Cheaper places to live in SoCal

[dexter14]

Originally Posted by irishfan77

what would 3 k get me?

A pretty decent place in a nicer area.

[countofmc]

Originally Posted by irishfan77

what would 3 k get me?

A really nice laptop with access to craigslist.

[koalayummi]

I've lived in the South Bay area my whole life and it's nice for the price.. I mean, most likely wont find much of anything more than a 1bd apartment in the beach cities for $1,500-$2,000, but look around Torrance, Hawthorne, Lawndale. I live in Hawthorne and pay $1295 for a 2bd 1ba detached house w/ single car garage and a nice size back yard... Not to say that's an easy find, but it's possible.... And every city is going to have its "ghetto" areas, for Torrance I recommend staying west of Western Ave. and towards the south you get into Lomita and Harbor City which are cheaper cities, but I hear mixed reviews about them.. For Hawthorne, stay south of El Segundo Blvd. and west of Prairie Ave.. best school district in Hawthorne is Wiseburn, that's where you'll find the nicest houses (Wiseburn/ Del Aire area) but they're most likely over $2,000/mo if they're up for rent. Torrance, I'm pretty sure all of their schools are really good, North Torrance is probably the cheaper part that isn't "ghetto". Lawndale's kind of a neutral city, not the best, not the worst. Each of these cities are around/less than 5 miles from the beach.

[nightlysparrow]

2 bedrooms, newer complex, gym, pool, etc. Pets OK, Agoura Hills (also other locations):

Archstone Agoura Hills near Los Angeles - 30856 Agoura Road - Archstone Apartments in Los Angeles

[oddstray]

You can rent an apartment or condo for that budget in many areas of San Diego, too.

[pears]

Originally Posted by ccm123

You could rent out in the IE or Palmdale/Lancaster. Far away, but generally less expensive.

Lancaster/Palmdale are further away, but much safer than many parts of LA.

[volosong]

Originally Posted by pears

Lancaster/Palmdale are further away, but much safer than many parts of LA.

I've lived in Palmdale for the past 11 years, coming from Ventura County. I really miss Ventura County, but it is difficult to pass up on the cost of housing and general cost-of-living in the Antelope Valley. It's a bit of a drive back "down below", but there are some things that make it worth living out here.

There is much less smog. Pretty much none. A few dust storms from time to time, caused by the high winds over the solar farms. Since they put down some ground cover, it hasn't been a problem. It sure gets hot out here in the summer, but the humidity is very low, so not really an issue. And, it get really, really cold in the winter. Snows every few years, enough that it sticks around for a few days. One recent year, it stuck for about a week.

Best part about being up here is the openness. One, two miles and you are out of the city into the wide open desert. Lots of open space, and you can actually see the surrounding mountains every day, unlike if in the LA Basin.

One thing to remember . . . if you come up here, make sure you live on the west side of the freeway! I didn't learn this until I was already established up here. It didn't take too long to figure out why. I'm glad I did purchase on the west side.

[Bobbyt801]

Originally Posted by irishfan77

what would 1500-2k get me in LA?

When you say LA do you mean like Hollywood or surrounding areas? Or LA county? Not sure what prices are like in the hills or downtown, I know they're on the expensive side, but by the coast in LA, for a studio will run high $1,000's. Why move to So Cal anyway? Sucks here haha