Renting in LA/Santa Monica area

[Abe]

Hi everyone, my family will be moving to Santa Monica in about a year for at least two years, with a goal of staying in the southern california area longer. We're planning to rent until I secure a permanent job. Anyone have recommendations on neighborhoods near Santa Monica, and possibly places to rent? Our budget is 0-4000/month for a 2 bedroom. Thanks!

[Thinkum]

You should be able to find a place for $4K or less pretty easily in Santa Monica. You can also look at Culver City and Mar Vista since they are really close by. The closer inland you get, the less expensive rents typically get. There also have places in SM that are income restricted, such as they will not rent to those making more than X amount.

[clarkfan1979]

I had an interview in Santa Monica 2 years ago. Lots of 1 bedroom apartments for 2,000/month. When I was considering the job, someone told me that you need to make at least $400,000 to live in Santa Monica. Yes, it's expensive, but not that expensive.

I heard bikes get stolen pretty regularly. Buy a shitty, but functional bike with a good lock.

[marty998]

Anyone else start singing the Sheryl Crow song whenever they see Santa Monica?? Been seeing this thread pop up all week and that's all I can think about.

"All I wanna do, is have some fun,
I gotta feeling, I'm not the only one.
All I wanna do, is have some fun,
until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard"

[nnls]

Anyone else start singing the Sheryl Crow song whenever they see Santa Monica?? Been seeing this thread pop up all week and that's all I can think about.

"All I wanna do, is have some fun,
I gotta feeling, I'm not the only one.
All I wanna do, is have some fun,
until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard"

that song came into my head as soon as I read the title. May not be as big an issue for people who live in Cali

[mustachepungoeshere]

Anyone else start singing the Sheryl Crow song whenever they see Santa Monica?? Been seeing this thread pop up all week and that's all I can think about.

"All I wanna do, is have some fun,
I gotta feeling, I'm not the only one.
All I wanna do, is have some fun,
until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard"

You see Santa Monica and don't think Savage Garden?

Un-Australian!

[nnls]

Anyone else start singing the Sheryl Crow song whenever they see Santa Monica?? Been seeing this thread pop up all week and that's all I can think about.

"All I wanna do, is have some fun,
I gotta feeling, I'm not the only one.
All I wanna do, is have some fun,
until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard"

You see Santa Monica and don't think Savage Garden?

Un-Australian!

I cant even think of the savage garden song that mentions Santa Monica

[mustachepungoeshere]

Anyone else start singing the Sheryl Crow song whenever they see Santa Monica?? Been seeing this thread pop up all week and that's all I can think about.

"All I wanna do, is have some fun,
I gotta feeling, I'm not the only one.
All I wanna do, is have some fun,
until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard"

You see Santa Monica and don't think Savage Garden?

Un-Australian!

I cant even think of the savage garden song that mentions Santa Monica

Anyone else start singing the Sheryl Crow song whenever they see Santa Monica?? Been seeing this thread pop up all week and that's all I can think about.

"All I wanna do, is have some fun,
I gotta feeling, I'm not the only one.
All I wanna do, is have some fun,
until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard"

You see Santa Monica and don't think Savage Garden?

Un-Australian!

I cant even think of the savage garden song that mentions Santa Monica

It's the one called, wait for it, Santa Monica.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQnAxOQxQIU

[VladTheImpaler]

I worked at a start-up on 3rd street promenade in Santa Monica for a year.
It was cool being able to walk to the ocean on my lunch break.
The price of homes in Pacific Palisades and Brentwood, and Marina Del Rey and anywhere in West-LA are ridiculously inflated.
As someone else said, go East to save money.
The farther you get from the ocean, the less expensive it gets.
The traffic is real bad. real bad.

[Abe]

Thanks for the song, and advice on the area. The high cost of housing in LA is a big concern for us in terms of staying long term, especially since MD salaries are not commiserate with the cost (like everyone else not in tech). For the two years I have to live close to the hospital in case of emergencies. Anyone live in one of the more inland cities, or in the smaller coastal towns? Are the prices just as high there? Where we end up after my training is done is anyone's guess.

[Thinkum]

Anywhere along the coast will be expensive. From Santa Monica all the way down to San Diego. Also, if you're going to be working in SM, you might want to save yourself the time and headache of driving on the freeways by living closer to work. You do not want to drive the 405 on a daily basis. If you are south of SM, you also have to contend with LAX traffic. Just go onto Craigslist and check out rents for surrounding areas. Also check out City-Data and Reddit. You should find people that live in areas you are considering living in.

[VladTheImpaler]

Anywhere along the coast will be expensive. From Santa Monica all the way down to San Diego. Also, if you're going to be working in SM, you might want to save yourself the time and headache of driving on the freeways by living closer to work. You do not want to drive the 405 on a daily basis. If you are south of SM, you also have to contend with LAX traffic. Just go onto Craigslist and check out rents for surrounding areas. Also check out City-Data and Reddit. You should find people that live in areas you are considering living in.

Yes, all of this is spot on.
Very accurate based on my experience living in West L.A. for almost 10 yrs.
If I was taking a job there, living close to work would be a huge priority for me, as the 405 is basically a parking lot 24 hrs a day.
If you are making Dr. money then Cost of living will be high, but totally manageable.
If you and your family can maintain a Mustachian lifestyle for the couple of yrs that you live there it will be all good.
you could rent a smallish place in Santa Monica or Venice Beach, less than 10 minutes from the beach.
My experience was fun because I met a lot of interesting people with interesting goals/dreams in L.A.
Lots of people trying to "make it." Whatever that means to them.
L.A. is expensive for a reason, it is an exciting (can be overwhelming) and unique (and dangerous) place to live for a while.
It's like any other big city...it's whatever you make it out to be. (based on your interests, hobbies, lifestyle choices.) There is nothing that is not available.

There's lots of good info about demographics on citydata.
If I may be blunt, all the whites live south in orange County, Laguna, and northern San Diego. (that is just my observation)
If you wanna go north of L.A. then Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village is also a nice affluent suburban pocket.

[Abe]

Thanks everyone for the advice. City Data had a whole bunch of information, but helps to get advice from you all with personal experience and same mindset. I really like sailing and hiking so that's a big plus for moving there. (Anyone interested in either, I'd be happy to join you in a year!)

We already have around >300k in savings/investments, will add another 100k this year. Our salary there should be roughly equal to here in Chicago, so rent won't break the bank. Our total spending is only about a quarter of salary, so that helps. I have a friend living farther inland (closer to Palm Springs) with a good practice, so we may move out there after finishing training.

[DeanW5]

Santa Monica is a good pale to live in. I think with our or your price range, you can probably find something in Santa Monica that would fit your requirements.  However, if you want to save on rent you should  teach for properties on he West Side, for example Venice, Marina Del Rey.  Culver City is a good area to look in. It's close to Santa Monica and still reasonable.