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I apologize mods if this has to be moved, however I felt people in this forum who live in the area could answer this question. My son is 21 and took a trip to Venice Beach. He met some people at the beach there and decided he liked it and wants to stay. He is crashing on sofas now but has plans to get a job and get his own place in Venice or Santa Monica. We live in Atlanta and I know ATL can't hold a candle to LA as far as major cities and attractions go, however we're worried he doesn't realize the difficulty of starting over there alone with only a HS diploma and very little work history. Are our worries justified?

That’s an expensive area here in SoCal. I’m from the area your son is at but have lived in the OC for a while now, even here it’s starting to creep up in cost compared to renting prices from 8-10 years ago. Your son can go as cheap as he wants and maybe find a low quality studio, but it depends on his starting job out here.

Most guys I know that come here straight out of college from the Midwest or East Coast and make $50K to start, and usually get a roommate. Everyone is different tho, you can be as frugal as you want or as fancy as you want. if your son is savvy enough he can afford a place on his own, knowing you get what you pay for. A lot of people also recommend getting used furniture for cheap, via eBay or Craigslist.

LBC SoCal wrote:That’s an expensive area here in SoCal. I’m from the area your son is at but have lived in the OC for a while now, even here it’s staying to creep up in cost compared to renting prices from 8-10 years ago. Your son can go as cheap as he wants and maybe find a low quality studio, but it depends on his starting job out here.

Most guys I know that come here straight out of college from the Midwest or East Coast and make $50K to start, and usually get a roommate. Everyone is different tho, you can be as frugal as you want or as fancy as you want. if your son is savvy enough he can afford a place on his own, knowing you get what you pay for. A lot of people also recommend getting used furniture for cheap, via eBay or Craigslist.

Thanks. I was thinking he would need to look at a cheaper area in SOCAL and have some roommates.

I’m moving back to LA after being in Denver for 4 years. I’m moving to the LBC. Long Beach is still one of the most affordable areas to liven LA. Your son is looking at some pretty pricey areas for only having a hs diploma, Venice beach/Santa Monica area is one of the most expensive areas around.

A lot of people in that area give the illusion that hippies and slackers live in Venice beach/ Santa Monica but the reality is there are many trust fund babies and people with online businesses that only look like they are homeless and broke lol.


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His best option is trying to find a room for rent. Living by yourself in Santa Monica or Venice for a 21 year old is going to be really tough and I wouldn't recommend it he's going to be broke if he does. My advice would be to tell him to get on one of those facebook groups where people are renting their rooms and for him to try to find the best fit for him.

Simply put, It's expensive. If he plans on working there for a long time, make sure he has a high paying job otherwise taxes are going to make him miserable.

Hey, let your son dream big. Why not? It's pricey no doubt, but so is all of LA. Good luck to him, and if it doesn't work out...he moves on. In the end, he's prob gonna do what he wants to do anyways, right?

He'll live his life knowing he gave it a try.....not wishing he had. I support it.

There was a time, when you could come to California from the Midwest, with no money, and Live the American dream. Those days are over. The older generation could. The Younger generation of today are not aquiring the income and affordable real estate, that was available "back in the day." For example, Corporations and companies are leaving california.
With that said, im not going to be a downer, but to say anything is possible, but would suggest it would be helpful to arrive in LA with a degree, or degree on the way, and a job waiting.

You fears are to a large extent justified, and everyone has already chimed in on how expensive it is. But he is only 21 and this is the time in his life to try something like this. Does he have any particular job or career aspirations at this point? What kind of work has he done in the past? One of the better jobs in LA if you have at least some experience is being a server in a restaurant, hours are flexible and if you work in a better area you make good tip money- that's why it's the default job for aspiring actors/actresses.

The one thing he'll probably not be able to do is get his own place in Santa Monica. He'll probably need to find some roommates and maybe eat a fair amount of ramen, but worse comes to worse he moves back to Atlanta in a couple/few months and knows he gave it a shot.

Definitely do some research on rents in different areas of LA, and help him put together some sort of potential game plan if he's serious.

Maybe he can join a local labor union here in LA. They pay very well (over $100,000) when you graduate, you get a free education, and you don’t need a college degree to start. You get paid to learn on the job.


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madmaxmedia wrote:You fears are to a large extent justified, and everyone has already chimed in on how expensive it is. But he is only 21 and this is the time in his life to try something like this. Does he have any particular job or career aspirations at this point? What kind of work has he done in the past? One of the better jobs in LA if you have at least some experience is being a server in a restaurant, hours are flexible and if you work in a better area you make good tip money- that's why it's the default job for aspiring actors/actresses.

The one thing he'll probably not be able to do is get his own place in Santa Monica. He'll probably need to find some roommates and maybe eat a fair amount of ramen, but worse comes to worse he moves back to Atlanta in a couple/few months and knows he gave it a shot.

Definitely do some research on rents in different areas of LA, and help him put together some sort of potential game plan if he's serious.

Thanks for your response. He has worked at Walmart and UPS in the past and has about two years work experience but no good references. Honestly he is not sure what he wants to do LOL . I have helped him research rent in different areas and Long Beach seems to be reasonable. I have seen one bedrooms for 800 to 900 dollars.

Laker1 wrote:Maybe he can join a local labor union here in LA. They pay very well (over $100,000) when you graduate, you get a free education, and you don’t need a college degree to start. You get paid to learn on the job.


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I wasn't aware of this thanks for sharing.

To give you an idea how expensive it’s gotten in LA, I bought a 2500 square foot house just south of Pasadena for $700,000 in 2003. It’s now worth 2Million....and would rent for almost 4K a month. It’s crazy out here.

digcom99 wrote:To give you an idea how expensive it’s gotten in LA, I bought a 2500 square foot house just south of Pasadena for $700,000 in 2003. It’s now worth 2Million....and would rent for almost 4K a month. It’s crazy out here.

Yikes. Here in Atlanta you can buy the same home for 300k or less. We're not nearly as large as LA but have the 8th largest metro at about 6 million.

This is what i was saying above. The Real Estate Market when gramps bought a house in Pasadena, LA, Venice or wherever around here, is just not there for this current crop of 20 somethins. Even Local Politicians are enacting rent control, because Aparrment owners are jacking rents like crazy in the LA Market.
But Again, with that said, all is not Lost. Just arrive with a Plan. Join the Local Union as 1 said above. Partner up for rent. Degree. Etc..

With the homeless crisis crescendoing in California, sure come on over.

snaquille oatmeal wrote:With the homeless crisis crescendoing in California, sure come on over.

I know you are just joking; but this is one of the things that worries me.

chrismikayla wrote:

snaquille oatmeal wrote:With the homeless crisis crescendoing in California, sure come on over.

I know you are just joking; but this is one of the things that worries me.

I’m originally from LA, grew up in Santa Monica/Venice area. Back in the 80’s and 90’s it was tough. I had no skills and worked at department stores. I had roommates and or girlfriends I lived with. Eventually I grew up and decided I couldn’t live like that. I joined the Navy and got stationed in San Diego. Now I have a degree and work for the government. When I go back to visit family I can’t fathom being able to afford to live there even with my salary.

California in general is so expensive that over 30,000 people moved out of the state in 2019, and there are rumblings going on to decrease the Electoral Votes from 55 to 52, as they are determined by state population. Its bad out here.

PKABOOICU wrote:California in general is so expensive that over 30,000 people moved out of the state in 2019, and there are rumblings going on to decrease the Electoral Votes from 55 to 52, as they are determined by state population. Its bad out here.

Is that a typo? 30,000 out of a population of 39 million is needless to say irrelevant.