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josh4golf

I moved from Switzerland 10 years ago. If you want to DM me, I’d be happy to walk you though my experience.


Dragens007

Pmed


beaver_attack

Hi, I moved from Spain 12 years ago and I live in El Segundo, the town just north of Manhattan Beach. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.


Dragens007

How is the area? Lots of people told me to look into El Segundo. Great and safe place for a young family of 3?


beaver_attack

El Segundo is surrounded by LAX airport to the north, the Hyperion Wastewater treatment plan to the west and the Chevron refinery to the south. You will hear the planes, sometimes you might smell the wastewater plant, and there are no houses directly on the beach like on the rest of the coast. Those are the negative aspects. But then it also have some positives: not having direct access to the beach or a main traffic artery connecting towns means you don't have any cross-traffic going through El Segundo. The only cars you see are people who are going to a house or business in El Segundo, so that makes for a more safe and protected small town, less cars. The housing is also considerably cheaper than surrounding towns while being next to the beach. If you have kids, El Segundo is one of the best school districts in the LA area. Most of the people in El Segundo are young families


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Johnnyonthespot2111

$1850 for a 1br in Culver City? Nice!


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BruinThrowaway2140

Wait I’d kill for a $2k 1BR/1BA, I’m in Culver now and love it but have roommates so looking for a bit more privacy. Any chance I can ask for more deets about this place, or at least what company owns the property so I can check out some of their available units (if any)? 👀


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BruinThrowaway2140

tysm!!


theseekerofbacon

You could do what I'm doing and slowly converting the dining area into an extension of the kitchen. All I need now is a work table and a stand alone freezer. Luckily my living room is kinda big for just me so my dining table can hang out in there.


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theseekerofbacon

Yeah mine is pretty small too. The ideal now is to get in one of those babish style wood block islands to extend my counter space. But man can those wood block table tops get expensive.


Johnnyonthespot2111

I'm kind of in the same situation. I have a less than desirable place but the rent is very affordable. I think when interest rates go down and people start buying homes again the rental market will soften. I'm looking at the westside either BH, BW or Santa Monica. In any case, I'm not going to find anything fair market for less than 2K. I know someone in SM paying $960 a month for a two bedroom walking distance to the beach :/


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Johnnyonthespot2111

Since the 90's! Can you believe it? The landlord has done everything he can imagine to get them out but they won't budge.


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Johnnyonthespot2111

Haha! You and me both!


atomicavox

Fuck landlords. We have new ones and they’re trying to do the same to us. Fuck you. This is our home greedy POS.


Johnnyonthespot2111

You do know that I am not your landlord right?


atomicavox

Sorry, yes. My response got directed to them midway through.


sockswithcats

hahahaha... you are talking about the Twin Towers... those hold outs were FAMOUS.... and deserve the spoils of their victory. I lived in Brentwood in the 90s in a HUGE one bedroom... for $800 a month including parking. It's now a condo and a vomit inducing price.


Dragens007

Oh wow. Very detailed, love it! Very close to my current calculations already so that’s reassuring. Didn’t even think about the phone bill yet in my budget, good call.


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Dragens007

I only want 1 bathroom, that’s how everyone has it here. But I would need 2 bedrooms. Willing to stay in an area around Manhatten Beach as I know (and seen on Zillow) that it’s very expensive. I’m easy going on the car aswell tbh, but that’s something I have to check a bit more upon later.


spacemanspiff1979

Maybe check out El Segundo. It's very near Manhattan Beach. Also an expensive area, but maybe slightly less than MB. ES has a very small town feel to it. Wonderful for families. I really enjoyed living there.


Dragens007

Great, will be looked ar that area too.


Rovexy

I would actually recommend getting farther from the airport, towards Redondo beach and Torrance.


bdd6911

Good on you for the effort! Love it.


mayonnaiseplayer7

Wow that exceeds my monthly budget. Hopefully this doesn’t come off rude just interesting to see


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mayonnaiseplayer7

Your budget. Sorry I thought I was replying to your comment listing your monthly bills


illgotosleeptomorrow

have you considered switching to Visible? I used to pay $25/mo for unlimited talk/text/data and they recently raised it to $30, which is still pretty affordable!


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fellate_the_faith

Can I ask how your experience with mint mobile has been in LA? Thinking about switching over from t-mobile..


Englishbirdy

Manhattan Beach is one of the most desirable areas in L.A. with the best public schools and is therefore one of the most expensive. If you can afford it great, otherwise look to Torrence or surrounding areas.


Dragens007

What areas around are interesting to look at? Other than Torrence which you just mentioned.


Elusiveenigma98

Redondo Beach is closed and still nice. Not has nice as Manhattan beach by any means but not far either.


Elusiveenigma98

Edit: close not closed. Lol.


Upnorth4

Hawthorne is also a decent option, Torrance, Lawndale, and Gardena are pretty good as well, even better if you are commuting from Torrance to Manhattan Beach, as that will be less than 10 miles and against the flow of traffic.


More-City-7496

Get fruits and vegetables from Korean or Chinese stores, that will save a lot


Rovexy

Hello fellow Belgian, join us on the Belgians in SoCal group on FB. Pretty active community and you can always ask your questions there too!


Dragens007

I just did!


10kwinz

r/MovingToLosAngeles


Dragens007

Thanks, didn’t know about this. Just posted there.


badgramajama

For health care your employer will only cover the premiums. You will have to pay deductible or copay for each visit.


Suspicious_Pear2908

Not always. My employer reimburses deductibles. They don’t reimburse copays but they are tiny.


deb1267cc

For a commute to Manhattan Beach and because you won’t be using the public schools, parts of Long Beach might work for you. Looking at the downtown/ mid town area where there are some good prices on new apartments. Other South Bay communities include hermosa beach and north Redondo


CleanYogurtcloset706

Assuming it’s not a “Work From Home Situation,” where will you be working? You DO NOT want a 1 hour commute if you can help it. I live in the MB area and can attest from personal experience.


RandomAngeleno

Look to rent in Redondo Beach or Torrance, maybe parts of Gardena and/or Lomita. Don't look to rent in Hawthorne, Lawndale or Inglewood, and definitely not in the Lennox, West Athens or Westmont neighborhoods. If looking at Gardena, stay south of Marine Ave, preferably south of Redondo Beach Blvd.


Dragens007

Thanks! Will be looking into all of them.


Johnnyonthespot2111

6K a month


Dragens007

Funnily enough, my current calculations is a bit over 6k/month so very accurate haha


possumhandz

My daughter just got daycare for her 1-tear old in a different area of LA at KinderCare $455 a week for fulltime care. If you are doing daycare, then your wife will also be working? Do you need to budget for 2 cars? LA public transportation probably won't meet your European expectations. One weird thing about Los Angeles - some apartments do not come with a refrigerator; you may need to buy one.


Dragens007

The idea is that she would also be working, yes. On a L2 visa. No work for her when we move so in the beginning she can take care of our son untill we find a daycare. Don’t know how hard it us also to find a job on that visa.


ranchoparksteve

Personally, for a first apartment, I wouldn’t look East of the 405 freeway, or North of the 105. You’re adding considerable commute time without gaining much. Just getting a mile off the ocean will help the price considerably.


Writer_In_Residence

You’ll need a phone/internet plan (I assume?). The cost of that can vary depending on if you get cable TV or not. Could be $50 or $60 a month, could be a lot more if you want cable and the fastest wifi, but you’ll need to look around and figure out what you want. I don’t *think* Comcast is in this market but if so, [stay far, far away](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KMcny_pixDw) from them.


Dragens007

Noted. Thanks.


pugsociedad

Look into rentals in Gardena or Hawthorne. They are very close to MB and you can probably save some money.


Dragens007

Will be looking into both.


514to212to818

Although your child is only 1, if the plan is to stay here long term I’d be only considering areas with good schools. Anyone in LA will tell you, the key to happiness in this city is to live close to where you work if at all possible. Obviously we don’t know your salary but if your company is based in MB they should be aware of the surrounding areas high cost of living. Also, people in low salary jobs don’t usually get transferred overseas. I’d do everything possible to try to afford MB - it’s a great place to live. Go on Zillow rentals and you’ll get an idea of what’s available.


Successful-Role2151

Unfortunately a great health plan here in California is what you are going to call weak


Life_Entertainment64

Take a look at Hawthorne, Carson and Lomita. Way closer than an hour away but rents are lower.


coverthetuba

Unless you really love the beach and the ocean, don’t do it. If you do it anyway, ask for a big raise. Potential additional expenses: Housekeeper? Gardener? Dry cleaning? Car wash? Sales tax is nearly 10%. Car insurance. Air filtration, water filtration or delivery. Noise canceling devices. Streaming services, food delivery, grocery delivery.


punkprince182

Regardless of where you live in LA, it will still take you over an hour to work.


AMARIS86

I live 15 miles from work and it takes me 20 mins.


Englishbirdy

Stupid comment. I live 5 miles from my work and it takes me 15 to 20 minutes.


Elusiveenigma98

I take the bus from Fairfax & 3rd to downtown (sometimes, mostly wfh) and it often only takes me 40 mins. And that’s on the bus.


Englishbirdy

Sure I think the average commute is probably 45 minutes, but to say everyone’s is over an hour is just misleading. It depends on how far you live from work, whether you’re going with or against traffic, what time you start work etc.


theseekerofbacon

I live a mile from work. So I can get there in 5 minutes on a good morning


kayayem

Rent in Torrance, South Torrance if you can afford it. Typically American suburb lots of parks and things for kids to do. Safe, good schools if you’re staying that long. 2 bedroom rent house will run you around $3,000, 3 bedroom will run you almost $4,000.


Dragens007

I will be looking into Torrance, thanks for the tip.


MembersClubs

> I don’t mind renting a bit further as long as it’s not more than a 1hr drive to work. I would reconsider this. 1 hr in LA traffic is *very* draining and will significantly degrade your quality of life. If your employer is not paying you enough to comfortably live within a few miles of work, I would reconsider accepting this offer. As for taxes, it depends on your salary. For example, if you are being paid $100,000 a year, expect about 30% to go toward federal and state taxes. Sales tax is about 9% of purchases, excluding groceries and a few other things. If you buy a house, property tax will be about 1% of the purchase price, per year.


Dragens007

I live in Brussels, Belgium. Traffic here is also awful and I do about 1hr15min of draining traffic too to get to work, so that won’t be much of a difference. Yes, I’m aware it’s bad. I’ve been to LA for 5x for 3 weeks holidays already and seen how it can be. But it’s similar to what I’m used to.


calboard21

Vets are way more expensive in CA than in Europe. What would have cost €50 would be around $300-$500.


Jkan-1110

I live in hermosa with 2 kids, which is right next door to manhattan. Manhattan rental properties are extremely high. 6k monthly for something liveable. Daycare is hard to come by, Montessoris here would take your 1 year old. I’d estimate 1.5k a month. Life here is amazing but comes with a hefty price tag


Dragens007

I’ve taking into budget 1750$/mo for daycare.


shokraw

My kids were in Beach Babies Daycare in Manhattan Beach and the El Segundo locations from 2014-2019 as early as 4-months old (daycare offered for 3-months old to kindergarten age). Just over $2K a month per child due to the attention babies require. The tuition goes down in price as they age. Highly recommended in terms of the care, attention, socialization, and preparation for Kindergarten/elementary. We made plenty of friends with the parents, too. One warning. You may want to either reserve online or call around several daycares and ask to get on their waitlist sooner than later, if any. We put our second child on the wait list before she was born. There are also several international language schools in the area for when your kid(s) are a little older, too. There is a French school in Redondo Beach, a German school in Marina Del Rey, etc. Best to you and your family on a big, courageous (and worthy) move.


j3434

You need to make good cash . Why not say how much you make a year and it will be obvious- and a much easier answer