That’s barely $29/mo, which isn’t that much and I’m far from trying to save on this. My water and electric bill (from LADWP), which is what you pay the most in terms of bills (besides internet), for 2 months (May-July) was $57. Utilities in LA are usually the highest during hot months because the AC is running almost 24/7. That’s not necessarily going to be true for your case.įor example, I live in a 2 bedroom apartment (1,200 square feet), and starting May, it’s becoming very hot in Los Angeles. “…the basic monthly utility bill for a 915 square foot apartment in LA is $110.71.”

Here’s what SmartAsset has to say about the cost of utilities in LA: I’ll get to those neighborhoods in a moment. To get a better idea of LA rent prices, what you should do is look at separate LA neighborhoods in your specific price range. Los Angeles is a huge, spread out and diversified city. That means you get significant rental price differences between all areas. You need to base everything around your set budget and look for specifics. Your situation is likely different, which means you’ll have different aims. The best way to calculate rental cost of living in Los Angeles is definitely not by looking at the average price range. Sure, if you draw an average between living in Beverly Hills (a fancy place for the rich and famous) and Van Nuys (cheap area for the working class), this is probably accurate. “…need two bedrooms in LA? Expect to pay around $2,846.” “…the average rent on a one-bedroom LA apartment is $1,949.” Below is what someone doing their research on the cost of living in Los Angeles would see.Īn article from SmartAsset, an authority for this type of information, and one of the first pages of my Google search, says the following: Let me quickly walk you through some examples from the interwebs. It may be OCD.įurthermore, it’s in my best interest to track costs and finances, so that’s what I do. And as a struggling actor, I keep a close watch on the cost of living in Los Angeles. How do I know? I have tens of Excel spreadsheets for my monthly budgets. I was surprised to find a lot of misrepresented data. Naturally, I started this article with a few days of research to see what the Internet has to say about the cost of living in Los Angeles. Keep reading.īottom Line: Cost of living in Los Angeles is much higher than in many other cities in the US and the world, according to data. Ultimately, if your goal is to move to Los Angeles for acting, get an acting agent and sign with a top talent agency here, then you’re in good hands now. Don’t go by the general numbers you find on most websites.įor the purpose of this guide, I will assume that just like me, you are a single person (possibly with a partner) and you don’t expect to live ten feet away from the beach in Malibu, because you are smart enough to understand that that’s expensive. To better understand how much it costs to live in Los Angeles, you want to look for specifics. But this is my word of warning to you: use more than one resource to get an accurate estimate. If you Google “ cost of living in Los Angeles,” you’ll find tons of help. I have to be aware of rent prices in LA and how to better budget for everything else in order to survive in LA, and now I’m relaying that information onto you.

The short answer is that the cost of LA life is very high compared to many other cities in the world.ĭue to constant need to save money, I’m always on the lookout for better deals on apartments or other ways to stash away a few dollars every week. What is the Cost of Living in Los Angeles? If your situation is similar, then this is the most accurate article on how much it costs to live in LA you can find.

Who are these numbers aimed at? I’m a single person living by myself, so all calculations are based around that. This post will save you time and money if you’re new to LA. In this article, I’m using my personal experience and budgets from the years of living in this city as well as current research on the cost of living in Los Angeles – unexpected as well as expected. If you’re in the position to move to Los Angeles, then as brave and bold as this call may be, it will also demand of you to keep a hawkeye over your finances, something that causes pre-mature balding from late-night hair yanking. You don’t need me to tell you that the cost of living in Los Angeles can be quite high when compared to many other cities in the US.įor aspiring actors the situation could be even tougher due to all the investments necessary to pursue this career choice.

Monthly budget sample personal city