Moving to LA
 

Hi All,

First post here so if in the wrong section mods feel free to move. A friend suggest we post a few questions here despite it not being an expat forum as such.

There is a large possibilty that we (Wife and I) may need to move to LA for work. We would be coming from Aus (Melbourne specifically) and have only been to LA once before; extensivelly travelled otherwise but not much of the US.

First question is: Is it reasonable to assume we could rent a 2br apartment within 15 - 20 min commute of Beverly Hills for 2k pm?

Heaps of other questions obviously but just want to test the water here

Thanks :)

My brother used to rent a 2 BR in Culver City for $1850/month, which I would consider within 20 minutes of Beverly Hills (depends on exactly where you will be working - but even in peak times there are plenty of side streets to travel). Each area in your radius will have many (most) 2 BRs that go for more than your 2k price, but each one should have some options available. I think a lot will really depend on your expectations of a place (i.e. how modern does it need to be)? A good place to test out the waters is the apartments/housing section of losangeles.craigslist.org. Search 2 BR and then tab to westside/southbay. Ignore the southbay areas, but you can see what is available in West LA at that price and then map on google to start getting a feel for the area?

I recommend investing in a Westside Rentals account when you really start looking. I searched on craigslist for weeks when I needed to rent a house a few years ago. Then got a Westside Rentals account and found a place within days. It costs $60 for 60 days, but most people find places quickly - so you can buy their passwords on craigslist (for sale section) for $20.

I am sure you will get great information here. But would also check out the City Data Los Angeles forum as that is more geared towards moving and relocations.

20min to BH sounds like westwood, maybe brentwood, palms, and possibly around park brea. but i have no idea if they can be had for $2k/month.

ask people who work where you will be working, but be prepared for people telling you they live in calabasas, sherman oaks, pasadena, and other far-flung places.

westside rentals was awesome when i lived there, which was more than 15 years ago. but wait until you're actually in LA to sign up for it, as it gives you lots of listings but you really need to visit each one to pick out what works for you.

welcome to FT!

Yes but you may not like Palms or Culver City, and those are a solid 20 mins. West LA is under some rent control as is Santa Monica but dig around West LA first and the area is very busy.

$2000 a month will get you a nice 1 bedroom or a 2 bedroom in older buildings in slightly less desirable areas (e.g. next to freeways). For 2 bedrooms in nice areas, the rent is more in the range of $2500~$3500.

Beverly Hills has very little apartment rental so you are looking at places like West LA (~$2500), Palms (~$2000), Culver City (~$2000), Rancho Park (~$3000 sometimes referred to as Century City in listings), Westwood (~$2500+) Santa Monica (~$3000+), Brentwood (~$3000+) - all to the west of Beverly Hills.

You may also want to see Marina Del Rey (~$2500) and Playa Vista (~$3000+) which are a little further down the coast but have lots more apartments.

http://www.westsiderentals.com/guest...1&searchType=g

$2,000/month is not really realistic for a 2-bedroom. Several years ago, I was paying that for a 1-bedroom in a not-particularly-great building in Santa Monica. I'd put a decent 2-bedroom in a neighborhood you wouldn't mind living in at $3,000+, minimum.

I live in a far-flung place? I did not know this ... interesting.


I've always been amazed that Beverly Hills, California, is so cut off from the freeway system. This is good and bad. It's bad because you won't be able to use a freeway to commute to work. :( It's good because you won't be able to use a freeway to commute to work. :)

Also note that the light rail system does not extend to Beverly Hills. It supposedly will one day, but that's not scheduled to come to pass until 2023.

Thanks heaps for the replies people.

On of the deciding factors for the move will be lifestyle, as we have a great one here in Melbs. Currently pay 2k pm, 100m from the ocean in a fairly modern large 2br apartment, and it takes 30min door to door to work via public transport.

So by the sounds of it if i want to keep that lifestyle (less being so close to the ocean and commuting instead of public transport) work may have to cough up a bit more than i was expecting.

Another way to think about it is that you're going to have to up your commuting time. Twenty minutes reliably from BH in and out in rush hour isn't very much.

Forty minutes however would allow you to live in lots of nice places for $2,500. And a lot of people in LA wouldn't consider a forty minute commute rough.

Getting used to being utterly car reliant will be a mind shift, though.

Thanks Knife&Fork,

I wouldnt be willing to spend 1.5 hrs a day in traffic, it just seems like such a waste to me. I have had a look on Craiglist and there are a few apartments for around the 2 - 2.5 mark within a couple miles of our office, so i could always walk that.

As i have said, we are in a very comfortable spot here in Melbs so unless i can come close to matching that there isn't much point us moving

You can't come close to matching that.

For working in Beverly Hills, you need to think of places to the west, which unfortunately are more expensive, than the east. The predominant traffic flow is westward in the morning and eastward in the evening, all the way towards the beach as most of the jobs are not downtown. Palms and Culver City, and even Mid City may be within 20 minutes during off peak, but closer to 30 or 40 during peak.

You can match almost anything with the right salary ;)

I have had a look at a few of the sites members have suggested and there are OK looking 2br apartments within a few miles of our office, some even within walking distance, for around the 2.5k pm mark.

Where exactly is your office?

We can give you much better advice on where to rent if you tell us that info. "Beverly Hills" is not a very good description because when you say that to locals, it means the actual city of Beverly Hills, which is mostly residential and retail. There is only a relative small part of Beverly Hills that contains commercial building clustered around Maple Drive. What I'm saying is your place of employment is probably not in Beverly Hills. I'm guessing somewhere in Mid City, Miracle Mile, or perhaps Century City. A few miles in LA will make a huge difference in your commute time and methods.

It is possible to commute by public transit in LA. Many people do it, myself included. Our rail system logs close to 1 million rides a day... But to do it efficiently, it requires that you live and work relatively close to a rail line and/or a high frequency rapid bus line.

It is basically where Burton Way joins S Santa Monica Blvd.

As far as i am aware there is no subway nearby. I'm happy to take public transport if it is easily available and the time is similar, i take public transport to work every day at the moment

Any other advice is appreciated