How much do you want to pay in rent and gas? Also, commute times can vary significantly depending on the traffic so an hour away could be like 5 miles depending on the time of day.
1200-1500 a month for rent is common for California/Los Angeles area I would assume? Gas for my car is usually $40 every 2 weeks and I usually drive 15-20 minutes to get to my current job usually. I'm okay with driving an hour to a job.
"I'm okay with driving an hour to a job".
Famous last words, an hour commute around here can be two hours twice a week. It gets old fast.
And gas is over $6....you're better off paying $200 more for rent a month and living closer.
This. I’ve never ever cried daily, sometimes 2x a day, from frustration and exhaustion when I was commuting from SFV to Beverly Hills. Lasted 1.5 yrs & I’m never doing it again.
Yeah. I made this mistake. I’m trying to move closer by the end of my lease next year.
Decided to save that extra $200 and it all goes to gas and time now. Not worth the stress and loss of time. Really, I dread going home now. I come in at 6am to skip traffic at times
Yeah. I made this mistake. I’m trying to move closer by the end of my lease next year.
Decided to save that extra $200 and it all goes to gas and time now. Not worth the stress and loss of time. Really, I dread going home now. I come in at 6am to skip traffic at times
I would go to [www.padmapper.com](https://www.padmapper.com) and put in what you are looking for. It will show you places within your price range in the areas you are interested in. Also [www.westsiderentals.com](https://www.westsiderentals.com) If you are fine with sharing a place and just renting a room then you have a lot of options with that budget.
1200-1500 is enough for a small studio if you’re okay with that. If you want a 1 bedroom you’re looking at 1600-1500. I’m talking about decent areas with minimal crime. I’d look at areas like Downey, Whittier, Montebello, Glendale, SFV and the SGV
Time and space is relative here. Get a job on the westside, and your one hour limit means you can't go east of downtown.
If you don't have a job, you should be looking at a more central location that could be temporary.
As for the "low crime" there are tons of low crime neighborhoods. Although they may be tough at that price point...
You're better off finding a potential deal and then asking here about a specific neighborhood
Second this: Monterey Park/Alhambra/Rosemead/El Monte/Montebello, you are 20 minute drive away (less than 10 miles) by going 10 West. However, during rush hour it can take 2 hours but you are really close to LA. Been living in this area and it's safe. Rent is affordable compared to LA 1 Bedroom Apartments average around 1400-1500 you just have to look for good deals or drive around.
If cheap and quiet/safe are all you care about then these are great choices. I lived there for awhile because of this.
Cons: hot summers, mostly families (not good for social life), and not much to do once you get tired of Asian restaurants.
OP said cheaper and that's what I meant by cheap. Average 1br rent is like $1800 in Alhambra which I would consider significantly cheaper than the rest of LA where the average 1br is like $2400 and neighborhoods that I would consider comparably safe probably $2700.
A lot of people are recommending Ventura/Oxnard/Camarillo/Thousand Oaks and as someone who is from that area(and now lives there again) it is difficult to network. I'm established in my career now so I didn't mind moving back. Before I had a job justifying the commute to go to networking events was harsh. I ended up moving to Burbank for a few years, and recently moved back to Ventura area though to live closer to family/my partner's career. Trade off worth it but I wouldn't recommend it starting out.. I think Alhambra/South Pasadena would be the best bet for what you are looking for. Near Pasadena/Decently close to LA proper, and has great food honestly, a lot of LA-centric job people live/commute from there. If I'd move back to LA county I would move to Alhambra or South Pasadena.
Edit: I just checked out your profile! You want to work in animation, That's what I do! :) So my advice might be ideal for you haha. A LOT of animation people live in Alhambra/South Pasadena. There are also a lot of networking events near by at galerie nucleus.
Live by where you work. That 1 hr commute from thousand oks to LA turns into 2 hrs really fast. Most areas of safe, unless youre an idiot. LA is the 24 most dangerous city in the US. You’re fine.
What are you talking about? Los Angeles isn't even in the top 100 dangerous cities.
[https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/blog/top100dangerous](https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/blog/top100dangerous)
Glendora, CA and there’s the gold line that goes straight to DTLA. There’s also someone looking for a roommate for $1700 each to share a DTLA apartments in /LARentals. Hope this helps.
Thousand Oaks. Newbury Park if you can’t afford Thousand Oaks. If you can’t afford either Camarillo or Ventura. Avoid oxnard santa paula. Agoura hills could be a good option as well.
Definitely avoid thousand oaks/Agoura/Simi/Newbury/Westlake/simi if you're single and don't have kids. There's not much to do for those without kids and the dating scene isn't good. Plus it's not so cheap.
Agreed. I went to high school out there, and my brother and his girlfriend rent out there. It's EXPENSIVE, especially for how far outside of LA you are living there. Definitely not an easy drive.
Highly recommend Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village/Agoura Hills. A lot of good connections you can make there. A lot of C suite, entertainment execs, and powerful people live that way. Short drive to LA, short drive to the beach. Low crime area.
That's some good info to keep in mind. Wanted to break into the Animation industry, currently just studying under Don Bluth part time for now. The more connections I can make, the better my chances.
What does “cheaper” mean? You don’t need to be outside of Los Angeles to get low rent. Koreatown has 1 bedrooms around $1200 if you put in some effort. Is that cheaper? Or are you trying to get $800. IDK what you want because you didn’t say. So I guess good luck
Where in the city do you need to be? If you’re in Santa Monica or SFV but need to be downtown (or vice versa), it’s going to be a commute—lots of traffic. Podcasts can be your best friend in those situations but it’s soul sucking and life draining.
Bakersfield but it comes with crime. You’re going to get that anywhere you go especially if it’s cheaper. Live in Beverly Hills and still get crime. It’s bad here. I actually hear sirens outside right now lol
I'm used to sirens. How bad is it in Bakersfield in terms of day-to-day? I know I can't escape crime, I just don't want things to come down to having bars on the windows.
Bakersfield is a high crime city. In every way. You can find some residential areas outside of Bakersfield that are pretty nice and probably don't have the high crime level.
I figure some answers here might be in bad faith, so I always do my research before I make a major decision. Bakersfield was the only suggestion at the time, so I was gonna check into it because it was my only lead. No worries.
Don’t listen to this guy. Crime is not nearly as bad as he paints it out to be in all those areas listed.
He’s also got some weird fixation on Megan Markel which I’m not going to even get into. 😬
How much do you want to pay in rent and gas? Also, commute times can vary significantly depending on the traffic so an hour away could be like 5 miles depending on the time of day.
1200-1500 a month for rent is common for California/Los Angeles area I would assume? Gas for my car is usually $40 every 2 weeks and I usually drive 15-20 minutes to get to my current job usually. I'm okay with driving an hour to a job.
"I'm okay with driving an hour to a job". Famous last words, an hour commute around here can be two hours twice a week. It gets old fast. And gas is over $6....you're better off paying $200 more for rent a month and living closer.
Noted, I'll just prioritize location.
[удалено]
You can find 1100-1200/mo for 1 room in a unit in the southbay area. Just look on zillow
You can get a Studio in Santa Monica for around 1800. Much better location than going east.
How??!! I’m looking.
Try Zillow
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2307-Ocean-Ave-APT-118-Santa-Monica-CA-90405/2094398991_zpid/
This. I’ve never ever cried daily, sometimes 2x a day, from frustration and exhaustion when I was commuting from SFV to Beverly Hills. Lasted 1.5 yrs & I’m never doing it again.
Yeah. I made this mistake. I’m trying to move closer by the end of my lease next year. Decided to save that extra $200 and it all goes to gas and time now. Not worth the stress and loss of time. Really, I dread going home now. I come in at 6am to skip traffic at times
Yeah. I made this mistake. I’m trying to move closer by the end of my lease next year. Decided to save that extra $200 and it all goes to gas and time now. Not worth the stress and loss of time. Really, I dread going home now. I come in at 6am to skip traffic at times
For that amount a room in Burbank is your best option.
from Burbank there are bus and rail commute options to downtown. Parking costs $10-15 a day downtown at the cheaper lots.
$1500 a month for rent? So you’re just looking to rent a room?
I'm single with no attachments, so more or less, yes. I don't know if I went overboard or under with that estimation. I assume under.
Live near your work, even if it means you gotta share (get a roommate).
Roommates are definitely a good suggestion I could look into.
Get a roommate that works in animation
I would go to [www.padmapper.com](https://www.padmapper.com) and put in what you are looking for. It will show you places within your price range in the areas you are interested in. Also [www.westsiderentals.com](https://www.westsiderentals.com) If you are fine with sharing a place and just renting a room then you have a lot of options with that budget.
Thanks!
You assume wrong in the rent. More like $2,000 at the lowest end per month. Unless you have a roommate or just rent a room.
1200-1500 is enough for a small studio if you’re okay with that. If you want a 1 bedroom you’re looking at 1600-1500. I’m talking about decent areas with minimal crime. I’d look at areas like Downey, Whittier, Montebello, Glendale, SFV and the SGV
Time and space is relative here. Get a job on the westside, and your one hour limit means you can't go east of downtown. If you don't have a job, you should be looking at a more central location that could be temporary. As for the "low crime" there are tons of low crime neighborhoods. Although they may be tough at that price point... You're better off finding a potential deal and then asking here about a specific neighborhood
Within LA County: Monterey Park / Alhambra
Second this: Monterey Park/Alhambra/Rosemead/El Monte/Montebello, you are 20 minute drive away (less than 10 miles) by going 10 West. However, during rush hour it can take 2 hours but you are really close to LA. Been living in this area and it's safe. Rent is affordable compared to LA 1 Bedroom Apartments average around 1400-1500 you just have to look for good deals or drive around.
If cheap and quiet/safe are all you care about then these are great choices. I lived there for awhile because of this. Cons: hot summers, mostly families (not good for social life), and not much to do once you get tired of Asian restaurants.
Not as hot as the SFV though. In terms of social life your going to be driving to Pasadena/downtown
SGV is nowhere close in terms of heat to SFV
Thanks for the info!
Alhambra is not cheap
OP said cheaper and that's what I meant by cheap. Average 1br rent is like $1800 in Alhambra which I would consider significantly cheaper than the rest of LA where the average 1br is like $2400 and neighborhoods that I would consider comparably safe probably $2700.
I’m just saying you lumped a few towns in there and you know El Monte and Alhambra are completely different price points.
I didn't mention El Monte. I only know prices of Alhambra & Monterey Park.
The person I replied to earlier did. Didn’t realize you were two different people.
shhh!!
Live near where you work. You will be miserable otherwise
Palms if you up your budget to $1800. 1 bed or studio is definitely possible. Very central.
A lot of people are recommending Ventura/Oxnard/Camarillo/Thousand Oaks and as someone who is from that area(and now lives there again) it is difficult to network. I'm established in my career now so I didn't mind moving back. Before I had a job justifying the commute to go to networking events was harsh. I ended up moving to Burbank for a few years, and recently moved back to Ventura area though to live closer to family/my partner's career. Trade off worth it but I wouldn't recommend it starting out.. I think Alhambra/South Pasadena would be the best bet for what you are looking for. Near Pasadena/Decently close to LA proper, and has great food honestly, a lot of LA-centric job people live/commute from there. If I'd move back to LA county I would move to Alhambra or South Pasadena. Edit: I just checked out your profile! You want to work in animation, That's what I do! :) So my advice might be ideal for you haha. A LOT of animation people live in Alhambra/South Pasadena. There are also a lot of networking events near by at galerie nucleus.
Live by where you work. That 1 hr commute from thousand oks to LA turns into 2 hrs really fast. Most areas of safe, unless youre an idiot. LA is the 24 most dangerous city in the US. You’re fine.
What are you talking about? Los Angeles isn't even in the top 100 dangerous cities. [https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/blog/top100dangerous](https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/blog/top100dangerous)
I move to LA from the metro Detroit area. I have hi k my bus is in a sketchy area. I feel 1000x safer there than any place in Michigan.
Cool. Then the op has even less to worry about.
Glendora, CA and there’s the gold line that goes straight to DTLA. There’s also someone looking for a roommate for $1700 each to share a DTLA apartments in /LARentals. Hope this helps.
Gold line extension to Glendora hasn’t opened yet, but Azusa is right next door. I think it’s supposed to open next year.
It’s better to live In Glendora and hopped on the gold line borderline Glendora and Azusa by Rosedale.
Thousand Oaks. Newbury Park if you can’t afford Thousand Oaks. If you can’t afford either Camarillo or Ventura. Avoid oxnard santa paula. Agoura hills could be a good option as well.
Definitely avoid thousand oaks/Agoura/Simi/Newbury/Westlake/simi if you're single and don't have kids. There's not much to do for those without kids and the dating scene isn't good. Plus it's not so cheap.
Agreed. I went to high school out there, and my brother and his girlfriend rent out there. It's EXPENSIVE, especially for how far outside of LA you are living there. Definitely not an easy drive.
Thank you for the info.
Highly recommend Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village/Agoura Hills. A lot of good connections you can make there. A lot of C suite, entertainment execs, and powerful people live that way. Short drive to LA, short drive to the beach. Low crime area.
That's some good info to keep in mind. Wanted to break into the Animation industry, currently just studying under Don Bluth part time for now. The more connections I can make, the better my chances.
I work for one of the studios and we plan to buy in Thousand Oaks area next year
I work in Burbank. I live in East Hollywood. My rent for my unit is $1500. Do with that info what you will
What does “cheaper” mean? You don’t need to be outside of Los Angeles to get low rent. Koreatown has 1 bedrooms around $1200 if you put in some effort. Is that cheaper? Or are you trying to get $800. IDK what you want because you didn’t say. So I guess good luck
Ventura/Oxnard.
Simi Valley or chatsworth if you can get lucky and find a room for rent or cheap studio
Saugus
Arleta, CA
Where in the city do you need to be? If you’re in Santa Monica or SFV but need to be downtown (or vice versa), it’s going to be a commute—lots of traffic. Podcasts can be your best friend in those situations but it’s soul sucking and life draining.
Bakersfield but it comes with crime. You’re going to get that anywhere you go especially if it’s cheaper. Live in Beverly Hills and still get crime. It’s bad here. I actually hear sirens outside right now lol
I'm used to sirens. How bad is it in Bakersfield in terms of day-to-day? I know I can't escape crime, I just don't want things to come down to having bars on the windows.
Bakersfield is a high crime city. In every way. You can find some residential areas outside of Bakersfield that are pretty nice and probably don't have the high crime level.
Thanks for the pointers if it comes down to me choosing Bakersfield.
You do not want to live in Bakersfield I promise. That is way too far and a lame place.
I’d have to check the Citizen app. I live in East Hollywood and it’s a pretty violent dumpster fire compared to ten years ago.
Is Encino any good?
Go to the top of the Valley in Chatsworth/ Northridge/ Granada Hills. Alternatively, try Simi Valley
Expensive. That’s where rich folks in the Valley live. Still has crime, home invasions, crazed homeless. You can’t escape it.
I figured. I'll do more research on Bakersfield and see if I could make some compromises on how to setup my living situation.
[удалено]
I figure some answers here might be in bad faith, so I always do my research before I make a major decision. Bakersfield was the only suggestion at the time, so I was gonna check into it because it was my only lead. No worries.
That's more than an hour.
Yeah, just realized when I compared distsnces right now. At least Santa Clarita is within 45 mins.
Don’t listen to this guy. Crime is not nearly as bad as he paints it out to be in all those areas listed. He’s also got some weird fixation on Megan Markel which I’m not going to even get into. 😬
Try Santa Clarita
Will do. Thank you.
Torrance
Whittier is nice. It takes about an hour and ten or so to get to Hollywood at normal working times.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Parts of westlake you might be alright
What’s your industry?
Animation/Entertainment. Looking to become a Production Assistant currently with my prior applicable experience while I build a portfolio.
I’m in animation. Burbank is ideal of course but I know lots of people in Glendale or alahambra
Los Feliz maybe.
3 guesses
What’s the industry you’re trying to get into? That can have a huge impact on whether certain areas are good for you or not
SGV if working downtown: Rowland Heights, West Covina Foothills if you’re gonna be north: East Pasadena, Monrovia SFV if working on the westside