The Most Affordable Places To Live In Los Angeles (2023)

FAQs

Are there affordable places to live in Los Angeles? ›

The best places to live in Los Angeles include Beverly Hills for its high-end real estate and amenities, Los Feliz for its high walkability score, and Santa Monica for its beaches and top-rated schools. People love Los Angeles for its sunny weather, diverse culture, and beautiful real estate.

According to the study, a Los Angeles resident without children would need to make $76,710 after taxes to live comfortably. The study is based on the MIT Living Wage Calculator, which uses the cost of housing, food, transportation, medical care and more.

The ninth largest city in the state and one of the most affordable cities in California, Bakersfield is a rapidly-growing place to live about two hours north of Los Angeles. Families relocating to California can find affordable housing and job opportunities in top industries like oil and agriculture in Bakersfield.

LAHD offers the ability to search and apply online for accessible housing. In addition, in partnership with the County of Los Angeles, is offered an online affordable housing listing service. These free services provide lists and information about affordable and accessible residential rental properties.

West of Downtown and Hollywood you'll find the upscale residential areas of West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and the beaches in Venice, Santa Monica, and Malibu. West Hollywood is a safe, relatively central option for seeing the whole city, best known for nightlife and shopping with an abundance of bars and music venues.

In conclusion, Los Angeles is a city that offers a warm and sunny climate, a diverse job market, a rich cultural scene, beautiful beaches, a thriving food scene, and unparalleled shopping and entertainment opportunities. However, it also faces challenges such as heavy traffic and a high cost of living.

LA has a stable and more comfortable climate, an affordable transport system, and a lower cost of living. Meanwhile, there are better job opportunities and a higher safety index in NYC, although with a higher cost of living. With these factors in mind, we can say that LA is better than New York City.

According to a new study from SmartAsset, a $100,000 salary in Los Angeles leaves workers with what "feels like" just $44,623, ranking it among the lowest of nearly 80 cities analyzed by the financial advisory company.

How much money do I need before moving to LA? ›

Moving costs: $2,000. First apartment costs: $10,000. Startup costs: $4,000. Emergency costs: $4,000.

Before moving to Los Angeles, save up at least $10,000 before you arrive and an extra $5,000 to help cover initial costs and additional expenses. Since the cost of living is high, it is not recommended to be moving to Los Angeles without any money.

If you're looking for affordable places to live in California, the northern part of the state is your best bet as the cost of living in Northern California is much lower than in SoCal. And some of the cheapest places to live in California, like Eureka, also offer some of the best quality of life.

Marina del Rey, California

You can carve out a life there for $98,931.74, or $8,244.31 per month. Rent is crushingly high, though — a one-bedroom in Marina del Rey costs nearly $1,400 more than the next most expensive city.

Lower Cost of Everyday Expenses: San Diego typically has a lower cost of everyday expenses such as groceries, dining out, and transportation compared to Los Angeles. While prices can vary depending on specific locations and lifestyle choices, San Diego's overall cost of living tends to be slightly more manageable.

1. Bel-Air. The richest neighborhood in Los Angeles is Bel-Air. Making its claim to fame on the popular series The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, this neighborhood is located directly across from Sunset Boulevard and is considered one of the most exclusive residential areas in Los Angeles.

The big difference comes in terms of rent prices. Rent prices in Los Angeles are substantially higher than they are in Las Vegas. In fact, rent prices are about 84-percent higher.

According to the Redfin study, the income needed to buy a median-priced home in L.A. has soared by 40.7% in one year. In 2021, anyone looking to buy a home in the city of Angels needed to make $157,000 a year. However, now, that same person would need to make $64,000 more, or $221,000, to buy a median-priced home.

In Los Angeles County, 14.2% of residents live below the federal poverty line, which in California is defined as having an annual income of $13,590 for a one-person household, $18,310 for two people and $27,750 for a family of four.

Which Los Angeles cities don't have rent control? ›

For a simplified look at Los Angeles rent control, look here. Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and West Hollywood have rent control, but Glendale, Burbank, Torrance, Pasadena, Downey, and other cities nearby have nothing like it.

The most popular and safe places for tourists include West Hollywood, Silverlake, and Santa Monica. These three cities are favorite spots for anyone looking to check out the Los Angeles scene and some of the best areas to look for a place to stay.

While the Westside is more known for its beaches, restaurants with outdoor patios, high-end bars and lounges, and recreational activities, the Eastside is recognized for its shopping, concert and entertainment venues, and museums, as well as its speakeasies and dive bars.

Santa Monica is the most beautiful neighborhood in Los Angeles for many. The hills, West Hollywood, and Malibu are also gorgeous.

Santa Monica. Home to the Big Blue bus, the Expo Line, and plenty of express bus lanes, Santa Monica is also a good choice for a car-free lifestyle. This area is especially good for bicycling which many miles of bike lanes, lockers and infrastructure, along with its own Breeze Bike Share system.

Move to LA During Your Favorite Season

For great weather, a little rain, and the fewest crowds (except around Spring Break), choose the spring months of March and April. For the warmest ocean water (68 degrees Fahrenheit on average), plan to move to LA during late summer — August and early September.

There are many reasons why people from around the world decide to move to Los Angeles. They range from chasing a dream job in entertainment or tech or have a fresh start in a different city with a temperate climate.

LA's public transit network is just about adequate for getting around. If you do not have a car, LA is still a fun, accessible city as there are various options to travel locally. Here are a few local modes of transportation if you want to visit Los Angeles without a car.

Making friends in a city as big as Los Angeles can be daunting. There are an overwhelming number of activities, meet-ups and events, yet forging a real connection with a kindred spirit can seem slippery and elusive. In many ways, this mirrors the experience of adults everywhere who want new platonic relationships.

Is NYC cleaner than LA? Both NYC and LA are massive cities, and neither is particularly clean, but NYC isn't as clean as LA when it comes to street trash. While LA has cleaner streets than NYC, the air quality is worse as there's more pollution in the area.

Can a family of 3 live on $100 000 a year? ›

It can be more than enough for an individual or even a small family to live comfortably. With $100,000 a year, a person could cover typical expenses, pay down debt, build their savings, contribute toward retirement, invest, and still have enough money for entertainment, hobbies, and vacations.

In Southern California (which the survey grouped Los Angeles and San Diego), the threshold for what is considered wealthy is $3.9 million. It's the second-highest total in the survey, trailing San Francisco, where the "wealthy" net worth is $5.1 million.

If you make $100,000 a year living in the region of California, USA, you will be taxed $29,959. That means that your net pay will be $70,041 per year, or $5,837 per month.

Housing is the most significant expense for most American households. The cost of living in a certain city takes into account both the price of rent and the price of a home. The average monthly rent in Los Angeles is $2,781, while home prices circle around $1,098,874. Thinking of moving?

The data used in the study analyzed the cost of living in each city as of 2022. For California cities like Los Angeles, Berkeley and San Diego, a single person must make more than $76,000 to “live comfortably,” the data shows.

It's easy to see why someone would want to live in California; just know you should have at least six months of expenses saved up when making the move. You'll need to have money saved when moving to California or at least a decent-paying job lined up since it's one of the most expensive states to live in.

This is due to the city's proximity to large agricultural areas and its relatively inexpensive housing. The city's median home price is $362,600, which is way lesser than California's median home price of $600,000.

Where is the cheapest place to live in 2023? ›

Mississippi. Coming in as the cheapest state to live in in the United States is Mississippi with a cost of living index score of 83.3. It also has the lowest average housing costs in the nation at 33.7% below the national average.

According to the list, the most miserable places to live in all of California are Visalia-Porterville, Merced, Yuba City, Madera, Hanford-Corcoran, and El Centro.

What salary do you need to live in Los Angeles? According to one estimate by Gobankingrates.com, an annual income of $74,371 was about right for the average person to live comfortably in Los Angeles.

You'll need to earn well over $100,000 to live comfortably. You'll need a staggering six-figure income to live comfortably in Los Angeles: at least $136,207 if you're paying rent or $150,391 if you own a house.

An annual salary of $80,000 can be considered a decent salary for a single person living in Los Angeles, but it will depend on individual circumstances and lifestyle. Los Angeles is known for having a high cost of living, with housing costs being a major factor in this higher cost of living.

In conclusion, Los Angeles is a city that offers a warm and sunny climate, a diverse job market, a rich cultural scene, beautiful beaches, a thriving food scene, and unparalleled shopping and entertainment opportunities. However, it also faces challenges such as heavy traffic and a high cost of living.

Is it easy to find a job in Los Angeles? ›

Finding a job in LA is not difficult, but finding one that allows you to live comfortably in such an expensive city may prove tricky. Competition is stiff in all sectors, so expats would do well to create polished, attractive CVs and cover letters to help them stand out among the crowd of applicants.

The data used in the study analyzed the cost of living in each city as of 2022. For California cities like Los Angeles, Berkeley and San Diego, a single person must make more than $76,000 to “live comfortably,” the data shows.

In Fremont, the median household income is $155,968, and a middle-class income ranges from $104,499 to $311,936. Los Angeles ranks 37th among large cities for middle-class income, with a range from $47,149 to $140,744.

According to the Redfin study, the income needed to buy a median-priced home in L.A. has soared by 40.7% in one year. In 2021, anyone looking to buy a home in the city of Angels needed to make $157,000 a year. However, now, that same person would need to make $64,000 more, or $221,000, to buy a median-priced home.

The cost of living in Los Angeles, CA is 28.4% higher than in Chicago, IL. You would have to earn a salary of $77,035 to maintain your current standard of living. Employers in Los Angeles, CA typically pay 6.4% more than employeers in Chicago, IL.

The average salary for a public school teacher in California is $65,500 per year.

LA has a stable and more comfortable climate, an affordable transport system, and a lower cost of living. Meanwhile, there are better job opportunities and a higher safety index in NYC, although with a higher cost of living. With these factors in mind, we can say that LA is better than New York City.

New York City has a higher safety index and better career opportunities. However, it has a higher cost of living and a smaller land size too. Los Angeles, on the other hand, has a lower cost of living with a more comfortable and stable climate. The city also has an affordable transport system.