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Household salary to comfortably live in LA?
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amother
Jade


 

Post Mon, May 09 2022, 9:17 am
First check housing prices... Confused
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amother
Jade


 

Post Mon, May 09 2022, 9:27 am
Search houses in 90035 (pico area)

they seem to start at 2 million dollars

Edited! Sorry, I originally got autocorrect to billion lol
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amother
Lightpink


 

Post Mon, May 09 2022, 9:29 am
amother [ Milk ] wrote:
Yes, also in the La Brea/Beverly area there are many (kollel type) families that have only one car.


OP asked about living "comfortably". Most people in LA wouldn't think that having only one car was living "comfortably". Living a kollel type of life style is generally viewed as "surviving" unless there is significant support or the wife makes a huge salary.

Housing in LA is not more expensive than housing in Brooklyn in general. Obviously there are variants. If the person could afford to buy a house in Brooklyn they could probably afford to buy a house in the frum area of Los Angeles.

The Valley is a bit less expensive than the West Side frum neighborhoods.
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amother
Molasses


 

Post Mon, May 09 2022, 9:30 am
amother [ Coffee ] wrote:
We survive fine on $300,000. And pay full tuition.


Survive and live comfortably isnt the same thing
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amother
Coffee


 

Post Mon, May 09 2022, 9:34 am
amother [ Molasses ] wrote:
Survive and live comfortably isnt the same thing


We live comfortably. Do you live here? We are fine.
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amother
Lightpink


 

Post Mon, May 09 2022, 9:38 am
amother [ Jade ] wrote:
Search houses in 90035 (pico area)

they seem to start at 2 billion dollars


Comparing apples to apples here is a townhouse with four bedrooms - about 1700 square feet and it is probably equivalent to a Brooklyn home in terms of price and size. Location is in the heart of Beverlywood

https://www.compass.com/listin.....4953/

At the other extreme is this luxurious home with spacious yard and a "gourmet" kosher kitchen in Beverlywood

https://www.dirt.com/gallery/e....._bw3/
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amother
Wheat


 

Post Mon, May 09 2022, 2:00 pm
We live in LA. For the ima that said 300 k - and fine , and pay full tuition? I assume that’s after tax?
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amother
Coffee


 

Post Mon, May 09 2022, 2:55 pm
amother [ Wheat ] wrote:
We live in LA. For the ima that said 300 k - and fine , and pay full tuition? I assume that’s after tax?


Before tax. It’s a bit over $300k but not a lot, and we can pay the cost for tuition. Do I buy designer clothes? No, but I find that it’s not a huge value here like it is in New York. Little girls aren’t running around with Moncler coats. My kids wear Zara and gap and target and nobody much cares. We don’t fly to Florida for winter break or have a bungalow in the Catskills because our climate is perfect. We do local hikes and activities and those are great. My kids work half a summer and go to camp half a summer (except for all the littles). I also don’t have eight children.

So we save on a lot of things that New Yorkers feel are important.

Living comfortably is a term that means different things to different people. I am by nature not a huge spender and for me I want for nothing. If I had to buy designer clothes and also go away to a Pesach hotel and also have two Teslas and also have a second home for the summer and also go to Israel for succos my answer would change.

ETA: because I work for the government my health insurance payments are minimal. I will say that’s probably huge and I didn’t consider that factor for other people.
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amother
Amaranthus


 

Post Mon, May 09 2022, 5:58 pm
amother [ Coffee ] wrote:
Before tax. It’s a bit over $300k but not a lot, and we can pay the cost for tuition. Do I buy designer clothes? No, but I find that it’s not a huge value here like it is in New York. Little girls aren’t running around with Moncler coats. My kids wear Zara and gap and target and nobody much cares. We don’t fly to Florida for winter break or have a bungalow in the Catskills because our climate is perfect. We do local hikes and activities and those are great. My kids work half a summer and go to camp half a summer (except for all the littles). I also don’t have eight children.

So we save on a lot of things that New Yorkers feel are important.

Living comfortably is a term that means different things to different people. I am by nature not a huge spender and for me I want for nothing. If I had to buy designer clothes and also go away to a Pesach hotel and also have two Teslas and also have a second home for the summer and also go to Israel for succos my answer would change.

ETA: because I work for the government my health insurance payments are minimal. I will say that’s probably huge and I didn’t consider that factor for other people.


Around 275K before taxes, 5 kids, mortgaged 1600 sq. f. house, with about 30% tuition discount, barely making it, BH. Our standard of living is similar to what Coffee is describing.
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amother
Buttercup


 

Post Mon, May 09 2022, 6:09 pm
amother [ Lightpink ] wrote:
OP asked about living "comfortably". Most people in LA wouldn't think that having only one car was living "comfortably". Living a kollel type of life style is generally viewed as "surviving" unless there is significant support or the wife makes a huge salary.

Housing in LA is not more expensive than housing in Brooklyn in general. Obviously there are variants. If the person could afford to buy a house in Brooklyn they could probably afford to buy a house in the frum area of Los Angeles.

The Valley is a bit less expensive than the West Side frum neighborhoods.


Almost everything else is cheaper in Brooklyn besides housing.
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amother
Tealblue


 

Post Mon, May 09 2022, 6:21 pm
I’m impressed with those of you making it on 300k.

What’s with housing? We have and income of close to 300k combined, 2 kids in a cheaper cost of living area but would never move to LA (we strongly considered) for housing alone. It feels insurmountable unless you have family help or some sort of other cushion.
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amother
Denim


 

Post Mon, May 09 2022, 7:44 pm
amother [ Lightpink ] wrote:
It is quite difficult - if one spouse works they will generally need the car to get to work. How do you get kids to school or shop or do other normal activities. Public transportation in Los Angeles is not great unless you live within walking distance of one of the rail lines AND your job is within walking distance of one at the other end - and even then most people choose to use their cars to commute.

If you don't have access to a car it severely constrains your ability to perform normal activities.

I don't know anyone where both spouses don't have a car. I am assuming OP is asking what a typical expense in Los Angeles would be and two cars is a typical expense.

I live in Pico and have one car. My husband’s office is around the corner and he walks to and from. Uber is readily available here.
To answer OP, rent for a 3 bedroom duplex runs around 5k. To rent a small private house think upwards of 7k. To purchase a small 3 bedroom single level home is close to 2 million.
YULA full tuition is about 40k. Kosher food is way more expensive here than on the east coast. But it’s an awesome community and we are very happy here!
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amother
Denim


 

Post Mon, May 09 2022, 7:47 pm
amother [ Lightpink ] wrote:
OP asked about living "comfortably". Most people in LA wouldn't think that having only one car was living "comfortably". Living a kollel type of life style is generally viewed as "surviving" unless there is significant support or the wife makes a huge salary.

Housing in LA is not more expensive than housing in Brooklyn in general. Obviously there are variants. If the person could afford to buy a house in Brooklyn they could probably afford to buy a house in the frum area of Los Angeles.

The Valley is a bit less expensive than the West Side frum neighborhoods.

You can buy a 3 bedroom home in Brooklyn for under a million. That’s not possible here in LA.
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amother
Rose


 

Post Mon, May 09 2022, 9:48 pm
How much would you need if living in the valley?
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amother
RosePink


 

Post Tue, May 10 2022, 12:05 am
It depends on lifestyle.
Lifestyle is different than NY and NJ.
What do you need in a home? Depends on the family. Duplexes aren’t a must. Plenty live in regular apartments which is way cheaper. And Beverlywood is way more than other areas. I wouldn’t live in Beverly Hills either.
Some food is more here, some less. At least in my social network some of the “musts” I see In mishpacha are not done at all and people think it is crazy. Talking about what they post as regular Shabbos meals, the “just us” meals, even the “guest meals”. Or menu ideas. Fresh produce is cheaper. And is what a lot of people serve here because it is fresher and tastier than whatever I ate in NY.
We don’t all do winter break trips that involve a plane. Remember we don’t have a winter to escape from!! Parks, hikes, the beach…
We almost never turn on the heat here.
We don’t need as much indoor space as the outside is amazing about 50 weeks a year. No bungalow either.
Fashion costs a lot less here. Yes you have a few who go all out in matching frum brands but that is 1-2 in my entire shul. And looks weird. Totally don’t understand the whole Montclair thing with winter coats. Not just because no one needs such a heavy coat here but because LA isn’t so one track. “Everyone has it” doesn’t fly in my home because it is not true! Baby layette and $100 onesies? Carters or target onesies are totally fine.

So besides housing because while it differs it is still expensive (check Zillow or apartments.com) costs vary considerably. Depends on what lifestyle you want to live.
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