Cost of Living - Chicago vs. OC (Newport, Huntington, Long Beach) (Santa Ana: apartment complex, lease)

[one.msa]

I've been looking online all over the place to get an accurate cost of living adjustment for moving from Chicago to Orange County, but I've gotten alot of crazy figures. I'm pretty sure it's more expensive to live in Orange County, but just exactly how much?

Anyone know of any reliable websites where I can gather that information? Or does anyone just know? I want to be accurate because I'll be using the data in negotiating my potential salary requirements for a new job.

Any help is great!

(As far as advice on living and moving to Orange County, it looks like there's plenty of information here for me to digest, but any thoughts are welcome. Imagine 28 year old MMA fighter/Video Game Producer with a doberman.)

Thanks!

[EscapeCalifornia]

What kind of information are you looking for? Cost of housing? Food? Utilities? According to Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed calculator, its 33% more expensive to live in SoCal than Chicago with housing being almost double. But SoCal is such a huge area that housing costs (the biggest component of an area's affordability) vary greatly. Coastal Orange County is of course going to be at the higher end of the scale.

[one.msa]

I guess housing would be the most important, but really I was just looking for an multiplier. I wanted to calculate what I would have to earn to live the same lifestyle. I checked out Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed and got the same statistic. Would you say that is a pretty reliable source?

I'd be working in Newport Beach, and obviously coastal living is much more expensive. Any suggestions on some inland areas?

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by one.msa

I guess housing would be the most important, but really I was just looking for an multiplier. I wanted to calculate what I would have to earn to live the same lifestyle. I checked out Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed and got the same statistic. Would you say that is a pretty reliable source?

I'd be working in Newport Beach, and obviously coastal living is much more expensive. Any suggestions on some inland areas?

I haven't lived in Chicago so I can't compare directly. I'd say that aside from housing, life in SoCal costs about the same as anywhere. Some things are more expensive, some are less, but it evens out pretty well.

What kind of housing do you require? Apartment? House? Buy? Rent? Everything else comes after that. What's your tolerance for ghetto living? Unfortunately, things don't get much cheaper as you go inland within a reasonable commuting distance. You could look in the more inland parts of Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, or Tustin. Newport Beach costs more because it has the name but its not like other areas are exactly cheap.

[one.msa]

I'd be renting - just me, so a 1 BD apartment is probably what I'd be looking for. I'm totally fine with ghetto living. What were you thinking?

I've heard Tustin is nice. I think I also read some things about Mission Vallejo in the forums. I know Newport Beach is expensive, so I wasn't really considering even looking there.

What do you think about Long Beach? How long would the commute be? Does the PCH get a lot of rush hour traffic?

[EscapeCalifornia]

I'd budget $1200-$1500 for a 1 bedroom apartment. Most places will have 1 assigned parking space unless its a small place in a beach area where you'll probably have to fight it out for street parking. Utilities: Figure $50/mo for electricity, $25/mo for water, sewer, trash if its not included, and $10-30/mo for gas depending on the season.

Tustin has some very nice and expensive apartments. It also has illegal alien ghetto. Mission Viejo is pretty much all nice. Its one of the safest cities in the country. I personally don't like Long Beach. Its too crowded, has no parking, and has too much ghetto mixed in. Long Beach to Newport Beach on PCH can be a long drive. Traffic going south on the 405 in the morning sucks so I imagine PCH's pattern is similar. PCH has a lot of stop lights that really slow things down, even when traffic is light.

[Mel2882]

I live in Chicago now, but moved from Orange County. What part of Chicago are you coming from? I would actually recommend Long Beach for a person your age (I'm 25 myself). If you're coming from Chicago, I don't think you'll find Long Beach that crowded, or the parking that bad. At least in CA they do not post random no parking signs with no warning (at least it's not a common thing). It's a fun place to be. There are parts that can be ghetto, but most of it is nice. Most of Tustin is nice as well, plus you'd be traveling most likely on the 55, and you'd be going against traffic in the morning. You might want to look up Costa Mesa. It borders Newport Beach but isn't right on the coast, so it's a little cheaper. The west side isn't as nice, but if you're comfortable living in the ghetto, you'd probably be fine with it (it's not that bad).

[YLresident]

If you're cool with ghetto living, theres some places in Westminster (I think on Westminster Blvd. b/t Magnolia and Beach--on the south side of the street) that rent 1 bedroom apts for about 800-ish a month. Some of my brother's wife's friends live there with young children. The apts are clean and a fair size for the price--there's parking both in back and on the street. You can't leave your door unlocked like you can in a lot of other OC areas, but it's not as bad as Santa Ana or Stanton or Anaheim.

[Reivax]

Originally Posted by one.msa

I'd be renting - just me, so a 1 BD apartment is probably what I'd be looking for. I'm totally fine with ghetto living. What were you thinking?

I've heard Tustin is nice. I think I also read some things about Mission Vallejo in the forums. I know Newport Beach is expensive, so I wasn't really considering even looking there.

What do you think about Long Beach? How long would the commute be? Does the PCH get a lot of rush hour traffic?

I live in Costa Mesa, and worked in Long Beach, off Ocean Blvd, same building where the boats leave for Catalina. I took PCH every day. It took about 40 minutes and personally I thought it was a beautiful drive, and very relaxing. I honestly didn't mind it. Whereas 40 minutes on a freeway would drive me nuts.
But, the PCH commute might only make sense if you lived near the PCH.

If you're not overly picky about where you live, you will find something just fine and not pay out the nose. Problem with many people on these boards is they make broad, sweeping generalizations about cities as if every single address in that city had the same characteristics.

I'd say to get a good look at the place you want to live and avoid a long term lease for your first place.

[Sick and tired in SoCal]

I live in O.C. and have for 16 years. I am originally from Missouri. It is expensive, but depending on what your earnings are will depend on where you will be able to afford. I live and rent in a very average apartment complex. Nothing grand but not a dump either and the market rate for renting a 2 bedroom 2 bath there in central O.C. is $1,600 a month. I think the apts. are about 35 years old or so. Newer nicer places in South O.C. are much more expensive. Irvine, Newport Beach, Aliso Viejo, Laguna areas can get pricey but that's the place to be. I have used salary.com to do some of my research, as I am looking to move back to the midwest because I will never be able to afford to buy a home here. You are young however and could probably get into one of those crazy 40 or 50 year mortgages and afford it. I am a little older now and I must be able to pay a home off in 25 to 30 years. Good luck!