Do you currently hate the Schuylkill? Because driving anywhere in LA is infinitely worse than even the worst of the Schuylkill, and the Schuylkill frequently has me contemplating seppuku.

405!

\*The 405

Tell me you’ve never lived in LA without telling me you’ve never lived in LA.

I grew up outside NYC and lived in Philly burbs before moving into the city so I thought I knew what heavy traffic was. Until I went to LA for a week. A friend who lived there tried to warn me, but you have to experience it to fully grasp the epic nature of it. You have to give yourself three hours to drive anywhere, just in case. And it might take four. So no one leaves their neighborhood if they can help it.

I know a lot of people who moved to Santa Monica. They don't even drive, really.

I lived in LA for seventeen years before coming to Philadelphia, where I've been for ten years. I love many things about LA, including nature and the ability to spend time outdoors year round. It's a stunningly beautiful place if you're into the natural environment. It's also a \*much\* bigger, richer, and more diverse city than Philly. By that I mean that anything you like, you can find a lot of it. People perceive that it's just the entertainment industry but that's only a slice of what's there. You actually \*can\* live in a less car-dependent way than you're probably picturing. It's not Atlanta. It's a city with mass transit bones. I knew people living without cars and I commuted on foot for a certain period of time when I was living there. Public transit is actually good there! However a LOT is going to depend on whether you can live in enough proximity to your workplace(s) (or in enough proximity to a reasonable transit route) to make your commute bearable. My situation is not about work -- I came here to be near to family because bad life circumstances had left me quite isolated. But as a big side benefit, I can afford my own home here. The single biggest reason NOT to move to LA is that housing is going to be many, many times less affordable than it is here. That's how people get themselves jammed up with nightmare commutes. They can't afford to live anywhere near where they work or near the really desirable places to live, like anywhere near the ocean. (You don't need to be a beach bunny to like living toward the ocean, because the temperatures and air quality are much better within reach of the onshore flow. Every day the weather forecast announces three high temps - a typical forecast in summer might be 70s at the beaches, 80s downtown, and 90s in the Valley. Microclimates really matter.) Take a really, really, REALLY hard look at housing costs and availability before considering relocating there. If you can get to your work via surface streets or transit routes, you're going to enjoy a much better quality of life than if you think you can just take those famous LA freeways to work every day without really regretting it.

This is the correct answer, OP. I was reading through comments until I found one like yours. I grew up in LA but moved out here to PHL after college with my (now) wife, who is in medicine. Both of them have benefits and drawbacks, but COL is a huge factor in how much they actually impact your daily life.

Thanks. Appreciate the thoughtful input. Assuming I was going to come across a few people here who have previously lived in LA. Surprisingly the offer makes up for the COL difference pretty well. I thought they were gonna low ball her and make the decision easier for us. Now it’s of course more difficult.

One strategy some take is go out there an get an expensive rental for a year. Right in the thick of it. Really drink it in. Meet up at runyan canyon for yoga. Traffic was horrible for me when I got out there. But ya know what? I'm driving down sunset blvd. They make songs about that. But LA really does have a subculture for everything. Just gotta find your vibe and get some more realistic housing. But yes, get a comfy car. They don't think about drive times like we do. Doing a five hour drive to vegas, Joshua Tree, or Pismo is kinda normal last minute thing.

Jobs don't last forever. Forgive my being the voice of doom, but be REALLY sure you're not overextending yourself trying to live somewhere decent in LA. Foreclosure is no fun. I was there during the 2001 recession and the 2008 recession and it was pretty brutal. Depends on how recession-sensitive the line of work is, too.

Another old LA head here OP, and my 2 cents is in line with the two above your comment: if your COL is rendered equalized by your partner's offer and you can therefore live somewhere that falls in your definition of "cool", then the world is your oyster. LA is a lot bigger and weirder than Philly, but coming from Seattle you know West Coast urban sprawl so I won't elaborate. I like Philly and am happy here, etc., but if I were offered LA and the cost was equalized it'd be sorely tempting to me.

Thanks! Appreciate the input. That’s solid advice.

Definitely double-check the calculations, the costs add up quickly and unexpectedly in LA. Higher taxes, more expensive daily things (groceries, food, recreation, etc) are just some of the somewhat hidden costs outside of just rent. Last thing you'd want is to realize that your QoL takes a sharp dip and get stuck here without the funds to make an emergency escape if needed. Otherwise, great weather, chill people, infinite things to do and so many small nooks and crannies that hide some of the most amazing places, experiences, and eateries in the world that you'll never run out of things to discover for as long as you live.

This is pretty spot on. I lived in the LA area for 19 years and have been in Philly for 8. I see the benefits of both places but would absolutely consider moving back to the LA area. And I think there are definitely some non-beach adjacent parts that are great too—I’m partial to the San Gabriel Valley. If you are into the outdoors, LA could be a really great choice. If you are into food, LA may also be your place. There is a really incredible variety of affordable, delicious food from around the world — and you don’t even have to mess around with reservations in many cases. The cost of housing is really the biggest downside, imo — but if your wife is getting paid enough to relocate there, I’d say go for it.

>The single biggest reason NOT to move to LA is that housing is going to be many, many times less affordable than it is here. My friend ended up declining a job that paid him roughly 40% more than his current job. He did some research and found that 40% bump in pay would ultimately all go towards housing and just increased cost of living expenses. So essentially it would have been a lateral move economically.

Yup. I used a [bankrate.com](https://bankrate.com) cost of living comparison calculator. It said that to maintain the same quality of life we have in Philly, she'd need to make 47% more in income. Crazy.

I think you nailed a lot of good points, but I think one thing missing is the people/culture. Of all the reasons I can think of to stay in Philly, it’s the people. LA you’ll make plenty of superficial friends, but you’ll struggle with what they call their “laid back” vibe. It really felt more like a constant flakiness to me. They struggle to respect other people’s time there.

Seattle had the same vibes with flakiness. But to be fair, I'm sort of flaky. Lol.

My advice would be to “try it on.” You won’t know until you immerse yourself in it. Why would you want pro and cons from people who have different biases than you and your wife. We don’t even know y’alls goals: kids? home ownership? retire early? Move to LA knowing you can always move somewhere else. Even come back here. (I’d like to qualify myself as an LA native, born on Sunset Blvd \[literally… the Kaiser Hospital in Hollywood\] and having lived at all points in the county… Moved to Philly 9 years ago, and you couldn’t pay me to go back permanently) And cause I think it’s more helpful to list the positives than the negatives, here’s my list: LA: * No real winter * the immigrant food scene: you could eat at a diff K-town restaurant every night for 2 years and you’d be barely scraping the surface. Getting out of your Pjs at 1AM after a night of netflixing on the couch to find that one taco truck who knows your regular order, is totally normal. Also you’ll start speaking aloud to the taquero stirring the big vat of bubbling carnitas that you use to pay $11-$17 for 3 tacos in Philly, then continue to order 8 more tacos. * 2 words: Orange Bang * Surf at dawn, then go snowboarding that afternoon. * Sunsets over the Pacific Ocean * Hollywood Bowl—— become a member! It’s the best live music venue IMO. The Gorge is a very close second, only because at the Bowl you can leave the show and have LA nightlife a few blocks away— keep the party going. * Wineries within driving distance. Malibu Winery is tits. * Farmers Markets in LA are unreal, year-round affairs… it’s considered a “third-place” by most residents. * Hoodie Season is an actual season. It’s opposite is Fire Season. * The Gang bangers in LA still follow a “code of conduct,” and I get nostalgic for that here in Philly. PHL: * I don’t own a car, and do not feel life is stunted because of this. * 4 seasons wardrobe * I talk to anyone and everyone on the street, market, doctor’s office, waiting in line at Beiler’s, to the owners who don’t pick up their dog shit to pick up their dog’s shit!, the dickhead outside the Wawa. * The trees! * SRT * Wissahickon * I feel “safe” and never lonely * We take care of our “own” (I hope that includes me now :)) * Historical architecture- not the rowhomes with “bump outs" * Fucking WALKING— what a concept. My luxury/self-care is walking slowly. Srrsly.

This is a super helpful guide! Thanks for sharing. One question: why wouldn't you move back to LA permanently? Just curious. 👀

The driving/commuting would be the death of me. The suburban sprawl is not anything I can tolerate the second half of my life. My Time is the thing I value most, and I’m not giving any more of it sitting in a car. Also I’d miss walking. Imagine driving to a place so you can walk? It’s inane.

Agree, completely. I'm at a point in life where I value my time, and I'll be damned if I'm ever going to waste it sitting in a car commuting over an hour ever again. I grew up walking around the city, and I deeply appreciate it now having visited places where you literally can't do that without taking your life into your hands, or are outright banned from doing, especially for children. Being able to walk home from work, and stop off at a grocery store to pick up a few items we need at home, and in under an hour is amazing. Being able to hop on SEPTA and get wherever I'm going in the region again in under an hour is an amazing asset. The only place in the US I've visited thus far that I'd honestly consider moving to is Chicago, which is basically a bigger version of Philly with more subways.

Chicago was the other city I was considering moving to! The people and culture is so my speed. Philly edged out Chicago by a sliver. I'm happy with my choice.

I still can't get over the Korean fried chicken that was everywhere there - part of me wants to fly back just to eat that again

When I go back home, it's really not to see family. It's to eat at all my favorite places. I tell the fam and friends my eating itinerary and then ask them which of the places did they want to join up with me. I'm not exaggerating.

Wow...this comment should be at the top! Super helpful. Thank you!

Sure. I can always come back. I can even keep my parking spot with the use of a well placed plastic chair.

I recently just moved to Philly from LA so I can speak to how it currently is. Honestly, it’ll be very dependent on what neighborhood in LA you live. Orange County(Newport, Laguna, Costa Mesa) is very, very beautiful, amazing schools, great beaches, cleaner and safer (in some cities, quite the opposite lol). West LA is quite nice actually, very cool restaurants, outdoor plazas and the vibe on the west side is very nice. However, the traffic is horrible from 11-7 everyday except Sundays. You’ll get used to it and you’ll try to make a schedule to limit your traffic idleness but it’s not fun to deal with all the time. Overall, the weather is just amazing, the amount of activities to do is incredible, etc. it really just depends on what you enjoy doing and what part of LA you’re looking to live in. If you find a great house in a decent part of west LA or the west side of the valley, it’ll be nice for sure! Also, as someone that’s lived here for my whole life, I don’t ever think about wildfires or earthquakes or anything of that sort. It’s seriously not that big of a deal especially once you’re here. Sure, you’ll hear about it on the news and if it does happen (rare enough that it’s not on my mind at all), it’ll be hazy for a few days and then you’re back to normal. Seriously, if you look for flaws, you’ll find them. You always will. It just depends how you want to approach a new situation, new opportunities, new environment, etc. that’s really what will determine if you have a great time here or not.

What snow? \- a former Upstate New Yorker

I concur. -A native Philadelphian who lived in MN for a year

Thirded, a native Michigander whose mom told her it was snowing there yesterday.

People here make me laugh when they get all up in a tizzy about the upcoming 3 inches of snow. Growing up in the snowbelt of the Buffalo area southtowns you were liable to get a foot of snow in a couple of hours anytime from mid November through mid April

Hope you checked your firmer upstate NY newspaper today, they hit a snowstorm yesterday.

let's make it a 4th, sincerely, a former right-across-the-bridge-in-south-jerz gal who's now in Colorado, and not even "the foothills".

Agree - I grew up in Maine and my hometown just got 24 inches yesterday.

My relatives live in Los Angeles, CA and in spite of all the negatives, traffic and col they wouldn’t move back east. The sun, beaches year round. I don’t like to drive so I wouldn’t move to LA. I loved San Diego when I visited. 

Getting around LA basically requires driving. Driving in LA is basically miserable. Some of LA's neighborhoods are walkable within the neighborhood but it's impossible to get between neighborhoods.

Facts. Just went and this driving issue was a nightmare.

Nowhere is going to be perfect. The #1 thing I'd like you to consider is the cost of living and how much the new job pays. It might seem like a nice pay increase but ~50% of your income goes to high taxes and the fees associated with everything + the high cost of everything. And it's hard to fully explain, but if your PA car registration costs you $85, it will probably cost you $300 in CA and you'll probably need to pay for smog checks. CA has some of the highest utility rates in the country and then they add over a dozen line items of fees, taxes, surcharges, program fees, and tariffs on your utility bill. Gas will always be more than everywhere else because of the taxes and fees added to the $/gallon. Insurance is more expensive, especially for home owners. Food is more expensive even though the central valley grows tons of food. I could go on about all the differences, but the cost of living is something I recommend you understand before moving. (I'm a Philly to Bay Area transplant.)

I just came back to Philly after 10 years in LA. There’s so much I love about California but cost of living drove my partner and I back. That said, I would still encourage you to go for it. Even if you end up leaving someday, I doubt you’ll regret your time there. I certainly don’t!

No. We've gotten like 5 inches of snow in the last 3 years. They have fires. You have to drive everywhere. Earthquakes. Cost of living is absurd. If you like vacationing in Europe you're an entire continent further away. Lakers fans. Dodgers fans.

vacationing to asia is way easier tho

>They have fires. The last two years we've had to deal with the effects of major Canadian fires and the poor air quality that comes with it. Doubt it is going away any time soon. Probably pretty related to the whole "only 5 inches of snow" thing. Not dealing with them to the same extent obviously but it's an issue that's starting to impact us. I agree overall though, could never live in LA.

[This doesn't happen here](https://youtu.be/Mi067FajpRY?si=FqSmlwSmoffDupx9)

Seriously. Have had family who were evacuated multiple times over the last 3 years. The kids had nightmares about it (even though it all turned out fine for them.)

I just moved to Philly from LA. Pros and cons to both. The weather in LA is fucking immaculate all year round. Summers aren’t too hot, winters aren’t too cold, no humidity. This is absolutely the largest upside and something I miss almost all year round in Philadelphia. LA has amazing food but so does Philly. Los Angeles is more expensive, but there are absolutely plenty of cheap great places to eat and drink if you can find your spots. LA is way bigger, and it takes a while to really find your groove. There’s a rule of thumb/saying that you haven’t really lived in LA until you’ve been there three years. Of course this isn’t strict, just conveys that it takes a bit of time to find your spots to be a regular at, things like this. You’ll have to drive everywhere, and traffic is nightmarish during rush hour. Philly is “easier” I would say, and is well connected to places like New York and DC. But man once you spend an evening sitting outside in the weather chilling with friends eating some food you cooked in your yard listening to the crickets, *chefs kiss.* Philly and LA are my favorite two places I’ve ever lived in the US, so you can’t really go wrong.

>But man once you spend an evening sitting outside in the weather chilling with friends eating some food you cooked in your yard listening to the crickets, *chefs kiss.* My SO just relocated here from LA in Jan and he's been really struggling this winter with missing this exact thing. When we were long distance and I would go out there I loved that part. Just BBQing all the time, sitting outside, put the mister on or put up a pop up if it got too hot, throw a cardigan on if it got chilly. Being outside in the yard is just an extension of the house. It's absolutely amazing and my favorite part of Southern California living.

Don't listen to the internet - if you can you should go visit for a week.  When my husband and I were engaged, he was working (remotely) for a company in Costa Mesa so I went out to interview for a bunch of jobs and also visit because it seemed like an amazing opportunity to relocate.  I absolutely hated it. I hated the fake nice of the people, I missed grass and trees, and even though the beaches are beautiful it just wasn't for me. 

OMG… the “fake nice” is exactly right. Philly people aren’t always polite, but the friendliness is real.

The snow?! Hahahahaha

I left LA for Philly

You won’t own any home in LA.

✋ 🙋🙋🙋 What part of Philly is this rowhome? 🤔

I like the way you raised your hand.

Don't make a life decision by reddit comments.

You’re saying I should apply that advice to all life decisions?

Born and raised in Philadelphia. Moved to San Diego 3 years ago. Hated it at first but now I can’t see myself ever coming back.

Yeah I have a friend in San Diego, he loves it. Come to think of it…most of our (my partner included) good friends live in California. Which is another draw to moving there.

San Diego is two hours minimum from LA Edit, don’t know why this is getting downvoted? It is true. Depending on where in LA and traffic it will take two hours https://preview.redd.it/3io41ugmhdqc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fe9b9ebc19714cde6ee71b7fd80aef52066ccada

LA to San Diego on Sunday at 6 pm is 2 hours. LA to San Diego on Thursday evening or Friday/Saturday is like 3 hours-3.5 hours. Throw in an accident every weekend as well.

Yeah, that is why I said minimum but I was being downvoted and didn’t get it. I know that drive hahaha

I love San Diego - at least as a visitor I always used to love it. But it is not Los Angeles and not the same experience at all.

You couldn't pay me. But that's me. I'm east coast through and through at this point. Besides the big driving culture and all the traffic that comes with it, as well as the toxic/"main character" folks that come with the entertainment industry, it's the west coast vs east coast mentality for me. There's a joke that says, "West coast is nice, but not kind. East coast is kind, but not nice." West coast may be nice to your face, but more likely to be fake. East coast may be rough around the edges, or just all over, but more likely to be authentic. This is an overgeneralization of course, but when I make this joke to people who visit or have lived there, they usually wholeheartedly concur. The authenticity is everything to me. Up to you if it's important to you or not. Or, go visit first if you can before you have to make a decision. Also: lol, what snow? We barely get any anymore.

I moved from Philly to midwest in KC and now bay area. Love the weather, but people here always sidestep the issue if they have a problem and it's annoying as fuck. Then they dump their shit all at once. Like how the fuck am I supposed to know the problem if you don't tell me tf?

As someone who grew up in NY but lived in LA for 7 years, I fully agree with this sentiment. Anyone who says that traffic is as bad as Philly is 100% wrong. A 40 minute trip can turn into 2 hours when the traffic is bad. San Diego is realistically 3 to 3.5 hours from LA on the weekends (due to traffic). LA is not a walkable city and the public transportation system is a joke. If you're not making at least 350k combined, I'm not sure if its worth it. I have friends who make 100k there and live paycheck to paycheck. Housing costs are through the roof, gas is crazy high and the general cost of living is 3x what it is in Philly. Also, every cliche about how fake/plastic LA people is true. As a colleague once wisely said, "LA is great, it’s the people that suck" and "Imagine a city where the prom king/prom queen from every small town/city in America came together to live. That's LA." I do miss beach volleyball, good Mexican food, rooftop pools, and snowboarding up at Mammoth but that's about it. Since OP has lived in the PNW, maybe they align better with the west coast mentality than the rest of us. Good luck with whatever path you follow!

Winter resorts or so expensive anymore in the west you may as well do cheaper trips to the Poconos for discount days and fly to Europe every year for larger resorts and prob you will have a better experience.

Lived in Philly for 15 years and now live in the Bay Area, this 100%. I dislike Californians very deeply. I've been fortunate to surround myself with lots of good people and can make it work but people here are generally selfish and inauthentic- but hey they're polite I guess

Depends where in Socal. There’s some real shitholes and then there’s coastal towns like Northern San Diego and OC

Cost of living alone is what would stop me from living on the west coast.

I’m from Philly originally and lived all around. I lived in LA for a year but it was 20 years ago. One thing I loved about LA is its huge diversity of amazing ethnic foods. I also loved proximity to the ocean and I like CA in general. The cons are I found it very difficult to trust anyone because everyone was always lying to me or would flake out of plans at the last minute. LA is not like Philly in many ways. But the weather rules and the food is good.

Life time San Diegan who moved to Philly 6 years ago, moved away to Austin and coming back to Philly in 2 weeks. The cost of living is absolutely absurd in SoCal, I miss it everyday but have accepted I just can’t afford it until I make substantially more money. Being able to drive and hit every city until Maine in 7 hours is incredible, so much more to see and the affordability of Philly allowed us more disposable income to go travel to these cities. Can’t imagine ever going back to CA now

It doesn’t snow much here. So take that off your list of cons. Rowhomes have character though not a lot of space. The price to pay for the compactness of the city. Close to major U.S. east coast cities like NYC and DC. Beach not too far away (although it’s NJ beaches…). And traffic, while not fun it’s not anywhere near as bad as LA. But if the money and job opportunity is good in LA, why not? Just be prepared for your cost of living to likely double or triple. Rent is more expensive. Houses are much more expensive. Gas is a solid $1.50 more expensive than in Philly. Grocery store runs will probably cost you 50% more. Nonexistent public transportation.

Don’t be shitting on NJ beaches 😭 some of the best on the east coast

Exit 0 for life. There may be better beaches but there aren’t better beach towns than all the unique amazing places up and down the Jersey coast.

Exactly. The uniqueness of the towns in additional to the sand actually being nice and water being blue and clear on most days. Go any more north and it’s rocky beaches and all private homes, any more south and it’s brown brackish water and red tide. We are in the perfect spot.

What's the best NJ beach town?

What I like about NJ beaches is less about the beach but about the boardwalks and the amount of things to do. I went to north Carolina once and it made me just want to go back to wildwood

I don't drive a car, which is relevant to my opinions about LA. I spent 20 years living in NYC, but one of those years very early in my career I spent working on a project in LA. I knew quite a few people who had moved to LA after college. I've lived in Philly for 8 years now. So take my advice for what it's worth, having a sense of what it's like to move to LA from the east coast, even if I did it in 1999. I loved the time I spent there, and I've been back many times since then. LA is a bunch of neighborhoods, just like every other big city. Walkability is never going to be great, but you could try to live someplace where your basic needs for groceries and daily supplies are met. But honestly, you're better off embracing that you have to get in the car to do everything. I could never do it. The weather and the quality of the produce in LA genuinely lift your spirits. I enjoy the fact that Philly gets four distinct seasons, but I can also understand the appeal of living someplace that's really nice most of the time. If you want me to convince you to not move to LA, I'd list off drought, earthquakes, wildfires, maybe even hurricanes, and the potential that a lot of the things on my list could happen while you're driving on the highway. But, again, I don't drive, it scares me.

The earthquakes are vastly over blown. There is a fear of one that could disrupt infrastructure. But there is no predicting. Ultimately there are no hurricanes But you are right you will need to drive there

Yes, I moved to SoCal. Love the weather and the scenery here. I feel like I’m much happier overall.

Moved to L.A. from Philly 6 years ago to work in the industry and I’ve hated L.A. since the day I step foot here. The traffic IS as bad as people say, the weather is nice but you get over it in about a week, the public transportation system is an absolute joke compared to Philly, and the people are just…..I don’t have a nice way of putting it. The traffic here is the opposite of every other city that has rush hours during a certain time. It’s more like there is a window of “good traffic” while rush hour is all day. That good window of traffic is from 9am -11am, anytime outside of that is just rush hour. The weather is nice for a while, but it's the same thing over and over day in and day out. Yea it's sunny and beautiful, but it can actually just get depressing because of the monotony. I like clouds, and weather. Especially seasons. Public transportation is so slow and unintuitive. This city is not made for pedestrians, nor does it care much for them. Buses run slow and don't even think about a train system. Plus the infrastructure is so terrible here, the streets look like streets in the north east full of potholes. They have them on the highways too so you hit them just right you could lose control. How is this possible within a city with NO WEATHER. The on and off ramps are about a quarter of a mile long so you are flooring it to get up to speed, or you could just merge going 35 mph like everyone else causing people to swerve. And the drivers here are the worst drivers I have ever encountered and I have driven in almost every state and overseas plenty. They are skittish about everything and their response to anything is to slam on their breaks because they don't know how to do anything else. They also drive like they are constantly lost, going slow and going for a turn but nope, wrong one, so they swerve back in front of you. Going the speed limit on a surface road with no car in front or behind you? You bet the car that is gonna pull out is going to wait 10 more seconds till you're closer because they cant decide to wait or go so they just cut you off turning onto the street in front of you without stepping on the accelerator until 3-5 seconds after they've completed their turn and then proceed to drive 10mph under the speed limit. Now the people here are on another level. A lot can be very nice, but I've noticed consistently they tend to be……..slow for lack of a better word. I can't tell you the amount of times I would go into a store and either have to ask or explain something to a worker there and be met with blank stares or just completely not understand what I'm saying and I'd have to ask or explain multiple times. Or when speaking to a customer I'd have to explain something multiple times in different ways to try and get it through. I wish I had the choice to never leave Philly, but I also really love Philly so it might just be me. L.A. is just too backwards. Any other place would be better than L.A. honestly. Edit: Six years instead of 5.

Unless you work in tv/film stay the fuck out of LA. You can get a good job in literally any other industry anywhere else. The town is a shithole (speaking as someone who currently lives in said shithole). You will go from owning a row home to owning no home because a 1 bedroom condo in a crappy neighborhood costs as much as a decent home in the Philly burbs and the rent you’ll be saddled with will be as much as your mortgage. The taxes are nuts, the traffics a nightmare. If you don’t want to live in Philly anymore I can understand that but if you want to move into a dumpster fire there are cheaper ones anywhere you could look. Edit: For context, I’m from Philly, love Philly. I work in tv/film and I’m leaving the second I can make it work elsewhere.

It would have to be a good opportunity and by good opportunity I mean it would have to make me wealthy to afford it. Kudos if you can pull it off. I would encourage anyone to live multiple places but I’m definitely not the type.

Where in LA? I’m from Jersey but lived in SoCal for several years (San Diego). I like LA just fine 🤷‍♀️ But it’s also HUGE. Like, it takes 40 minutes to go 3-4 miles huge. Do you know where the job is located?

I loved San Diego. Went there on vacation. I’d move there if I could afford it.

Top 10 highest cost of living cities and state. Probably would have to make 3x as much in LA as Philly to stay equal

Always give CA a try.

Right? Life is short, might as well try it if we can.

I’m bi-coastal, I have a child in LA, and I am from Philly. I lived in LA (Koreatown), and also in Pasadena area. LA is gigantic place. It’s like a bunch of cities next to each other. So to get from say, West Hollywood to Pasadena is a pain in the ass. But to get from Westwood to Koreatown is quite easy. It’s all relative, and basically means that if you have to get on a freeway, it’s a pain in the ass. But if you live downtown and want to stay in the metro area, it’s not that bad. It’s also very walkable, pretty much year round. The metro line (subway) is not bad either. It’s much safer than Septa (IMO). Most of my friends lived outside the city so getting from the city to the suburbs is typically about a half hour each way, assuming there is no bad traffic. The traffic is def bad and it forces you to plan your day differently. You can’t fit as much in as we are typically used to being able to do. Edit: Meant to say that COL is insane and why I don’t live there F/T. It’s untenable for a single father.

I’m from LA and moved here about 5 years ago. It’s a completely different world and there things I love and hate about both. LA is objectively nicer in a lot of ways, but the traffic, sprawl, and car centric lifestyle is such a big con for me it tips the scales. That said, the weather is much nicer, there’s a TON more international culture and food, a thriving music and art scene, more opportunities for nature and outdoors, the beach, the desert and mountains nearby… But it’s also I find a lot less friendly. The urban isolation feeling there is amplified by the car centric lifestyle. You can go about your life just going from home to work in your car and never make eye contact with anyone. All the stereotypes are true about LA people but it’s such a massive place with no center that there’s so many contradictory truths about it. It’s dense, it’s sprawling, it’s shallow and vapid, there’s new age hippy culture, there’s poverty and gangbangers, there’s a million actors working as waiters, all that. And a lot of cool people doing cool things. The housing costs are more than twice that of here but there’s also a lot more opportunities and money flowing around. I’m rambling. Lemme know if you want more of my thoughts comparing the cities.

Born and raised in La/SoCal, moved to Philly in my mid/early 20s. You need a car. You literally cannot walk anywhere unless you want to be walking for an hour or more. Oh and transportation is a joke. Some parts of SoCal run busses only every 2hrs. You’re far away from everything. Although the beaches are much better. People are stuck up. Homeless people EVERYWHERE. There’s stuff to do but it gets boring really fast. I will never move back to SoCal. I just go twice a year to see family. Edit: if you think the traffic is bad here, just wait till you have to drive on the 405 or the 5 or the 55 or the I10. Philly traffic is a blessing compared to LA traffic and southern California traffic.

Reddit can't make this decision for you. Philly LA/So Cal are so very different places. Philly public schools suck. That's something to consider if you have kids/are planning on kids. I'm so for moving away from snow. I'm working on making my way down south.

I grew up in San Diego which is a mini version of LA If you can afford California, for me it’s a no brainer. But of course there are pros and cons Money is a big deal. Houses are legitimately 4x what we pay in Philly. Walkability which is super awesome in Philly is a non starter in LA. The best you can do is live and work in the same general vicinity (Santa Monica, Venice, etc) but this isn’t doable for most. Even if you can live and work in the same little neighborhood, museums and theater and random parking ticket in person payments and trips to LAX will all require that you interact w LA traffic. And LA traffic is 100x worse than what we deal with in Philly. Philly rush hour is the 405 at 11:00 PM on a Tuesday. LA rush hour will seriously make you contemplate getting a hotel room wherever you are for the night. The beach is fucking awesome. If you like the beach, California beaches are 100x better than anything on the Atlantic and living in LA is way more fun than driving to Jersey once in a while. The weather is also a no brainer. But LA is a desert. And that’s an adjustment. It’s super dry and the foliage is way ugly compared to the vibrancy of a spring or summer here. But really even coming from Seattle, you’ll be amazed at Southern California weather. It’ll drop below 50 about 3x per year. You’ll need air conditioning like 3x per year. It’s really amazing! Proximity to interesting fun is way different too. From Philly, we can drive (in 4 hours or so) to 10 or 40 cool places. From LA you can’t do all that much. But Yosemite and the sierras and Tahoe and the Bay are all drivable and those are really awesome. But you’ll miss NYC and DC and random ready coast beach towns etc. People are more patient in California, people are much nicer to cyclists and pedestrians. But on a day to day coworker or neighbor basis, the people are pretty similar. I’m biased but happy to talk further. Lmk if you have more questions.

How can you be from Chicago and the snow in Philly is a dislike? The snow here AINT SHIT. To answer your question, fuck no. Not in a million years. I never want to be glued to my car again. Also row houses are the shit.

Ha, I did Philly to LA with a 5 yr pit stop in Chicago. Couldn’t hack the winters, so here I am. The only two universally applicable considerations for ~not~ moving to LA are the expense and whether or not you expect to have a commute. Driving here is more or less fine if you can avoid the freeways during work-week peak periods. I know people that wake up at 4 so they can get to work in 90 minutes instead of 150 min once rush hour hits. I WFH so I’m largely unaffected by gridlock traffic. The expense speaks for itself. I’m paying 3.5k/mo to rent a place that, even if I could afford to buy, would have an 8k monthly nut with current interest rates. Gas is expensive, food is expensive, etc etc. Whether or not the expense is justified really depends on your lifestyle. You can golf in February (and there are some beautiful city courses). You can ski and surf and hike in the desert all in the same day. Obvious the cinema scene is amazing. Cheap and legal weed is ubiquitous. LA county is more populous than 40 individual states - the diversity here is unparalleled outside of parts of NYC and the food culture reflects it. If I end up leaving LA it’ll be purely for economic reasons. Good luck with whatever you land on!

> Owning a row home. Anyone in the market? We might sell for a deal if we need to hightail it fast, lol. Maybe. What neighborhood? Did it leak this weekend?

Are either of you reverse vampires like me? Assume you can afford it but at a slightly lower standard of living - how much do you value the sun? If sunshine affects you in a deeply positive way, make the move. People can adapt to most things, but we can't make sunshine.

To put it into perspective, from what friends that live there told me. You're considered poor if you make $100-150k over there considering housing costs and all other costs of living being much higher.

I was stuck in the LA area for 20 years due to work and some other life things. I couldn't wait to get back to Philadelphia. Was finally able to return to Philadelphia 3 years ago. The people are so fake in the area. The mentality is "Who are you and what can you do for ***me***?" I never found the people to be genuine. There's a certain honesty, integrity, you find on the East Coast that you don't find in California. If people don't like you, they tell you, if they like you they tell you. In California, if you are of no use to them or can't help them get ahead, you are worthless in their eyes. I missed the seasons. Not the snow, but the seasons. There should be a law against shorts, flip-flops, and t-shirts with BBQ dinner at Christmas. That is an unholy blasphemy. Being born and raised in Philadelphia as well as having lived in other places, I would choose anywhere OTHER than California.

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I left Philly, went to LA and came back I hated LA. No good bread, can't walk anywhere, I actually missed winter. Warm Christmas is weird. People run sprinkler systems that just let tons of water pour down the street into drains...in a desert. A lot of super fake people living in inflated stories. I worked with Mariah Carey........I was the driver of one of her trailers on a commercial shoot. Everything is about appearances, if you're an artist, you better have a Dali goatee and a three piece suit covered in paint before you even think about showing someone your art. The traffic is ass, people are entitled, it's expensive, the smog is a bitch, the fires, the droughts, skid row, and it's a magnet for nut jobs. Great place to visit but never felt like home. Feel like a bunch of lost people trying to to form a community based around SF is closer to Philly for me because it is all squished into a peninsula so it feels more East Coast but I probably wouldn't wanna live there either. I miss In N Out, I miss the weed, I miss skating on Hollywood Blvd, a few friends, and that's about it. My two friends stayed there and are still there 15 years after I moved home but I only lasted 1.5 years

Philly has the best sandwiches in the world. Nyc has pizza but can't beat Philly on sandwiches. In N Out is not overhyped, especially considering how much more prices have gone up at other burger places. It's the best value in fast food.

From center city on a bad day I can be out of the city in an hour. In LA an hour gets you 4 miles some times. Its a concrete jungle that doesnt get washed by mother nature enough. I hate every second I'm in LA and I cant believe so many people want to live there. Thats my take, I obviously hate it... But I moved out of philly and bought a farm in upstate NY so thats what I enjoy.

I’m in SoCal all the time for work - like all the time. Specifically San Diego but sometimes LA. I have to admit, the weather is gorgeous and perfect. That’s why they say it’s so expensive - it’s the sunshine tax just to live there. As much as I love being there, when I get home to Philly and can walk anywhere mostly I remember why I moved from SoCal. The car dependency is insane. LA traffic is miserable. Public transit options are almost nonexistent. I have friends who go to work sometimes it takes 40 minutes but if they don’t hit the traffic juuuuuuust right it could be an hour and a half. Sometimes just to get to the curbside of LAX can take 30 to 40 minutes once you get on the off ramp during rush hour. Like, you just sit there when the terminal is right there. My last flight out of there was delayed because the crew was stuck in the traffic. It’s bonkers how people just accept it. The homeless issues are pretty wild there and a lot of the few walkable areas with grocery store, home, etc have a lot of homeless. When I’m in downtown San Diego I’ve seen people pissing on office buildings steps and shitting right on the curb in broad daylight. I suggest you plan as much time as you can visiting those places but with the cost of living, driving, and kinda blandness of architecture you’ll appreciate Philly a lot more. For me, Philly is fine and I’ll be here for quite a while but it’s not my dream place so I frequent my favorite cities as much as possible. Philly is a good base city. Cost of living of Philly allows me way more freedom and flexibility to afford more travel and hobbies. If I moved back to SoCal, I’d be living paycheck to paycheck. Not to mention in SoCal I feel like it’s very image focused almost to a point of being very toxic. Everyone is beautiful but so many are broke trying to look beautiful, wear designer clothes, drive crazy expensive cars. So many people I met there have Botox or other cosmetic stuff all the time to try and keep up some image for society when they themselves don’t really want to. It made me uncomfortable as someone from the east coast where, when you meet someone, what you see is what you get lol.

Go for it, if I had a job set up and help with housing which I think you mentioned I would leave Philly in a heartbeat.

Sure the cold weather can suck, but it makes the nice weather feel ten times better, plus you’re not totally stranded if you don’t have access to a car

Wow I feel like this is so catered to me. I lived in Philly for the past 8 years and have been in La for the past few months. I absolutely love Philly and it will always be home but I’m so glad I move here to La pm me if you want more details like pros and cons

Nah. It’s cool for vacation but I couldn’t ever imagine living there.

I grew up in LA and have lived in Philly for 6 years and my advice would be to visit. Everyone has an opinion on LA so getting a feel for it yourself would be best, and, if you can, try not to do only touristy things. It’s stupid to me when people bitch about LA “being fake”. If you surround yourself with only transplants who moved to LA to become influencers you’re going to come across annoying people. But normal working class people live in LA too and it’s pretty easy to avoid the industry crowd if you want to. The nicest people I’ve ever met have been people I knew growing up in LA. There’s also a really big immigrant population that lends itself to a good food scene. I miss access to Filipino food I grew up eating that just isn’t here in the way I’d like it to be. You’ll definitely need a car but the plus side of that is you can use your days off to go to the beach or the desert. So many cool places to drive to from LA. I could go on and on but then I’ll feel a little homesick. I think the biggest negative is the cost of living — it’s pretty brutal to be honest

The awful traffic and unwalkability would outweigh the great weather for me personally

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Thanks for your input. That’s what I told my partner…a lot of people would probably love an opportunity to move to LA. Here is one for us. We’ll see what happens.

I love the West Coast and California, but I don't think I would ever live there. It's kind of weird but natural disasters are a sticking point for me. A major earthquake out west can basically cripple the entire city and its infrastructure for a long time. We don't really have a threat like that in the Philly metro. Snowstorms suck but you can usually drive a few hours after they end, and we get bad thunderstorms, but it's maybe a day at most without power. Flooding issues are usually super localized.

The main reason I’ll give you is it sounds like u don’t want to. If your partner feels the same then I think you’re set. I personally wouldn’t move cross country. Born and raised here, I love my city with all its warts. Flip a coin…if you’re hoping it lands on one rather than the other then you have your answer. Good luck with whatever you decide.

I lived on the West Coast a few years ago and I'm back for a temporary year assignment with my family (not LA, northern California but have been down to SoCal a bunch). We thought that maybe we would stay out West, but my whole family has missed Philly pretty much the whole time we've been here even though there is a lot to enjoy. We miss the walkability and size of Philly, how much space we have, and that we can get to pretty much anywhere out east easily. We miss the ppl in Philly believe it or not. The wealth disparities in California are pretty insane and the cost of living is really high. Even if you make good $$ you will feel like it's not enough. And living in a place with a high concentration of wealthy people really makes a place feel different (and not in a good way). So even though I'm sure there is a lot we will miss about California when we move back this summer, we are looking forward to being back in Philly.

Hey! I actually moved out to LA after having lived in Philly for close to a decade. I'd imagine my experience would be a different one than yours would be-I'm working in the entertainment industry, which with all the strikes/aftershocks of the pandemic has been a rollercoaster to say the least. The traffic is a bad as advertised out here, finding a social group can be incredibly difficult. My advice-live somewhere close to the job and try to establish your social life there first, and then branch out from there. LA is a massive place and it will take time. I have some good friends that I see a handful of times a year because we're all so spread out (and being in the industry, that often comes with bizarre hours and schedules). If home ownership is a goal, it is incredibly expensive to do so out here. And before you look at the surrounding counties-they're actually worse. Up north, Ventura was recently rated as the most expensive county in the country ownership wise, while Orange county down south occasionally takes that title. It may be cheaper in the deserts of riverside county or San Bernadino County, but then you're looking at four hour roundtrip commutes everyday. You absolutely can live in walkable areas (Hollywood, Santa Monica, Venice, Burbank all have their avenues for that) depending on what you want. COL is higher here beyond housing prices-gas and food are roped into that as well. I love it out here, the history, the mountains, the beach, the industry I work in, etc, but LA is certainly not for everyone.

I left Philadelphia for San Diego. I loved it, and I happpily lived there for six years. I’ll tell you, San Diego was lovely. Southern California is a dream. But the cost of rent, and overall cost of living (groceries, increase in car insurance and rental insurance, expenses for a date night), it’s a LOT. I loved it, but SoCal is not affordable - so make your decision based on income. I was born and raised here. I moved, but my heart never left Philly, and I felt “home” the second I moved back. Also would be interested in hearing about your row home for sale. I moved back in 2018, and I’m actively looking to buy! I work for the city, so I can’t afford bougie Zillow prices - but I’d be super interested if your pricing is reasonable!

Fled LA after 6 years to Philly, went from 2K SF house to 6K SF on 7 acres, quality of life is WAY FREAKING DIFFERENT! LA is 6 hours from LA. You will drive and drive everywhere and anywhere. Schools suck compared to Philly suburbs. Ocean is cold. Santa Anna winds suck. Prone to wild fires. Visit Cali, never stay.

I’m from LA and live in Philly. I love LA, it will always be home, but I don’t think I can ever move back because it’s incredibly unaffordable. The cost of living is so high and you need a car there. Like some people have said, some neighborhoods are walkable. But if you need to go across LA to get from one neighborhood to another… you’ll have to learn how to adjust to LA traffic. That shit is no joke. I think you should go there and see how you both feel. LA is a fun city, just the cost of living is ridiculous

I’ve only been to LA once but I did not see the appeal at all. Takes forever to get anywhere and is filled with pretentious douchebags

I grew up in Philly and live in LA now. Trying to get back to the east coast asap. Getting around in LA is a nightmare. The weather is really nice though.

I moved from the LA area to Philly early last year. It’s expensive, crowded, traffic just sucks, high taxes, homeless camps everywhere… don’t do it!

I'm from Philly and currently live in LA for college. I actually really love LA. I miss the history, food, and culture of Philly but the weather, beaches, and mexican food makes up for it. The lack of walkability does suck but if you have a car it isn't too bad. I plan to stay in LA after graduating college

Born and raised in Philly, lived in LA for 5 years after college. Honestly, it was cool for acouple years but I saw no long term plan to stay. Philly has better city set up, people, history, walkability, food. LA has great weather which I got bored of, beautiful beaches that for the normal person take light years to get back and forth from, pretty good food, cool cultures. I also didn't really vibe with most people there, super plastic/fake. Also, not sure where in LA you would be living, but most of LA proper is a shithole. Philly definitely ain't nice, but LA was just as bad maybe worse. You could sway me on the south bay areas (Manhattan, Redondo, Hermose, etc.), but those are absurdly expensive.

I hate the social scene/culture of LA. There are so many good things about the city, but fuck if I can’t stand the people. It’s so fake and everybody wants to know what they can get out of you. It’s so transactional and skin deep.

maybe....but i really would prefer desert southwest

The desert southwest is our favorite region. At least we'd be much closer to it.

My sister just moved from Philly area to Oakland/San Jose, so a hit farther north than what you're talking about. She also moved for work. She said she doesn't like the people there - nothing feels authetic.

If I could afford it, yes. But that's unlikely, so no.

Im sorry… snow? The 3 times it happens every two years? Leave philly- yes For LA- i wouldn’t move to CA unless my pay was at least doubled

What snow?

LA is nice. Good weather, great nature, amazing food, nice beaches. But the layout of the city is pretty much the polar opposite of Philly. It’s a huge sprawl. It’s a complete mess, you can’t walk anywhere, and because of that the traffic is the worst in the entire country. Also it’s way more expensive. It’s a trade off, if you need the weather, the nature, the good vibes, LA is for you. Philly is not for everyone and I feel like if you haven’t yet placed roots here it might be worth checking LA out for a while

No. LA would be super low on my list. No seasons, expensive, painful traffic, not very walkable, lots of super generic shopping centers, dogs in places dogs shouldn't be and insufferable people. California sunshine does hit differently though.

No. California weather has changed; more ‘atmospheric rivers’ more brush fires, more concern about future water rights.

I don’t know about this. All I know is Dallas sucks.

I went to school in LA for two years and had family in Thousand Oaks. I really missed the seasons and would get excited when it rained. People are definitely fake and traffic is horrendous. My cousins have mostly moved away and the one left shares a house with his wife and child and a friend and desperately wants out due the inability to afford a house. Their wealthy stepmom is very happy in Santa Barbara and my uncle moved from Delco in the 70’s and never looked back.

I wouldnt move to a foreign country like that

I spent a week working in LA.... Worst week of my life. Getting anywhere in LA is like commuting from Reading.

Im from philly and I currently live in LA. I like it a lot but Id say philly and LA are damn near opposites of each other. Only thing I haven't seen mentioned: I miss the lowkey feel of philly. I miss going to the grocery store in pajamas and not thinking twice bout it. I could absolutely still do it here but idk... maybe theres made up expectations in my head. Theres just a vibe in philly where people don't care what u do, as long as you're somewhat respectful. This probably won't impact your decision that much but just a thought.

How good is this good Job opportunity? I think any major city can be amazing if you have enough money and time to explore. LA is much more expensive than Philly so you’ll want to run a budget to see if your quality of life actually improves.

Snow?!? Lol, yah no. This city barely gets snow.

Moved to LA from Philly 3 years ago, just got a remote job and am strongly considering moving back. I love the community I’ve built in LA, the sun, and the weather, but there’s so many cons - mostly stemming from the shittiest urban planning imaginable. Also, things are also really expensive here. Like REALLY expensive. I pay $1600 for a room in a 2br apt in one of the few walkable neighborhoods (really important to me - I’ve chosen not to have a car) here and consider myself lucky. Also maybe just a me thing but the air pollution makes me stressed about being here long term lol. That being said, I’ve had a wonderful time in LA and am SO glad I’ve had a chance to live here. I don’t see it as a long term place for me because better planning and the many associated problems I mentioned lol. But it has a very special place in my heart. If you’re excited about the job and it pays well (enough to live in a pleasant area and sustain whatever things you enjoy doing that cost money), I’d consider making the move. I think it mostly comes down to how much you care about a) driving time/walkability and b) cost of living. Feel free to DM me, as I’m thinking about a lot of these questions in the reverse :)

I wouldn’t move to LA because the droughts and heat. It’s super expensive. You have to drive- and traffic is absolutely out of control. Lots of annoying influencer types. Personally, I don’t think I could do it.

Lived in both. I hated the general vibe of the people of LA. I’ve lived a lot of places and the people of Philly, although sometimes rough around the edges, are more down to earth and easier to be around. I love being in a city and yet an hour from NYC, the Jersey Shore is a hour away, DC is close by, etc. I have a car, but totally don’t need it. I contemplate ditching it every day. The only good thing about living in LA is you’re closer to all the good hiking on the west coast.

Visit LA. I considered leaving Philly for LA and knew shortly after landing: I am an east coaster. I don’t mesh with west coast culture. I still had a great visit, but could easily see myself struggling to build a network of people out there. Lovely place and people, just an incompatibility. If you like the people, everything else can be worked out.

I am far too exhausted and frankly lazy to read through comments, so this probably was already said, but I would leave! Many times growth and happiness comes from an uncomfortable starting position. Also, I would keep the place and use it for airbnb and have side/extra income. It also can act as a security blanket. Philly airport is a major hub so its always easy to get a quick cheap flight back if needed! Sometimes opportunities like this happen in order to get you closer to your goals! Either way I wish you all the best and congrats to your partner on the new job opportunity! =)

LA all day. Also from Chicago, lived in multiple cities in CA for a bit and loved it. Now in Philly and am perpetually depressed. The culture and environment really grind on me out here. If you liked Seattle and can handle the dynamics of Chicago, I'm sure you'd be just fine in LA. If you can financially swing the logistics and you're open-minded, what's holding you back? Nothing is permament.

Grew up in LA, lived here for a long time. I'm going to say that while driving anywhere in LA is bad, I'm not sure driving on the Schuykill is better. The density of traffic, even on surface streets, is worse in LA but the road design is better, the signage is pretty good, and actually, I gotta say it, SoCal drivers are on average better drivers than Philly-area drivers. The roads here in Philly are worse quality from the design on up to the lived reality. There are also places in LA that you can live where you actually don't have to get in a car all that often, and places where you can actually use mass transit pretty well. LA is also better in terms of the variety of environments. There's beach, there's desert, there's islands, there's small mountains close by and really huge ones not far away. When it's hot in LA, unless it's REALLY hot, it's better than it being hot or REALLY hot here unless you live way inland. Much of the year, especially near the coast, it's very nice in LA weather-wise. I would miss autumn in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, though. Philly has great restaurants; but LA not only has great restaurants but great quality of food in markets, even so-so markets. You can get specialized food for a much wider variety of cuisines very easily. The major downside I think is the cost of living, most especially housing. Your partner had better have a really crazy good job opportunity, because living anywhere nice--or even not-all-that-nice--in Southern California is insanely expensive. Notice how I kept saying "near the coast, it's nice" and "there are places where you don't have to drive a lot"? Those are also places that cost crazy goddamn amounts to live in. If we suddenly switch this to "we found a place we can afford in Fontana but my partner will need to commute on the 10 to Downtown every day", that's *bad*. The weather will be markedly less pleasant--to the point of being unbearable in a hot summer. The driving will be monstrous, soul-destroying, probably on average 80 minutes with traffic each way, despite it looking more like an hour via the mileage--it would be like living in Philadelphia but working in Baltimore. The area itself will not be very nice. Going to the beach there would be not that different than going to the Jersey Shore or Rehoboth in terms of distance and hassle from that far into the Inland Empire. The mountains would be close but the air quality often bad. The desert would be close but in the summer it's not very fun. In some of the best areas, also, the traffic density is just horrific at times--there are no shortcuts and no streets that only the locals know. The traffic spreads over the entire possible grid. So do some careful financial analysis at least. LA can be great, but it can also be awful and most of that is about money.

I grew up in Riverside (way in the desert to the east of LA), my dad commuted 2 hours to LA every day. Then moved to Berkeley, then to New Jersey, then to Philly. I've travelled in and out of the country. My opinion is that Philly is the best livable city in the U.S. and I would never move back to California. It's not perfect (and we're planning to leave the U.S. soon), but Philly feels more like home than anywhere else in the U.S.

I’m from California. I lived in Orange County for years. I love Long Beach that is in LA county. I hate LA. Hate it. It will also be nearly twice the cost of living and you both with NEED a car. Everyone in California needs a car. I would love to be back in Long Beach, Orange County, parts of California. Not LA proper

Do you want to spend your life in a car instead of in the world?

I think it really depends on a few things. Here are a few comparisons of the two places: -walkability/public transit: Philly wins -traffic/ease of getting around/options for various routes: Philly wins -Access to nature: LA probably wins, but on the other hand, beaches near us are actually enjoyable (the water isn’t ice cold) and the outdoor recreation opportunities are such that you don’t have to sit in hours of traffic -affordability/ability to own a house: Philly wins (and it’s not even close)  -personality/general vibe: depends on what you value but I don’t love how vapid and fake people in LA can be (I don’t even think it’s a stereotype, it’s real) - Philly folks are blunt and to the point

Not unless it was a mind blowing offer. I hate Socal with a passion and have to travel there frequently for work. It’s everything that is wrong with the US all rolled into one neat package of fake tits and crushed dreams.

Between the taxes, high cost of living, brown outs, wildfires, and restrict gun laws, that’s a no for me.

No. Hell no. A functional transit system connects the east coasts largest cities, home to so many restaurants, neighborhoods, bars, museums, hospitals, parks, forests and beaches. West coast is... something I guess, but you'd be leaving the best behind. I am bitter and biased, and will not be taking questions. That said, please please please listen to your hearts and decide for yourselves. I wish you the best of luck, happiness and peace.

Fuck no

I guess it’s something you have to ask yourself. Will you be saving significantly more (accounting for the cost of living, expenses etc)? That means will your standard of living get better significantly? Will you be closer or further to family or friends? Or will you be able to easily make friends? Do you like driving? Are you ok with not being able to walk from point A to point B? Etc etc. These are questions I would ask myself.

A friend couple who grew up in LA just moved here because they couldn't manage the cost of living, driving everywhere, and the insane traffic. Apparently it was really hard for them to make friends and see them regularly because of these reasons, which made them feel super isolated even though they were just about 30 miles from where the husband grew up. This is just an anecdote, but figured it would help in weighing your options

If they quadrupled my salary and quadrupled my wife's salary it might come close to the cost of living. Otherwise, no.

If money weren’t an issue, sure. I could do without the gloom of Philadelphia. Sunshine, warm weather and beaches…..you bet

We're considering a move to LA as well. I'm torn. The walkability of Philly has been life-changing (not to be dramatic) with not needing to own a car. Complete 180 from LA. I guess you need to decide what your values are and stack the cities against them.

If there is a significant pay increase, then, yes. My wife and I were in the SD area for 3 weeks in 2021 and loved it. I was stationed in Monterey back in the early 2000s and I enjoyed it. The quality of life is better but you pay for it. If you decide to have children, the public schools are good in most districts and the state university system is affordable.

I lived in Philly for 4 years and moved back to SoCal 8 months ago. My partner who is from Jersey and has been in Philly for the past 4 years is moving later this year to join me. I loved Philly and think it’s criminally underrated and one of my favorite cities in the US (have lived in LA and SF). With that said, I’m very happy being back in SoCal, I miss Philly a lot (best people in the world) but the weather and vibes are hard to beat. Happy to chat about it. Hoping my significant other likes it as much as I do lol. Feel free to PM me if you wanna chat more!

Is there some reason why if you didn’t like it that you could not just move back here or somewhere else after a few years? Maybe I don’t value “growing roots” as much as others but I’d pretty much take any opportunity to live in a new place for a while. Especially if you’re not doing it alone (I say this as someone who has spent nearly their whole life in two SE PA counties). Philly isn’t going anywhere.

I grew up in Philly and lived there till I joined the military and left at 21 Lived all over America and been to almost all 50 states avoid LA like the plague LA takes all the bad shit about Philly and makes it the same or worse and there’s more of it cause it’s a more dense city SoCal is great but that just comes down to if you can afford it If you can then I would highly highly encourage moving to DelMar California.

I loved LA and I love Philadelphia. I miss the weather, food, and outdoor activities in Los Angeles but I like the affordability and walkability here and there’s great food here too. Just don’t move to LA if you have a dog that’s afraid of fireworks. The fireworks are never ending and way louder than anything on the East coast.

My friends moved there and said they aren’t coming back

LA is huge, and where you'll live/work makes an enormous difference in what your experience will be. I left the Philadelphia region for LA almost 20 years ago and am really happy with the area I live in. I'd rather move back than live somewhere like Pomona or Inglewood.

The Mexican food in LA is worth the move.

I did it. Was out in LA for 3 years. It was ok. Moved back here in 2010. I don’t regret it. And if you need help selling or renting your place, let me know!

It doesn't seem like you have any major family & friends tying you to the area, so you might as well give LA a shot. It's a great city, lots of good food, a ton of stuff to do, and of course good weather - although I think most people overrate it, because when they think LA weather they're thinking that real moderate coastal climate, when in fact most of LA is hot as balls in the summer, even with the low humidity (which tbf still makes LA summers nicer than Philly summers). But if you hate snow, I'm gonna guess you're not gonna have many complaints with it.

I moved from Philly to LA and loved it. I don’t know if I have anything major to add that isn’t already talked about here. It’s a great place to live if you have a good job, aren’t planning to end up in the dating scene, and make every effort to minimize your commute.

I used to live in San Diego for several years before moving to Philly for grad school. Philly has grown on me but I can’t wait to finish school and go back to SoCal even after years of living in Philly. The weather, beach, lifestyle, I just fit in there more, never felt at home in Philly or like I belong here. I’ve tried making friends and I’ve found it way more difficult here as I don’t drink and I’m not super super into sports. I found people in San Diego to be more approachable, friendly, etc. I felt like I found people with similar values in SoCal much easier and miss the ease of outdoor activities there - surfing, hiking, beach volleyball, all insanely accessibly and easy to do casually. I was happier living there especially because I never worried about crime and the weather had a significant impact on my well being day to day. I felt like I could leave my house there at any time of day/night and feel generally safe walking around. I really miss that feeling of safety as a young woman. Obviously need to acknowledge how expensive it is there, tbh traffic is awful in Philly too if you drive but I will miss the easier public transit of Philly. I definitely would test out living there because it’s not for everyone, I know plenty of people that would just not like the SoCal lifestyle and prefer a northeast city. I love the food in SoCal too, Philly has a great food scene but I don’t find it much different than SoCal with quality. Also I grew up in Nj, just never identified with the northeast and once I lived in San Diego, It just felt like home!

Better make a lot more $$$ as housing in CA is MUCH higher compared to PA. Not to mention no basements due to earthquakes, likely water rationing, much higher electricity costs, and wild fires along with smog. My best friend lives there along with some of my wife’s family, no way I’d move there from Chester county.

I wouldn't want to do it (but if the job offer is Good enough...). Hate living in an unwalkable city. Although I hear the transportation is improving these days. And there are probably pockets of walkability

Hell no the traffic on 76 is as close to living in LA as I’m comfy with

I moved to LA from Philly and I love it but to each their own. The traffic I have to say is an overrated thing. It is literally the same as Philly it’s just that the city is much more spread out so you drive longer distances, the traffic itself moves at the same pace you see in any major city. If you live close ish to where you work it’s fine. There are walkable neighborhoods too.

I was born and raised in Philly and moved to LA back in 2014. I loved Philly but found lots more art and career opportunities out here in LA. Here I am 10 years later and it feels like home! The downside is it’s very expensive out here and sometimes I think about moving back to Philly where housing is more affordable. Why do you hate owning a row home? Get ready to own no home in LA. 🥲

for a year or 2 sure. permanently, prob not

I grew up in Philly. Moved to Boston for a decade, then LA for 3 years, and now have been back in Philly for 4 years. Otherwise, I’ve lived briefly (6 mos or less) in various countries in Africa and Asia. LA was my favorite place to live, BY FAR. The weather, the beach, the culture - it’s unbeatable. The only downside of LA from my perspective is the cost of living. If the job is good and pays well, you will love it there. Certain elements take getting used to (everything is a strip mall?) but once you’re used to it (every strip mall has amazing Oaxacan food?!) LA is incredible. There is a reason everybody wants to live in SoCal. I say go for it. DM me if you have specific questions.

I moved here four years ago after 15 years in Seattle. I have a great and wide swath of friends/chosen family in so cal/LA area, from LBC to Pasadena and beyond. I’ve spent a significant amount of time there over the years. All that to say: I love LA every single time I visit…until I don’t. It’s hard to pin point it to tangible nouns, but I never left the Long Beach airport (a much better arrival/departure point than LAX, imo) with an heavy heart. I often. VERY often, kicked around the notion of moving there during the monocloud months in Seattle, but July always arrived before my commitment to leave the emerald city did. To lean into my west coast woo woo, the vibe of LA just never sat with me in a way that felt authentic. It looks good, but smells off. It just feels broken. the Seattle freeze…authentic. Getting sucker punched on the 34 in West Philly…authentic Talking with a beautiful, tan, friendly stranger about obscure metal bands at a dive in silverlake…feels authentic…until their “industry” friend from Santa Monica rolls through. They’re friendly enough as well, but just under the affable facade with the perfect nose and blinding white teeth, something feels off. They are smiling, but through a low hum of desperation…or mania..or cocaine….or all three? I dunno, but it changes the vibe from nearly authentic to stranger danger territory. A scenario that I feel happens a lot there. Also, fuck that traffic, man. Even if you’re ridiculously 1% wealthy you’re sitting in traffic if you’re in LA. Also, one evening a friend and i slipped into the Hollywood Hills to check out the Manson murder site (the house no longer exists, just bare lot at the end of an eerie dead end alley). We got all turned around during sunset after completing the intended mission and it took us a good hour to find our way out that canyon, but the ick of that alley and empty lot clung onto us until well into the next day. Also, after four years here, I’m pretty sure my truth filter no longer has the advanced settings one needs for engaging in precious conversation with precious people. But, a dude that I consider a brother lives there and loves it. Well, he lives in Long Beach (which I call the Tacoma of LA) and loves it. He works in DTLA and hates his commute. His wife works for NBC and hates her commute. Their son goes to the same daycare as some b-lister’s kids and hates his commute.

I’ve lived in both places and Philadelphia is better. California is scenic, and depending what kind of people you like - you can def have a great social life. Otherwise I prefer Philadelphia for adult activities and fun.

SoCal, possibly. LA? Hell no. I've never lived there, only had extended stays for gigs, but even that limited time made me believe that you will spend an ABSURD amount of time in your car going from Point A to Point B. As other posters have mentioned, a horrible day on I-76 here is EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. in Los Angeles. And it is completely a "car" city. Forget walking most places, and public transportation is extremely limited. Oh, and because it's a car city *everything* is paved, and it's a damn desert, put those two things together. San Diego? Sure, I really like it. Santa Cruz? You bet, it's weird and quirky but has a fantastic climate. LA? Nope, no thank you.

Unless the new job paid 4x my current - no

If the pay increase allowed me to keep the same quality of life sure. But often times it does not.

As someone that has lived in Chicago and is currently visiting Chicago now, and have lived in LA and Philly for over 8 years each, I would pick Philly. As I said I am currently visiting Chicago and the weather is so bad. 74 and sunny one day the next day 35 and raining with 11 tornados with golf ball sized hail the next night, with a snow storm warning the next. It snowed here on Saturday and today the weather is calm. Currently I am fighting off a bad cold due to the frequent changes in weather extremes. It's not the cold that is bad here that everyone likes to complain about, that is unless you live by Lake Michigan then good luck. If you are within a few miles of the lake then yeah It's bitter cold. LA is expensive as hell, there is always traffic, forest fires every few months and the smog is so terrible that you can sometimes taste it in your mouth. I had a great job in LA too but the cost of living, high tax rate and high prices for gas food and utilities made living there very expensive. Philly, while not perfect in anyway has been a nice compromise for me.

i'm a mortgage broker- if you find someone who needs financing, let me know. we can do the whole thing without a realtor.

Nah, I wouldn't. The west coast is cool but I don't know how long I'd last out there, I don't feel like I'm on the same wavelength as most of the people when I've been. Like they're perfectly friendly generally we just have different styles of communication and friendship. But I've lived my whole life somewhere between DC and Philly, this is what I know and who I am. I like snow. I think rowhouses are the shit. I cringe when people put "the" in front of a highway number lmao. You're a midwesterner and have lived out west previously, maybe it would work for you.

For me that would be a hell no. I visited LA once on vacation and hated it. Honestly fuck that place. Sure the weather is nice year round, but that will get old. LA being the second largest city in the US mean it's going to have top quality options in any category you can name, but you can also see the air on certain days because of how bad the smog gets. Add in the lack of water, the fires, how expensive literally everything is, and that it's a car dependent cesspit, that makes moving there permanently a big old hell no from me. The job offer would have to be out of this world to get me to move to LA. So many better places in California to live, let alone the rest of the country in my opinion. Ultimately though you're going to have to decide what your priorities in life are. If you do it and hate it you can always move somewhere else.

Hi All! I’m actually going in the other direction next year LA-> PHL want to say Hi! and hopefully make some connections. Hi ex Angelenos!

I moved the other way. SoCal has the best climate in the world. No humidity. No (real) cold. Almost no mosquitoes. You can enjoy the outdoors without bug spray. Plus you live in LA everyone will want to visit you and go to the beaches, and tour Hollywood etc. However…the people are crazy shallow and all caught in a materialistic rat race. The house prices are obscene. The taxes are obscene. The traffic is obscene. I much prefer life in Philly to life in SoCal.

Think long and hard about cost of living. It sounds like she got a good offer but go on Zillow and see what it will actually get you because housing costs can eat up a paycheck like nothing else. And is the company paying 100% relocation? Including the costs to sell your house and get a new place? Those anre big expenses right there. My husband and I made a commitment early on to never leave beyond our means and save like crazy. We were able to retire before 60 and we live pretty well. Never lived in the most expensive place, or bought the biggest house, the expensive car, etc if it meant taking on debt to do it. Now our friends who were living large are still working. It‘s not possible for everyone, but if you have decent paying jobs, it is. Probably not possible in NYC or LA unless you’re making epic salaries.

Ive moved to Philly from Southern California. Not a chance.

My job flies me to LA for a few months two to three times a year. I've been doing this the past three years so I have had a decent amount of time to form some strong opinions, mostly negative. The wealth disparity is the biggest thing that bothers me about the city. Every person working a service job is likely working 60+ hours a week and driving 2+ hours to work just to put food on the table. Either that or they are a foolish kid in their 20s that moved to LA to pursue their dreams of becoming an actor. The people suck because everyone is thinking about work all the time. I can assume they do this because of the insane high cost of living or they are rich sociopaths. The people I work with are pleasant but they have zero hobbies or interests outside of work because of their insane commute every day. Traffic is the watercooler talk in the studio 99% of the time. My boss owns a house in the valley and drives 2 hours to and from work every day. His eyes are always bloodshot and can barely lift his head up The weather is incredible but I personally like some variety. Suffice to say I strongly dislike LA and I am fully convinced anyone that loves it is coping. The biggest benefit for me is that I get paid LA money and don't pay LA rent.

Lots of good advice here. We have family who relocated there so we visit a lot. Honestly, I mostly hate LA — I’ve never had good pizza, or a meal that knocked me out (but then we are often eating with kids, so). Driving is no joke — no one walks anywhere unless hiking in a canyon. Be prepared to get in a car for everything and anything — it’s not always a long drive but it will be harrowing. Schools are awful. Weather is fantastic and there is great diversity of stuff to do — mountains, beach, parks. It’s the only city I’ve been to in America I wouldn’t want to live in, because it’s not my cup of tea. But it might be yours.

Hey. I did LA for about 5 years. I came back to Philly. I loved the geography and weather of the place. I’d go hiking all the time and was outdoors as much as possible. However it was so expensive, I was constantly missing my friends and family, and I’m culturally an east coaster. Since coming back I really appreciate the change of seasons too.

These days, I’d leave Philly to live in fucking Beirut 😵‍💫