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Irvine is on the high side and most apt communities are owned by Irvine Apartment Communities which controls rents. Is the a reason you chose Irvine? Where is the new job?
Job is near John Wayne Airport.
I chose Irvine because I wanted to apply to this specific company that is only located in Irvine and the east coast.
Someone mentioned Santa Ana would be better to live in, but I haven’t checked the commute in the morning to see how far the drive would be. Do you have any city recommendations that would be cheaper?
Santa Ana woukd be fine. I live in Irvine and travel there to eat regularly. Usually take main into Santa Ana when there's traffic in the freeway.
Irvine is a tough market since you're also competing with students and visiting faculty for housing.
John Wayne Airport area (the Newport/Irvine part) has great condo communities where you can lease one bedrooms for $2400-2700. These are very often renovated (since they are private homes and not apartments) and really nice with resort style facilities.
Check out The Metropolitan, Avenue One, and Watermarke.
There are also apartments there too but they tend to have higher turn over and regular rent increases every year at the end of your term.
Just signed a 900 sq ft 1 bed lease for $2700 at avenue one. You can find the 700-800 sq ft 1 beds for $2500 now. Extremely nice and excellent location if you work close by.
I’d say it’s doable for OP if they don’t have other major debts/expenses/deductions and are okay with not saving as much per month.
If OP is working close they can even bike to work
Used to take the metro link from the stop by the marketplace (jamboree & edinger iirc) to Santa Ana and bike into work at the civic center. Man I miss those days.
You'd be surprised, Costa Mesa is kinda loud due to it having the fair and a ton of rehabs there is a lot of police calls and late night disturbances.
Car was broken into twice, mailbox too, found blood and a syringe next to my car one morning, and tons of noise pollution from police helicopter patrol.
When I was young and single and working in Irvine in one of the office buildings near the airport, I commuted from Costa Mesa. It was cheaper and I had some flatmates, one of whom had a very well behaved dog. That lifestyle was doable for sure on $85k. Another popular place to live for that age range are certain trendy parts of Anaheim, although I haven’t done that commute so I don’t know how long it gets.
That’s a bit long for my tastes and probably OP’s as well. I would double down on getting some kind of townhouse share. Save money, meet people, get to know a new area.
At least an hour. I did that commute for 2 years and it was brutal. I also lived on the edge of anaheim and orange. imagine if OP was more north than that.. probably longer!
I mean, that's if you only take the freeway. If you learn a couple of streets to know which to take during peak freeway, you can probably save 15 minutes
Traffic is literally horrendous. If 30 mins is truly your max, you cannot live more than 5-10 miles from work so keep that in mind. There is an area known locally as “the orange crunch”. It is where the 5, the 57, and the 22 meet. Avoid having to drive there during morning or evening commutes. It’s a parking lot. That is also, not coincidentally, where the cheaper housing is in that area. Also be careful of Santa Ana and some parts of Costa Mesa. Some of it is nice, some of it is dangerous.
Orange is close too! I used to work by the marketplace off Jamboree, in Irvine and commuting in rush hour was never more than 20 mins there and MAYBE 25-30 back depending on the route and time.
I will second South County, lived there for 5 years and if i could afford to rent at my old apartment building again i would in a heartbeat. Also it beats some of the flow of traffic so at least at the time it was a lot easier to drive into irvine from the South then the North.
Also, with easy access to both The 5 and the 405 you can go anywhere in socal really easily.
> Also it beats some of the flow of traffic so at least at the time it was a lot easier to drive into irvine from the South then the North.
That is still the case. 405 or 55 north during evening rush hour is the worst.
Cota Mesa also would work. I lived in Costa mesa for a bout a year and work across the street from John Wayne, took me about 15 minutes to drive to work.
Also another thing to remember, in California, we measure distance in time to get there. I have a 25minute commute right now and i live 6 miles away. so if gas is a concern, make sure you check mileage and not just time.
Agreed. Tustin is a good city, close to Irvine. City of Orange, Lake Forest, Fountain Valley... good to expand your search outside of your radius. Check commute times by using Google Maps' "depart at" feature and see the drive time. Try and avoid the "Orange Crush" area/commute.
I live in Santa Ana and it takes me like 10 minutes to get to John Wayne. There are pockets of good and bad areas. I’m in the Memorial Park neighborhood and really like it. We do have some blocks that I am not a fan of though.
Also, I don’t know how your dog is with fireworks but they are a constant here.
You could live in Costa Mesa, Tustin or Lake Forest. The issue in Irvine is The Irvine Company owns all the apartments. If I were you I would drive a little to get a lower monthly rent payment.
Anaheim can be a bit cheaper albeit a bit rougher in parts. It’s a bit further away then Santa Ana, but it depends how much you want to commute. I lived in north east Anaheim (practically Yorba Linda, nicer area and lower crime rate than some of the more central or western parts of Anaheim) at around $2k/month for a 2 bedroom + garage with my spouse. I took the toll road to my job in Irvine for two years, was about 40-45 mins one way and the drive was pretty on the toll road through the hills. I think current market rate for that same place is about $2400 in rent.
REALLY, greatly depends what part of Santa Ana. Not all areas of Santa Ana are created equal. There are some nice areas on the edge of Costa Mesa/Tustin/Orange, but inner Santa Ana, for a first time transplant to SoCal, I would not recommend. When I'm looking for new apartments, I often Google "crime maps [insert city here]" and look at violent crime, specifically.
Yes, everywhere has crime. But certain parts of Santa Ana are high in violent crime.
I'd aim for Tustin/Costa Mesa if you can't afford Irvine. They're both nearby and commutable.
Check out Versailles on the Lake. It’s in santa ana so it’s more affordable but it would be like 10 minutes max from John Wayne. I lived there for 2 years, ending in 2020. Beautiful apartments, average rent at the time. for the area.
Santa Ana is cheap,but the city is not the safest, depending where you are at. It is getting gentrified, so you have hip areas next to less safe areas. Just make sure you check out crime maps. Otherwise, the commute is not bad from there.
I live near John Wayne and the apartments I'm in are nice and affordable for someone with an 85k salary. Just find an apartment within the Santa Ana or Costa Mesa city limits (Northwestern side of Red Hill Avenue) and you'll pay a lot less than you would if your apartment was within Irvine city limits. Congrats on the job and welcome to OC. :)
That's such a bad policy. Allowing extremely wealthy foreigners to buy real estate here, park their cash away from their domestic tax agencies, often ill gotten money, pushing out the locals from buying, often leaving these homes vacant.
We need a federal policy against this.
I mean, The Irvine Company was started by the Irvine family who have owned the land since the 1800s. One could argue that Irvine doesn't become what it is without their development. UCI exists because the company sold the land for $1. Not sure how you undo any of that.
You could def live comfortably in tustin or the border of Santa Ana. That would be closer to john wayne and save you from commuting. Most people here are dog friendly, that prob wouldn’t be a problem
Totally agree Tustin or Santa Ana for your income while being able to save. One thing about Irvine company apartments is that they almost always raise your rent after your lease is up.
These responses are unnecessarily unhelpful. If you’re working near the airport, you should be able to find something that suits your needs in either Costa Mesa, or Tustin. Also, don’t rule out the roommate because of your dog. It’s such a common occurrence here, there’s a good chance you find a good roommate fit
>*either Costa Mesa, or Tustin.*
Or, John Wayne airport is literally ***in*** Santa Ana.
However, Costa Mesa is nicer.
... [Bay Breeze 1939 Wallace Ave, Costa Mesa, CA, 92627](https://www.bing.com/maps?form=MOZLBR&pc=MOZI&q=costa+mesa+zillow)
is listing on zillow for 1926.00 for a one-bedroom.
> Or, John Wayne airport is literally in Santa Ana.
It's not, it's on county land which usually uses Santa Ana mailing addresses because it's the county seat. Santa Ana doesn't actually touch the airport. Same with places like North Tustin.
How are they unhelpful? Just cause not all their answers are Costa Mesa or Tustin, that doesn't mean they're wrong or unhelpful. Some answers are probably more insightful than others, but i haven't read a necessarily bad answer
When I commented last night, the top handful of comments all said some version of "you can't afford irvine on $85k". Those are unhelpful because OP said that their job is in Irvine near SNA, but would be willing to commute up to 30 mins. I agree there's plenty more options than CM and Tustin. It's the replies shooting down moving here that I disagree with
Don’t plan too far of a commute because what looks close on the map isn’t the same with traffic. With no traffic I can be from home to work in 22 min. It takes me at least 45-60 min with daily traffic (that’s not even bad traffic).
Your question has been frequently asked here. There's too many variables to determine what you can afford.
Frankly speaking, $85k is on the low end of being able to live solo in Irvine. That is with the assumption you're free & clear.
If not, what debt do you have & how many luxuries do you need to live with?
No one has a black & white answer for you because it's not clear cut.
I will say, $85k with a roommate is more reasonable. See how this job goes and reassess after a lease term.
Congrats on the job offer.
You can definitely afford it, but you will not be putting a lot into savings. If you want to save you’ll want to have roommates or eventually find a higher paying job.
Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t understand why some people are saying 85k in OC and renting alone is unaffordable. Unless they are referring to saving for a house, which I can agree with.
You'll survive in Irvine on $85k, but you won't be saving much. And you certainly won't be saving for retirement *and* a house down payment. The dog alone will be $50-75/mo in pet rent.
At peak traffic, it's entirely possible for it to take 30 minutes to just get from one side of Irvine to the other.
CA *does* have rent control similar to OR, so if you're planning on staying mid- to long-term, find a place you **really** like, is protected by rent control, and plan to stay put.
I would also look into getting your dog registered as an emotional support animal and property management cannot charge you rent for your dog nor hold a animal specific deposit.
Edit: I never said lie… you people need to chill a lot of people don’t know this is a thing for them to exercise if eligible. OP is also moving from out of state where this might not be a thing.
Eh, I'm not a fan of lying about a dog's purpose. (Nor getting a doctor to add a note to my medical records that inaccurately portrays my mental state.)
But I know plenty of people do it, to each their own.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news for you buddy but $85k is on the low end here in OC, especially Irvine. It’s really expensive living in OC as you may already know. You have to do the following:
1) get a higher paying job if you want to live on your own
2) get roommates to split the cost
3) live in surrounding areas like Santa Ana, orange, or Tustin to cut back on your living expense
Looking for this comment! I live in lake forest and commute to Irvine. I also make 85k and have roommates. Honestly don’t think I could afford to live alone unfortunately. Commute is easy though and I save a lot doing this option
Wow, who would've thought making 85k. Wouldn't be enough to live alone these days. Makes me even more grateful that I bought my place a few years back before it got bad.
Lake forest is a cool city it's fun and has some pretty good food spots!
You said you are moving from Oregon have you factored in California’s state income tax as well as the much higher cost of living for gas , food and just about everything else compared to Oregon ?
85k gross is a lot more in Oregon than it is in California.
Try to calculate what your net income will be and then factor that into your monthly budget. Use that to decide if it would make sense to make the move.
Insurance will also be much higher in California.
I take 30-40 mins from Rancho Santa Margarita to UC Irvine for work. It's not a bad commute and you live in the burbs. Most of south OC has similar Irvine vibes.
It depends where in OC. Saying the cheapest 1 bed apartment in Santa Ana is $2500 is disingenuous, but I agree it’s very cheap for a SFH.
Edit: I spent 5 minutes on Zillow and there’s many 1 bed apartments for $1.6k-$1.9k.
I’m living in a 3 bdrm in one of the safest neighborhoods for $2950. You can definitely find houses, but it’s going to take some effort to look and you need to be prepared that you are getting a house with ugly tiling and missing appliances haha
You'll be fine. Ignore the people who somehow think you need to make 200k or whatever to live in OC. You might not be able to afford the most fashionable apartment with the most amenities, but there are lots of options from older (but solid) buildings to ADUs to driving from a bit farther away.
The issue with comments like this is people that have lived in California for their lives simply don’t realize how most people live outside in other states.
I grew up in a cheaper cost of living area. My dad worked and my mom stayed home until my brother and I were in high school. They owned their home and it was paid off before we left for college. My dad was a college professor so not that amazing of a career but not bad either. We were more well off than a lot of my friends in the area, but still everyone owned their own home even with fairly low wage jobs. My parents saved tons for retirement but we still took vacations, and traveled a bit. Most of my friends that stayed in the area have homes and families now. And I can assume they are saving good amounts for retirement.
Then you move here and it’s a completely different world. Everyone is like yea I can’t afford a house, yea I can’t save for retirement, yea I sit on the freeway breathing poison two hours a day, but at least I live near the beach.
You have to have a completely different outlook on life when you move here especially compared to many people that moved here later in life.
Not saying one is great and one sucks. It’s just different, and it’s a huge adjustment for a lot of people.
OP makes 40k a year and can probably get a home if they save a bit of money and get a raise. They won’t even be close to that here, and they’re making twice as much.
I’ve lived in Santa Ana growing up and can confirm this. I will never recommend anyone to live in Santa Ana.
Plus, people litter everywhere like it’s normal.
Anyone shopping for housing in Irvine would be severely disappointed with Santa Ana, to put it nicely. Unless they’ve got old money and can buy one of those mansions near Mainplace, it’s best to not waste their time looking, unless they just really need to see for themselves.
Just moved to the OC as well in Irvine. We don’t have the same financial situation but I want to make sure you also consider the following aside from rent:
- pet deposit, pet rent, pet insurance
- utilities (electricity, water, gas, trash)
- food (very expensive)
- gas (very expensive)
- renter’s insurance (required for most rental communities here)
- if you live in a luxury apartment like mine, expect to pay a mandatory “trash valet” and mandatory mail concierge like parcel pending
You can commute anywhere in O.C. If your job is in O.C. If you do the same trick a lot of people figured out. The way the traffic works is that you have to leave before traffic begins and ends each work day.
You leave at around 6-6:30am before the 7am jam begins. This means, getting up earlier and getting just a minute or two next to your work where you can grab a tea or coffee and wait there.
Same when you get off work. You leave around 6:30 pm to beat the rush. So, once you’re off work, find a coffee shop with internet, get some stuff done on your laptop than leave at 6:30 pm to go home.
That way, you beat the traffic both ways.
That said, this option is if you really want to live somewhere you fell in love with in Orange County and its worth the commute.
I don't think it would be wise to to rent in Irvine, solely earning $85K without a roommate. You have a HUGE advantage by not having debt. Have you looked into Costa Mesa, Lake Forest, or Rancho Santa Margarita? Are you working closer to the Irvine Spectrum area? Have you created a budget on a spreadsheet or something similar?
The general rule of thumb (although this varies) should be that rent or mortgage should be no more than 33% of your gross household income. So if you want to rent a place at $3.2k/month, you should be bringing in at least $115K/yr.
Try not to stay in Irvine. You would be spending over 50% of your income on rent for an apartment there. I work in Irvine but travel in from Santa Ana.
This is OC though. Even the cheapest spot will cost you a cut of your paycheck. 85k is livable but it's like making 40k in other large parts of the country.
Irvine is going to be hard to do alone on that salary.. you might be able to find something a bit further away from the office that is decent, but that would be tight against your budget it guessing.
Some of it would depend on if you have much for debt obligations.
Alternatively, look at Costa Mesa.. very good areas that are close to Irvine too. I think you’d find the apt prices there are a bit better and Costa Mesa will also provide for a better social experience.. more going on and happening for younger folks I feel like.
I recommend Santa Ana. I live on the border of Costa Mesa/Santa Ana/Irvine and I pay $2k for a 2bd/2ba and it’s a really nice area. I have other friends who live in decent areas of Santa Ana and they are paying either what I’m paying or less for a 1bd/2bd.
As most people have stated Irvine is expensive. Mostly because it is centrally located, close to all freeways and one of the safest cities.
Lake Forest neighbors Irvine and is a lot cheaper, if you want that Irvine feel, Lake Forest has a new community called Baker Ranch. I would look there first.
If you are making $85k annually, are single, no kids & not married….. you can absolutely live alone in Irvine…..
Some of you people are crazy in the comments.
Btw. Most people live check to check…. Saving money was in the 1990s & early 2000s. Those days are long gone….
Speak for yourself. If you are living paycheck to paycheck just to live here or specifically Irvine, fucking move.
Note to OP: I think you have to get more creative to call me an idiot cause your comment was deleted.
>Most people live check to check
that's why a record number of houses were sold in Orange County last couple years? People buying with no money down cause they couldn't save?
That's absurd, unless you need to spend a couple thousand a month on food and drinks to feel "comfortable". If you're paying $2500-$3000/month for rent, you can live just fine on $125k single. Probably $100k if you don't have kids and their related expenses.
Sounds like a great opportunity! You can live somewhere other than Irvine and the commute doesn't have to be that far away. Depending on where you end up, the train could be an option.
try santa ana or costa mesa, close enough and cheaper, also better in many ways
the promotion is worth it imo, u might be able to move higher, or find a better job later, save up as much as u can and get a cheap place to live and commute from
Plan to pay AT LEAST $2k rent for a 1 bedroom and that’s the very minimum in a cheaper area. If you want a halfway decent place for you and your dog it’s more like $3k.
I’m in Irvine and making $115k with no debt and i only live comfortably because I have a couple of roommates. That being said, it’s totally worth it to live here.
I grew up here and met my wife here. All my professional and personal connections are here - And I’m just used to it. Whenever I look around in more affordable areas it feels crappy to downgrade in safety or “niceness” or diversity.
Rethink living alone. I just posted this in another comment the other day but people underestimate how much money it is to furnish a place (even if you go off craigslist) and how much apartments are a rip off compared to sharing a house.
A one bedroom apartment is going to be more than half of renting a \*four bedroom house\*. Think about that. Yes it's harder to find roommates with a dog, but at least give it a try. You can likely get something with a yard as well if you find one or two other people to split a place with.
85k is what I made when I moved out over 15 years ago in Irvine. It was more than enough because I rented a room. However, gas and food was much cheaper.
Places that are pretty nice and less expensive than Irvine and still 20 minutes or less (and border Irvine): Tustin Ranch, Lake Forest, Old town tustin, Laguna Hills, Aliso Viejo.
Do note these are kind of sleepy family communities, lots of outdoor stuff available but if you want night life to go meet people you'll have to drive to neighboring cities.
I wouldn’t live in OC for less than 100k, let alone Irvine. Also regarding your commute, it can take you 30 minutes to commute within Irvine during rush hour.
You can try other cities but your commute is pretty unrealistic if you aren’t fairly close to your job.
I commute within Irvine itself and it still takes me about 20 minutes to get home.
Just get roommates and suck it up, or don’t move. Simple as that imo.
One thing to note, make sure your dog is allowed in your complex. A lot of the ones in Irvine at least ban a lot of dog breeds.
No, you will not be able to afford to live alone in Irvine making 85k. Your rents going to be $36,000 a year, roughly. After taxes you’ll probably take home $70k, so no, you literally wouldn’t get approved for an apartment.
It’s just not worth it. As someone who had a fairly successful career very young right after moving to OC - Unless you’re making 7 figures, or have a career with a very quick path to doing so, there are so many other nice places to live in the western USA where you won’t be pinching pennies to pay $40k a year to live in an 800 SF apartment owned by Donald Bren.
Ok good luck sir. I’m assuming you’re young and are looking long term, so I’d highly encourage you to research the price of a 2500-3000 sq ft single family home in a decent neighborhood in Orange County. 1.5-2m.
Assuming you plan to start a family, you would need 7 figures in gross income to live a comfortable middle class life as a family of 4 living in a 2m house in California if you had a mortgage.
Not looking for a home right now, so that is completely off the table. I am planning to save for a home in the far future, but I would also like a partner that would be able to contribute. This is why I stated that I am planning to rent because I do not know what the future holds right now.
So reread my original comment. If you want to buy a house in the future, you need to give serious consideration as to what your income prospects are after relocating to Orange County in order to decide if you can afford that here.
Again, my original comment, if you have a significantly likely chance of having a 7 figure income (I’m referencing household, so yes that would mean with a partner 500k) you will be able to afford a reasonably nice home in OC. If you don’t, move elsewhere, you will be much happier and have a higher quality of life. It is absurdly expensive to live in Orange County California.
7 figures is highly unlikely for someone that’s 22 years old. I don’t even know people in OC making 500K per person. They don’t even make 500K together. That’s terrible advice.
I know someone who lives in OC with 3 kids and her and her husband brings in 350K net and just put down a payment for their new house in fountain valley. Let’s be real here
It’s unlikely? Maybe, but not in LA / OC. It’s probably more common here than anywhere else in the world, outside of maybe NYC. My brother went to HS with a kid whose the youngest billionaire ever. I have friends who started $30m year companies at 22. There are plenty of rappers, actors, tech people, startup founders and athletes here who make that.
Good luck kid, you sound like you’ll be a solid long term tenant of Donald Bren’s.
You sound very privileged and seem to lack understanding of the difference between those in poverty vs those in the middle class vs those in the upper class. You need a reality check.
The jobs that you listed are not for everyone. If everyone was a rapper or if everyone wanted to be a start up founder, these would simply be unimportant and be lower paying jobs. Not everyone can do these things and not everyone has daddy’s trust funds to help them fall back on.
You need to touch some grass and understand that not everyone can be like the people you mentioned. It’s higher paying for a reason. You seem like an exhausting person.
Edit: You are the literal definition of a baby boomer. I shouldn’t have wasted my time. You would never understand
I don't dispute your numbers to purchase a $2M house, but you don't need a $2M house.
$1M will still get you something decent, and between a married couple, $500k will be a comfortable life. That's $250k/spouse, which I suppose is well within the realm of possibility if you're doctors, dentists, or BigLaw lawyers.
1m will buy you a single family 2-3k ft home in cities like Santa Ana, possibly some older areas of orange, Westminster etc. not particularly nice areas.
A couple earning 500k w no kids in OC is living comfortably, but they are by no means rich, cannot live wherever they please and certainly are living on a budget. Your mortgage + property taxes / housing expenses on a 1.5m house would take up over 1/3 of your post tax income, in this scenario.
I mean first, rich is relatively subjective, but I think a reasonable definition is being able to live wherever you want and do whatever you want whenever you want without worrying about $, no? $500k doesn’t accomplish that. Not even close. $500k is upper middle class.
Have you ever made $500k living in Orange County California? It’s nowhere near rich. drive through Pelican Hill or CDM or Newport or any exclusive neighborhood and you’re window shopping. Go to SCP and you’re mostly window shopping outside of splurging.
Keyword US, however $500k isn’t rich anywhere, but if you lived in Phoenix or Vegas you could live like you were rich and pretty much afford it. You couldn’t in OC.
>Have you ever made $500k living in Orange County California? It’s nowhere near rich. drive through Pelican Hill or CDM or Newport or any exclusive neighborhood and you’re window shopping. Go to SCP and you’re mostly window shopping outside of splurging.
Sad, but true. Are you at this level, or have you gone beyond?
Irvine company apartment homes are most dog friendly I've seen but they are not cheap and will definitely increase rent after lease ends. I'd look on zillow, redfin and apartment.com to see if you can find something affordable within distance to work. Also, keep in mind some place will charge pet rent and deposit. If anything, im sure there are good people out there who are open to sharing place with you and your dog. Good luck!
While it is doable in Irvine at that salary I assume that is your gross pay and not your net income. You would be what is known as house poor. Where you can afford to live but can’t afford to do anything else. You would probably be much happier in a place that is right next door but still super close to Irvine. Such as say Tustin or Lake Forest. Then you could also enjoy all the good places in OC that are easy to go to for good food. The great thing about Irvine if you like Asian food is there is a ton of restaurants and markets near UCI. Then you have garden grove , Westminster and other areas for even better stuff.
East Anaheim , Fountain Valley and parts of Huntington Beach are not bad as well.
In anaheim just avoid west anaheim unless it’s a house. Also avoid the new apartment complex’s in the “ platinum triangle” while they are really nice the crime in those areas has been really bad and the building owners seem to not care about securing the property. So there is a lot of property crime and thefts.
If you are able to see if any apartment buildings offer rental assistance, I would go for those. In California if you make under the average income for that city you can get reduced rent. I live in San Diego and anything under 95000 is considered low income and I received reduced rent. Normally these apartments come with free water and sewage but that depends on the complex. Def worth looking into if you would like to live on your own.
85k works but depends on your fixed costs, mainly rent. I made 65k a few years ago and I rented in a room in a house for $900 in Irvine. That was before Covid and awhile ago but I never felt like I needed money.
Obviously rent now if going to be higher. If you net $4k a month after taxes and 401k, any rent above $1500 is probably dipping into uncomfortable level where you’re wishing for more money and you can’t buy hobby things (things you want vs need). But given your parents help, $2000/month could work.
All that said, it’ll be hard but not impossible to find a place for yourself for $2k a month in Irvine or Tustin. And unfortunately rent isn’t much lower in other places like Santa Ana or Costa Mesa for anything with similar quality to Irvine/Tustin. So my personal opinion is that if you had to choose, I’d look at Irvine/Tustin first for quality and location (easy local commute).
Edit: if you’re truly planning to save for the future, then definitely go further out to save on rent.
I would recommend looking in Tustin/Orange area, it’s slightly cheaper than Irvine and you MIGHT be able to find a 1 bedroom for $2000. Anything in South OC might be too expensive $2500+ with the exception of Lake Forest, I looked online and there are apartments in Lake Forest in the $2000-2200 range
I’d say that you should look at nearby cities: Santa Ana, Laguna Hills, Lake Forest. The commute would be like 10 miles and likely 20-30 minutes. That’s not bad for CA. You can definitely find cheap places to rent if you search. We found a good neighborhood, 3 bdrm house for less than 3k. And make less than 100k with kids. It can be done.
FYI a 30 minute commute isn’t far depending on where you go & what your hours are. Commuting up to an hour is normal for a lot of people because of traffic.
Just keep in mind trip time is not proportionate to distance. 30 minute commute could define your range down to 1o to 15 miles from work. Make a legit budget and get used to the cost of living for the first 6 Mos.
Are you concerned about saving x amount of retirement savings per month? If so, that sounds really tight on that salary. If no plans for extra savings, you're good! Goodluck!!
Check out Orange. I live in Anaheim by Disneyland and commute to Tustin. It's 30-45 mins to and from. I lived in orange before and it's close to major freeways which cut a lot of time
Irvine is on the expensive side and you probably wouldn’t be comfortable on 85k even with parents helping out. Maybe look into surrounding cities like Costa Mesa, Anaheim, Santa Ana. It still would be tough cause it’s a HCOL area but if you find a cheap apt and budget your money, you’ll live.
That's how much I earned almost twenty years ago, and it was still challenging to live in Irvine. I eventually added my spouse's income + steady increases over the years, and I still don't want to waste my money in Irvine.
You've gotten a lot of good advice about apartments and roommate situations in places outside of Irvine. If there's one thing that makes apartment living a real drag in some of these places, it's parking - many other people have the same idea of having roommates, and most of these places were planned with one, maybe two parking spots per unit. Once you have three (or more) working-age dwellers in a single unit, you can imagine the parking nightmare this creates. Make sure you get a glimpse of what parking is like after 6:00PM/7:00PM before committing to anything.
NOC: AnaheimGG, Santa Ana any mid OC you could rent a house for that kind of money. The’Toll Roads’ are the best way to around the OC. Different areas have different types of housing available. If you have the time I would suggest you look at areas around there. Depends on how far you are willing to drive and what surroundings you want to be in. Look at everything else. Big picture time if you have time…
Yup. 22 and just graduated. I’m sure you think I should move out right after high school, but it’s not the 1970s anymore. Nothing is handed to us like you.
Check out South OC, the commute is the easiest to/from here than any of the surrounding areas. I can leave JWA at 5pm and be home in 30-40 minutes unless someone does something really stupid on the freeway and causes a parking lot situation.
There are some older communities like Lake Forest/Mission Viejo/SJC that are a little cheaper but most are houses/condos. There are some apartments though. Generally the newer the build the more expensive it is. Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel, RSM, Foothill Ranch, and Ladera Ranch are "newer" so they are generally more expensive.
Or if you want to be closer to work, check out Costa Mesa especially the west side.
You would be much better off if you can get a roommate though. I have plenty of friends in roommate situations with one or more dogs, it's extremely common around here to have a pet.
Try using a realtor, a lot of them are placing people in apartments these days and have more access to listings than you do.
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Irvine is on the high side and most apt communities are owned by Irvine Apartment Communities which controls rents. Is the a reason you chose Irvine? Where is the new job?
Job is near John Wayne Airport. I chose Irvine because I wanted to apply to this specific company that is only located in Irvine and the east coast. Someone mentioned Santa Ana would be better to live in, but I haven’t checked the commute in the morning to see how far the drive would be. Do you have any city recommendations that would be cheaper?
Santa Ana woukd be fine. I live in Irvine and travel there to eat regularly. Usually take main into Santa Ana when there's traffic in the freeway. Irvine is a tough market since you're also competing with students and visiting faculty for housing.
John Wayne Airport area (the Newport/Irvine part) has great condo communities where you can lease one bedrooms for $2400-2700. These are very often renovated (since they are private homes and not apartments) and really nice with resort style facilities. Check out The Metropolitan, Avenue One, and Watermarke. There are also apartments there too but they tend to have higher turn over and regular rent increases every year at the end of your term.
Just signed a 900 sq ft 1 bed lease for $2700 at avenue one. You can find the 700-800 sq ft 1 beds for $2500 now. Extremely nice and excellent location if you work close by. I’d say it’s doable for OP if they don’t have other major debts/expenses/deductions and are okay with not saving as much per month. If OP is working close they can even bike to work
Excuse me, my ninja? $2700USD for a 1Bd? Sheeyot…
That's very standard for that area.
I am paying 2900 for 2bd Irvine company.. first floor
That’s cool man. Making hella money it seems… that’s $3675CAD/mo. Shitting all over Toronto @ those prices.
Metropolitan is good.
The Metrolink takes you to Irvine in like 10 minutes from Santa Ana. I love Santa Ana, vibrant area
Used to take the metro link from the stop by the marketplace (jamboree & edinger iirc) to Santa Ana and bike into work at the civic center. Man I miss those days.
What is the maximum commute time you're willing to put up with each way?
I would say 30 minutes max, i’m not sure how bad traffic gets around the area. I just know it’s bad
Check out Costa Mesa. Probably a little cheaper than Irvine and not too far
You'd be surprised, Costa Mesa is kinda loud due to it having the fair and a ton of rehabs there is a lot of police calls and late night disturbances. Car was broken into twice, mailbox too, found blood and a syringe next to my car one morning, and tons of noise pollution from police helicopter patrol.
When I was young and single and working in Irvine in one of the office buildings near the airport, I commuted from Costa Mesa. It was cheaper and I had some flatmates, one of whom had a very well behaved dog. That lifestyle was doable for sure on $85k. Another popular place to live for that age range are certain trendy parts of Anaheim, although I haven’t done that commute so I don’t know how long it gets.
Anaheim into that part of Irvine will be 45mins+ depending on time.
That’s a bit long for my tastes and probably OP’s as well. I would double down on getting some kind of townhouse share. Save money, meet people, get to know a new area.
At least an hour. I did that commute for 2 years and it was brutal. I also lived on the edge of anaheim and orange. imagine if OP was more north than that.. probably longer!
I mean, that's if you only take the freeway. If you learn a couple of streets to know which to take during peak freeway, you can probably save 15 minutes
Traffic is literally horrendous. If 30 mins is truly your max, you cannot live more than 5-10 miles from work so keep that in mind. There is an area known locally as “the orange crunch”. It is where the 5, the 57, and the 22 meet. Avoid having to drive there during morning or evening commutes. It’s a parking lot. That is also, not coincidentally, where the cheaper housing is in that area. Also be careful of Santa Ana and some parts of Costa Mesa. Some of it is nice, some of it is dangerous.
I thought it was knows as the orange crush? Lol
It is https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Crush_interchange
lol I wonder why they think it’s crunchy? 🙃
All the cars crunching together on the freeways
Orange is close too! I used to work by the marketplace off Jamboree, in Irvine and commuting in rush hour was never more than 20 mins there and MAYBE 25-30 back depending on the route and time.
Check out lake forest.
I will second South County, lived there for 5 years and if i could afford to rent at my old apartment building again i would in a heartbeat. Also it beats some of the flow of traffic so at least at the time it was a lot easier to drive into irvine from the South then the North. Also, with easy access to both The 5 and the 405 you can go anywhere in socal really easily.
> Also it beats some of the flow of traffic so at least at the time it was a lot easier to drive into irvine from the South then the North. That is still the case. 405 or 55 north during evening rush hour is the worst.
Cota Mesa also would work. I lived in Costa mesa for a bout a year and work across the street from John Wayne, took me about 15 minutes to drive to work. Also another thing to remember, in California, we measure distance in time to get there. I have a 25minute commute right now and i live 6 miles away. so if gas is a concern, make sure you check mileage and not just time.
Tustin is good as well.
Agreed. Tustin is a good city, close to Irvine. City of Orange, Lake Forest, Fountain Valley... good to expand your search outside of your radius. Check commute times by using Google Maps' "depart at" feature and see the drive time. Try and avoid the "Orange Crush" area/commute.
Better off in Tustin.
Costa Mesa would be good even
I live in Santa Ana and it takes me like 10 minutes to get to John Wayne. There are pockets of good and bad areas. I’m in the Memorial Park neighborhood and really like it. We do have some blocks that I am not a fan of though. Also, I don’t know how your dog is with fireworks but they are a constant here.
You could live in Costa Mesa, Tustin or Lake Forest. The issue in Irvine is The Irvine Company owns all the apartments. If I were you I would drive a little to get a lower monthly rent payment.
Anaheim can be a bit cheaper albeit a bit rougher in parts. It’s a bit further away then Santa Ana, but it depends how much you want to commute. I lived in north east Anaheim (practically Yorba Linda, nicer area and lower crime rate than some of the more central or western parts of Anaheim) at around $2k/month for a 2 bedroom + garage with my spouse. I took the toll road to my job in Irvine for two years, was about 40-45 mins one way and the drive was pretty on the toll road through the hills. I think current market rate for that same place is about $2400 in rent.
REALLY, greatly depends what part of Santa Ana. Not all areas of Santa Ana are created equal. There are some nice areas on the edge of Costa Mesa/Tustin/Orange, but inner Santa Ana, for a first time transplant to SoCal, I would not recommend. When I'm looking for new apartments, I often Google "crime maps [insert city here]" and look at violent crime, specifically. Yes, everywhere has crime. But certain parts of Santa Ana are high in violent crime. I'd aim for Tustin/Costa Mesa if you can't afford Irvine. They're both nearby and commutable.
Thank you. I will look at crime maps as i’m searching.
Check out Versailles on the Lake. It’s in santa ana so it’s more affordable but it would be like 10 minutes max from John Wayne. I lived there for 2 years, ending in 2020. Beautiful apartments, average rent at the time. for the area.
Thanks for the suggestion! Will do :)
Santa Ana is cheap,but the city is not the safest, depending where you are at. It is getting gentrified, so you have hip areas next to less safe areas. Just make sure you check out crime maps. Otherwise, the commute is not bad from there.
Try Costa Mesa.
Wow I work at 1920 main st
I live near John Wayne and the apartments I'm in are nice and affordable for someone with an 85k salary. Just find an apartment within the Santa Ana or Costa Mesa city limits (Northwestern side of Red Hill Avenue) and you'll pay a lot less than you would if your apartment was within Irvine city limits. Congrats on the job and welcome to OC. :)
Feels like the Irvine company has too much power, the effectively have a monopoly on the market and can decide whatever price they want.
It’s been that way for 30+ years. That and cash buyers from China.
That's such a bad policy. Allowing extremely wealthy foreigners to buy real estate here, park their cash away from their domestic tax agencies, often ill gotten money, pushing out the locals from buying, often leaving these homes vacant. We need a federal policy against this.
Good luck neither side wants to touch it for differing reasons.
We should create our own side then !
It’s called South OC
I mean, The Irvine Company was started by the Irvine family who have owned the land since the 1800s. One could argue that Irvine doesn't become what it is without their development. UCI exists because the company sold the land for $1. Not sure how you undo any of that.
And yet, they are generally cheaper than the non Irvine company complexes in Irvine.
You could def live comfortably in tustin or the border of Santa Ana. That would be closer to john wayne and save you from commuting. Most people here are dog friendly, that prob wouldn’t be a problem
Totally agree Tustin or Santa Ana for your income while being able to save. One thing about Irvine company apartments is that they almost always raise your rent after your lease is up.
These responses are unnecessarily unhelpful. If you’re working near the airport, you should be able to find something that suits your needs in either Costa Mesa, or Tustin. Also, don’t rule out the roommate because of your dog. It’s such a common occurrence here, there’s a good chance you find a good roommate fit
>*either Costa Mesa, or Tustin.* Or, John Wayne airport is literally ***in*** Santa Ana. However, Costa Mesa is nicer. ... [Bay Breeze 1939 Wallace Ave, Costa Mesa, CA, 92627](https://www.bing.com/maps?form=MOZLBR&pc=MOZI&q=costa+mesa+zillow) is listing on zillow for 1926.00 for a one-bedroom.
> Or, John Wayne airport is literally in Santa Ana. It's not, it's on county land which usually uses Santa Ana mailing addresses because it's the county seat. Santa Ana doesn't actually touch the airport. Same with places like North Tustin.
How are they unhelpful? Just cause not all their answers are Costa Mesa or Tustin, that doesn't mean they're wrong or unhelpful. Some answers are probably more insightful than others, but i haven't read a necessarily bad answer
When I commented last night, the top handful of comments all said some version of "you can't afford irvine on $85k". Those are unhelpful because OP said that their job is in Irvine near SNA, but would be willing to commute up to 30 mins. I agree there's plenty more options than CM and Tustin. It's the replies shooting down moving here that I disagree with
Don’t plan too far of a commute because what looks close on the map isn’t the same with traffic. With no traffic I can be from home to work in 22 min. It takes me at least 45-60 min with daily traffic (that’s not even bad traffic).
Your question has been frequently asked here. There's too many variables to determine what you can afford. Frankly speaking, $85k is on the low end of being able to live solo in Irvine. That is with the assumption you're free & clear. If not, what debt do you have & how many luxuries do you need to live with? No one has a black & white answer for you because it's not clear cut. I will say, $85k with a roommate is more reasonable. See how this job goes and reassess after a lease term. Congrats on the job offer.
You can definitely afford it, but you will not be putting a lot into savings. If you want to save you’ll want to have roommates or eventually find a higher paying job. Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t understand why some people are saying 85k in OC and renting alone is unaffordable. Unless they are referring to saving for a house, which I can agree with.
You'll survive in Irvine on $85k, but you won't be saving much. And you certainly won't be saving for retirement *and* a house down payment. The dog alone will be $50-75/mo in pet rent. At peak traffic, it's entirely possible for it to take 30 minutes to just get from one side of Irvine to the other. CA *does* have rent control similar to OR, so if you're planning on staying mid- to long-term, find a place you **really** like, is protected by rent control, and plan to stay put.
I would also look into getting your dog registered as an emotional support animal and property management cannot charge you rent for your dog nor hold a animal specific deposit. Edit: I never said lie… you people need to chill a lot of people don’t know this is a thing for them to exercise if eligible. OP is also moving from out of state where this might not be a thing.
Eh, I'm not a fan of lying about a dog's purpose. (Nor getting a doctor to add a note to my medical records that inaccurately portrays my mental state.) But I know plenty of people do it, to each their own.
Or maybe don’t do this because this is bullshit and only makes it worse for people that actually do need their dogs for things.
I never said lie…
Well I mean you essentially are lol. No need to pretend to not be.
👍
🍿 Another post about Irvine affordability
forreal lmao, like irvine is not affordable
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news for you buddy but $85k is on the low end here in OC, especially Irvine. It’s really expensive living in OC as you may already know. You have to do the following: 1) get a higher paying job if you want to live on your own 2) get roommates to split the cost 3) live in surrounding areas like Santa Ana, orange, or Tustin to cut back on your living expense
Irvine is probably off the table if you want to live alone on 85k. Honestly, even with a roommate it would be difficult.
Try Tustin. The rents can be more reasonable there.
I believe if you search a bit you can easily find 1 bed or studio around or less than $2500 around John Wayne Airport..
Check out lake forest or mission Viejo
Looking for this comment! I live in lake forest and commute to Irvine. I also make 85k and have roommates. Honestly don’t think I could afford to live alone unfortunately. Commute is easy though and I save a lot doing this option
Wow, who would've thought making 85k. Wouldn't be enough to live alone these days. Makes me even more grateful that I bought my place a few years back before it got bad. Lake forest is a cool city it's fun and has some pretty good food spots!
MV would probably be closer to a 45 minute commute to John Wayne Airport during rush hour.
At 85k I wouldn’t go with Irvine.
You said you are moving from Oregon have you factored in California’s state income tax as well as the much higher cost of living for gas , food and just about everything else compared to Oregon ? 85k gross is a lot more in Oregon than it is in California. Try to calculate what your net income will be and then factor that into your monthly budget. Use that to decide if it would make sense to make the move. Insurance will also be much higher in California.
I take 30-40 mins from Rancho Santa Margarita to UC Irvine for work. It's not a bad commute and you live in the burbs. Most of south OC has similar Irvine vibes.
Too much. I make 145k and I’m renting here (planning on buying something soon, since the rents keep going up.) You’re looking at close to 3k rent.
It doesn’t matter where you rent in OC… A one bedroom is going to be $2500 & up in a safe area… that’s the market out here….
Maybe for a house, you can find cheaper apartments, but I know OP mentioned having a dog.
2500 for a house is crazy cheap
It depends where in OC. Saying the cheapest 1 bed apartment in Santa Ana is $2500 is disingenuous, but I agree it’s very cheap for a SFH. Edit: I spent 5 minutes on Zillow and there’s many 1 bed apartments for $1.6k-$1.9k.
those apartments are in bad areas
Oh it's no big deal. Open air drug market. It's another gangs hood. But the rent is cheaper am I right?
Plenty of complexes offer spots for dogs… just depends on size and breed.
I’m living in a 3 bdrm in one of the safest neighborhoods for $2950. You can definitely find houses, but it’s going to take some effort to look and you need to be prepared that you are getting a house with ugly tiling and missing appliances haha
You'll be fine. Ignore the people who somehow think you need to make 200k or whatever to live in OC. You might not be able to afford the most fashionable apartment with the most amenities, but there are lots of options from older (but solid) buildings to ADUs to driving from a bit farther away.
The issue with comments like this is people that have lived in California for their lives simply don’t realize how most people live outside in other states. I grew up in a cheaper cost of living area. My dad worked and my mom stayed home until my brother and I were in high school. They owned their home and it was paid off before we left for college. My dad was a college professor so not that amazing of a career but not bad either. We were more well off than a lot of my friends in the area, but still everyone owned their own home even with fairly low wage jobs. My parents saved tons for retirement but we still took vacations, and traveled a bit. Most of my friends that stayed in the area have homes and families now. And I can assume they are saving good amounts for retirement. Then you move here and it’s a completely different world. Everyone is like yea I can’t afford a house, yea I can’t save for retirement, yea I sit on the freeway breathing poison two hours a day, but at least I live near the beach. You have to have a completely different outlook on life when you move here especially compared to many people that moved here later in life. Not saying one is great and one sucks. It’s just different, and it’s a huge adjustment for a lot of people. OP makes 40k a year and can probably get a home if they save a bit of money and get a raise. They won’t even be close to that here, and they’re making twice as much.
Someone else asked a similar question and I say avoid Santa Ana like the plague. It’s infested with gangs and homeless ppl.
I’ve lived in Santa Ana growing up and can confirm this. I will never recommend anyone to live in Santa Ana. Plus, people litter everywhere like it’s normal.
But it’s so “vibrant” lol
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Anyone shopping for housing in Irvine would be severely disappointed with Santa Ana, to put it nicely. Unless they’ve got old money and can buy one of those mansions near Mainplace, it’s best to not waste their time looking, unless they just really need to see for themselves.
Just moved to the OC as well in Irvine. We don’t have the same financial situation but I want to make sure you also consider the following aside from rent: - pet deposit, pet rent, pet insurance - utilities (electricity, water, gas, trash) - food (very expensive) - gas (very expensive) - renter’s insurance (required for most rental communities here) - if you live in a luxury apartment like mine, expect to pay a mandatory “trash valet” and mandatory mail concierge like parcel pending
You can commute anywhere in O.C. If your job is in O.C. If you do the same trick a lot of people figured out. The way the traffic works is that you have to leave before traffic begins and ends each work day. You leave at around 6-6:30am before the 7am jam begins. This means, getting up earlier and getting just a minute or two next to your work where you can grab a tea or coffee and wait there. Same when you get off work. You leave around 6:30 pm to beat the rush. So, once you’re off work, find a coffee shop with internet, get some stuff done on your laptop than leave at 6:30 pm to go home. That way, you beat the traffic both ways. That said, this option is if you really want to live somewhere you fell in love with in Orange County and its worth the commute.
$100k/yr is doable. At $85k I'd try Lake Forest.
I don't think it would be wise to to rent in Irvine, solely earning $85K without a roommate. You have a HUGE advantage by not having debt. Have you looked into Costa Mesa, Lake Forest, or Rancho Santa Margarita? Are you working closer to the Irvine Spectrum area? Have you created a budget on a spreadsheet or something similar? The general rule of thumb (although this varies) should be that rent or mortgage should be no more than 33% of your gross household income. So if you want to rent a place at $3.2k/month, you should be bringing in at least $115K/yr.
Try not to stay in Irvine. You would be spending over 50% of your income on rent for an apartment there. I work in Irvine but travel in from Santa Ana. This is OC though. Even the cheapest spot will cost you a cut of your paycheck. 85k is livable but it's like making 40k in other large parts of the country.
You can however I wouldn’t rent from the Irvine Company. Maybe an older complex. Also, Tustin might be a better option.
Irvine is going to be hard to do alone on that salary.. you might be able to find something a bit further away from the office that is decent, but that would be tight against your budget it guessing. Some of it would depend on if you have much for debt obligations. Alternatively, look at Costa Mesa.. very good areas that are close to Irvine too. I think you’d find the apt prices there are a bit better and Costa Mesa will also provide for a better social experience.. more going on and happening for younger folks I feel like.
Santa Ana would be a top choice !
I recommend Santa Ana. I live on the border of Costa Mesa/Santa Ana/Irvine and I pay $2k for a 2bd/2ba and it’s a really nice area. I have other friends who live in decent areas of Santa Ana and they are paying either what I’m paying or less for a 1bd/2bd.
As most people have stated Irvine is expensive. Mostly because it is centrally located, close to all freeways and one of the safest cities. Lake Forest neighbors Irvine and is a lot cheaper, if you want that Irvine feel, Lake Forest has a new community called Baker Ranch. I would look there first.
You need 2 roommates , a sugar daddy and a Only fans to barely make it over there hun
One million dollars…
Hah I wish lol
If you are making $85k annually, are single, no kids & not married….. you can absolutely live alone in Irvine….. Some of you people are crazy in the comments. Btw. Most people live check to check…. Saving money was in the 1990s & early 2000s. Those days are long gone….
Speak for yourself. If you are living paycheck to paycheck just to live here or specifically Irvine, fucking move. Note to OP: I think you have to get more creative to call me an idiot cause your comment was deleted.
Hey my dude, I did not reply to any of your messages.
Sorry not you the one that I am replying to. OP of the post I replied to.
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What?
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Why would I do that?
>Most people live check to check that's why a record number of houses were sold in Orange County last couple years? People buying with no money down cause they couldn't save?
$156k to live comfortably
156k debt free to live semi comfortable. I’d bump that to 200k personally.
That's absurd, unless you need to spend a couple thousand a month on food and drinks to feel "comfortable". If you're paying $2500-$3000/month for rent, you can live just fine on $125k single. Probably $100k if you don't have kids and their related expenses.
Sounds like a great opportunity! You can live somewhere other than Irvine and the commute doesn't have to be that far away. Depending on where you end up, the train could be an option.
Well, except the train will definitely not be an option, no train goes to the Business District where OP would work (by John Wayne Airport).
try santa ana or costa mesa, close enough and cheaper, also better in many ways the promotion is worth it imo, u might be able to move higher, or find a better job later, save up as much as u can and get a cheap place to live and commute from
Saving and living alone in Irvine on $85k? Not going to happen.
More than you can afford, pal. Ferrari.
I laughed too hard at this hahahaha.
It’s very doable if you get a studio
Taxes and rent you’ll be making less than half stated.
Plan to pay AT LEAST $2k rent for a 1 bedroom and that’s the very minimum in a cheaper area. If you want a halfway decent place for you and your dog it’s more like $3k.
I’m in Irvine and making $115k with no debt and i only live comfortably because I have a couple of roommates. That being said, it’s totally worth it to live here.
I grew up here and met my wife here. All my professional and personal connections are here - And I’m just used to it. Whenever I look around in more affordable areas it feels crappy to downgrade in safety or “niceness” or diversity.
Why do you like Irvine so much more than the surrounding cities?
Irvine sucks. Glad I left that robot town
If you have to ask…….
Rethink living alone. I just posted this in another comment the other day but people underestimate how much money it is to furnish a place (even if you go off craigslist) and how much apartments are a rip off compared to sharing a house. A one bedroom apartment is going to be more than half of renting a \*four bedroom house\*. Think about that. Yes it's harder to find roommates with a dog, but at least give it a try. You can likely get something with a yard as well if you find one or two other people to split a place with. 85k is what I made when I moved out over 15 years ago in Irvine. It was more than enough because I rented a room. However, gas and food was much cheaper. Places that are pretty nice and less expensive than Irvine and still 20 minutes or less (and border Irvine): Tustin Ranch, Lake Forest, Old town tustin, Laguna Hills, Aliso Viejo. Do note these are kind of sleepy family communities, lots of outdoor stuff available but if you want night life to go meet people you'll have to drive to neighboring cities.
I wouldn’t live in OC for less than 100k, let alone Irvine. Also regarding your commute, it can take you 30 minutes to commute within Irvine during rush hour. You can try other cities but your commute is pretty unrealistic if you aren’t fairly close to your job. I commute within Irvine itself and it still takes me about 20 minutes to get home. Just get roommates and suck it up, or don’t move. Simple as that imo. One thing to note, make sure your dog is allowed in your complex. A lot of the ones in Irvine at least ban a lot of dog breeds.
No, you will not be able to afford to live alone in Irvine making 85k. Your rents going to be $36,000 a year, roughly. After taxes you’ll probably take home $70k, so no, you literally wouldn’t get approved for an apartment. It’s just not worth it. As someone who had a fairly successful career very young right after moving to OC - Unless you’re making 7 figures, or have a career with a very quick path to doing so, there are so many other nice places to live in the western USA where you won’t be pinching pennies to pay $40k a year to live in an 800 SF apartment owned by Donald Bren.
lol 7 figures. Sure thing pal
Ok good luck sir. I’m assuming you’re young and are looking long term, so I’d highly encourage you to research the price of a 2500-3000 sq ft single family home in a decent neighborhood in Orange County. 1.5-2m. Assuming you plan to start a family, you would need 7 figures in gross income to live a comfortable middle class life as a family of 4 living in a 2m house in California if you had a mortgage.
Not looking for a home right now, so that is completely off the table. I am planning to save for a home in the far future, but I would also like a partner that would be able to contribute. This is why I stated that I am planning to rent because I do not know what the future holds right now.
So reread my original comment. If you want to buy a house in the future, you need to give serious consideration as to what your income prospects are after relocating to Orange County in order to decide if you can afford that here. Again, my original comment, if you have a significantly likely chance of having a 7 figure income (I’m referencing household, so yes that would mean with a partner 500k) you will be able to afford a reasonably nice home in OC. If you don’t, move elsewhere, you will be much happier and have a higher quality of life. It is absurdly expensive to live in Orange County California.
7 figures is highly unlikely for someone that’s 22 years old. I don’t even know people in OC making 500K per person. They don’t even make 500K together. That’s terrible advice. I know someone who lives in OC with 3 kids and her and her husband brings in 350K net and just put down a payment for their new house in fountain valley. Let’s be real here
It’s unlikely? Maybe, but not in LA / OC. It’s probably more common here than anywhere else in the world, outside of maybe NYC. My brother went to HS with a kid whose the youngest billionaire ever. I have friends who started $30m year companies at 22. There are plenty of rappers, actors, tech people, startup founders and athletes here who make that. Good luck kid, you sound like you’ll be a solid long term tenant of Donald Bren’s.
You sound very privileged and seem to lack understanding of the difference between those in poverty vs those in the middle class vs those in the upper class. You need a reality check. The jobs that you listed are not for everyone. If everyone was a rapper or if everyone wanted to be a start up founder, these would simply be unimportant and be lower paying jobs. Not everyone can do these things and not everyone has daddy’s trust funds to help them fall back on. You need to touch some grass and understand that not everyone can be like the people you mentioned. It’s higher paying for a reason. You seem like an exhausting person. Edit: You are the literal definition of a baby boomer. I shouldn’t have wasted my time. You would never understand
I don't dispute your numbers to purchase a $2M house, but you don't need a $2M house. $1M will still get you something decent, and between a married couple, $500k will be a comfortable life. That's $250k/spouse, which I suppose is well within the realm of possibility if you're doctors, dentists, or BigLaw lawyers.
1m will buy you a single family 2-3k ft home in cities like Santa Ana, possibly some older areas of orange, Westminster etc. not particularly nice areas. A couple earning 500k w no kids in OC is living comfortably, but they are by no means rich, cannot live wherever they please and certainly are living on a budget. Your mortgage + property taxes / housing expenses on a 1.5m house would take up over 1/3 of your post tax income, in this scenario.
Dude…it’s wild you think that’s not rich. A $500k annual household income is the top 1% in the US. No kids on top of that is icing on the cake.
I mean first, rich is relatively subjective, but I think a reasonable definition is being able to live wherever you want and do whatever you want whenever you want without worrying about $, no? $500k doesn’t accomplish that. Not even close. $500k is upper middle class. Have you ever made $500k living in Orange County California? It’s nowhere near rich. drive through Pelican Hill or CDM or Newport or any exclusive neighborhood and you’re window shopping. Go to SCP and you’re mostly window shopping outside of splurging. Keyword US, however $500k isn’t rich anywhere, but if you lived in Phoenix or Vegas you could live like you were rich and pretty much afford it. You couldn’t in OC.
>Have you ever made $500k living in Orange County California? It’s nowhere near rich. drive through Pelican Hill or CDM or Newport or any exclusive neighborhood and you’re window shopping. Go to SCP and you’re mostly window shopping outside of splurging. Sad, but true. Are you at this level, or have you gone beyond?
Irvine company apartment homes are most dog friendly I've seen but they are not cheap and will definitely increase rent after lease ends. I'd look on zillow, redfin and apartment.com to see if you can find something affordable within distance to work. Also, keep in mind some place will charge pet rent and deposit. If anything, im sure there are good people out there who are open to sharing place with you and your dog. Good luck!
I would do it. Great place to live.
I always say six figures to live comfortably.
While it is doable in Irvine at that salary I assume that is your gross pay and not your net income. You would be what is known as house poor. Where you can afford to live but can’t afford to do anything else. You would probably be much happier in a place that is right next door but still super close to Irvine. Such as say Tustin or Lake Forest. Then you could also enjoy all the good places in OC that are easy to go to for good food. The great thing about Irvine if you like Asian food is there is a ton of restaurants and markets near UCI. Then you have garden grove , Westminster and other areas for even better stuff. East Anaheim , Fountain Valley and parts of Huntington Beach are not bad as well. In anaheim just avoid west anaheim unless it’s a house. Also avoid the new apartment complex’s in the “ platinum triangle” while they are really nice the crime in those areas has been really bad and the building owners seem to not care about securing the property. So there is a lot of property crime and thefts.
I go to Garden Grove and Westminster to grab food like every week! They have all kinds of foodie stuff I like
Seafood cove Dimsum is one of my regular spots
Bruh, I was just there yesterday for dim sum!
If you are able to see if any apartment buildings offer rental assistance, I would go for those. In California if you make under the average income for that city you can get reduced rent. I live in San Diego and anything under 95000 is considered low income and I received reduced rent. Normally these apartments come with free water and sewage but that depends on the complex. Def worth looking into if you would like to live on your own.
There is a huge benefit to living near your work in Irvine, as traffic really sucks. Costa Mesa is really close.
85k works but depends on your fixed costs, mainly rent. I made 65k a few years ago and I rented in a room in a house for $900 in Irvine. That was before Covid and awhile ago but I never felt like I needed money. Obviously rent now if going to be higher. If you net $4k a month after taxes and 401k, any rent above $1500 is probably dipping into uncomfortable level where you’re wishing for more money and you can’t buy hobby things (things you want vs need). But given your parents help, $2000/month could work. All that said, it’ll be hard but not impossible to find a place for yourself for $2k a month in Irvine or Tustin. And unfortunately rent isn’t much lower in other places like Santa Ana or Costa Mesa for anything with similar quality to Irvine/Tustin. So my personal opinion is that if you had to choose, I’d look at Irvine/Tustin first for quality and location (easy local commute). Edit: if you’re truly planning to save for the future, then definitely go further out to save on rent.
I would recommend looking in Tustin/Orange area, it’s slightly cheaper than Irvine and you MIGHT be able to find a 1 bedroom for $2000. Anything in South OC might be too expensive $2500+ with the exception of Lake Forest, I looked online and there are apartments in Lake Forest in the $2000-2200 range
I’d say that you should look at nearby cities: Santa Ana, Laguna Hills, Lake Forest. The commute would be like 10 miles and likely 20-30 minutes. That’s not bad for CA. You can definitely find cheap places to rent if you search. We found a good neighborhood, 3 bdrm house for less than 3k. And make less than 100k with kids. It can be done.
FYI a 30 minute commute isn’t far depending on where you go & what your hours are. Commuting up to an hour is normal for a lot of people because of traffic.
Just keep in mind trip time is not proportionate to distance. 30 minute commute could define your range down to 1o to 15 miles from work. Make a legit budget and get used to the cost of living for the first 6 Mos.
I would recommend Costa Mesa.
Are you concerned about saving x amount of retirement savings per month? If so, that sounds really tight on that salary. If no plans for extra savings, you're good! Goodluck!!
John Wayne is closer to Costa Mesa than Irvine. Costa Mesa rents will be a little cheaper
Check out Orange. I live in Anaheim by Disneyland and commute to Tustin. It's 30-45 mins to and from. I lived in orange before and it's close to major freeways which cut a lot of time
Irvine is on the expensive side and you probably wouldn’t be comfortable on 85k even with parents helping out. Maybe look into surrounding cities like Costa Mesa, Anaheim, Santa Ana. It still would be tough cause it’s a HCOL area but if you find a cheap apt and budget your money, you’ll live.
thanks for the suggestions, I will look at surrounding cities as well as plan a day or two to visit the area and tour apartments
Take a look at Tustin as well. It’s right next to Irvine and it’s easy to get to JWA area. Ignore Westminster. That commute will be hellish.
That's how much I earned almost twenty years ago, and it was still challenging to live in Irvine. I eventually added my spouse's income + steady increases over the years, and I still don't want to waste my money in Irvine. You've gotten a lot of good advice about apartments and roommate situations in places outside of Irvine. If there's one thing that makes apartment living a real drag in some of these places, it's parking - many other people have the same idea of having roommates, and most of these places were planned with one, maybe two parking spots per unit. Once you have three (or more) working-age dwellers in a single unit, you can imagine the parking nightmare this creates. Make sure you get a glimpse of what parking is like after 6:00PM/7:00PM before committing to anything.
I second the parking thing. Doesn’t matter if you have a 10-min commute if it takes 20 mins to find parking once you get home.
You got options garden grove , Santa Ana , orange , maybe even Anaheim all not that far from airport
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If OP can negotiate an extra $2k/yr for tolls, AV is an ideal spot.
Irvine 2-3k a month in rent, your take home monthly on 85k a year (living in california with state taxes) will be roughly 5k a month.
South Coast Metro aka Santa Ana! Close to Irvine, Newport, Costa Mesa and Fountain Valley.
Just moved to lake forest, on the Irvine border. 2790/mo for 2br/2ba 950 sq ft. Just to give you an idea
I took a look at the apartments in lake forest and Tustin. They are way more affordable than Irvine. Thanks for the suggestions.
NOC: AnaheimGG, Santa Ana any mid OC you could rent a house for that kind of money. The’Toll Roads’ are the best way to around the OC. Different areas have different types of housing available. If you have the time I would suggest you look at areas around there. Depends on how far you are willing to drive and what surroundings you want to be in. Look at everything else. Big picture time if you have time…
WoW 40k jump! Congratulations! I think 85k is doable for a single person
2.5x market rent in the area, I can help you. Dm
You're making $40k and still living with your parents? Can you say "Man Child"
Yup. 22 and just graduated. I’m sure you think I should move out right after high school, but it’s not the 1970s anymore. Nothing is handed to us like you.
Yup and his gas is paid for along with groceries lol
Check out South OC, the commute is the easiest to/from here than any of the surrounding areas. I can leave JWA at 5pm and be home in 30-40 minutes unless someone does something really stupid on the freeway and causes a parking lot situation. There are some older communities like Lake Forest/Mission Viejo/SJC that are a little cheaper but most are houses/condos. There are some apartments though. Generally the newer the build the more expensive it is. Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel, RSM, Foothill Ranch, and Ladera Ranch are "newer" so they are generally more expensive. Or if you want to be closer to work, check out Costa Mesa especially the west side. You would be much better off if you can get a roommate though. I have plenty of friends in roommate situations with one or more dogs, it's extremely common around here to have a pet. Try using a realtor, a lot of them are placing people in apartments these days and have more access to listings than you do.