How much money do I need to save up to live in Los Angeles?|116149

So I_m moving to L.A. from Longmont, CO. So that I can go to the Cinema Make-up School. I_m planning on getting a studio apartment, and as for food, I_m planning on eating mac and cheese from the box and ramen noodles until I finish school(mom and dad are sending the food in care packages.) So with those things being stated how much would you suggest I have saved up?

Plan on paying at least $800-$1,200 for rent (yup, even studios are that much), and most places need some kind of deposit up front, so move in should be about $2,000. Maybe less, depending on where you live. You_ll get the deposit back if the apartment is in good order when you move, but it_s still an expense that you need to consider.

Ramen and mac _n cheese are relatively cheap, but still plan on about $60-$80 a week for food, about another $40-$60 a week for gas in your car, and another $40 for incidentals like movies or Starbucks ... give or take. We_re looking at around $2,000 a month ... but it could be a lot more if you_re not careful with your cash. The $2,000 a month is a comfortable minimum, but if you_re careful with your cash, you CAN live on less.

I would save up at least $4,000 - $5,000 (or more, if you can) before you move, just so you_re not strapped.

Best of luck !!

Contact the school and see what they have to offer. They may have subsidized rooms, they may have a roommate program, they may know of safe rooms to rent. Better plan on something other than what you described for food. Look into transportation. How far is school from where you live? Big factor in costs. Live as close as you can and take the bus.

the one thing you need to know is about transportation almost everyone in LA has a car so you need to either live close to your school or near public transportation which is lousy in LA and plan for that expense as well as about $1000 a month for rent. You will have utilities gas and Electric water is usually included that can run another $100 or so a month.

first make sure you come with at least 15,000. and plan on spending about 800~1200 for rent.. about 150 a month for gasoline 2500 dollars for car insurance about 60 for telephone maybe 25 for gas and about 100 a month for electricity.

plus 100 for all those extras that seem to come up.

How much money do you need to save before moving to the porn capital of the world?

I am just trying to better understand the question I guess.

my best estimate is you_ll need between $3 to 4 thousand per month..

Do you have a car? If you do, you may need to have it smogged for CA, and insurance is mandatory (and expensive). If you don_t have a car, try to find an apt walking distance or a short direct bus ride from school. One bus only, you can wait at a bus stop for a long time between buses. Wait on a car if you can. (You will need one if you stay in LA.)

Trader Joe_s is a good place to shop for food, and Target for the basics, much cheaper than a grocery store. (You_ll get sick of mac and ramen quickly!)

You_ll need a cell phone and internet. The price can vary greatly depending on what you want. Check out LA costs online. You should be able to get away with $100 or less for electricity, water, gas -- if you don_t leave your air conditioner on all the time.

Rent varies widely, but you should be able to find a studio around $1000 in an OK neighborhood. Don_t rent without seeing, and be very careful, lots of rental scams going on.

As Myth wrote, you could live on about $2000 a month if you_re really careful. If you_re planning to get a job here, that may be a problem, the job market is really tight. It could take 3 months.

Good luck!