearly anything to go back!0 -
I have mixed feelings about SoCal.
I spent the summer in 2009, and moved here in July of 2011. I guess since I had the shortened version of it in 2009, I thought it was the best place ever. After living here for 2 years, I wouldn't mind living in some other places. I have my eye on NorCal.
While I love the weather and there truly are some gorgeous places, I'm not to keen on how expensive it is to live here. But the weather is awesome. After that, eh. I can see myself living somewhere else. I'm originally from Northern NJ and besides the weather, I still had NYC a 30 minute train ride from where I lived (culturally diverse large city) and beaches (all along the Jersey shore and NY too)0 -
I have to agree with the earlier poster, avoid the Inland Empire area. It's just desert, might as well live in Arizona at that point :laugh:
Yeah the Inland Empire is horrible. It's great for the mountains and skiing/snowboarding, but after that, just no.0 -
I love Cali! My husband and I are looking to moving there too. We found some great apartments here- http://www.gardencommunitiesca.com/moving-tips/best-places-to-live-southern-california.aspx0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 176K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions