What you should know before moving to Los Angeles

So you’re thinking of making La La Land your new hometown. Well, that’s great. From the sunny weather to the possibility to visit beaches, mountains, and desert within an hour’s drive, it’s hard not to argue that Los Angles is a great place to live. But before deciding on moving to Los Angeles, there are a few things you should figure out.

The city of LA — There is a lot to explore

One of the good ways to get acquainted with Los Angeles is to try and live there for a couple of weeks. This option is not possible for everyone, but if it is for you, do it. Living there for a while will give you a great idea of what life in Los Angeles is really like. Local prices and average pay can be looked up online, but you really need to be there to get the feeling of how much everything costs. Combining that with a couple of hours of online research, and you will really know what Los Angeles is about.

Moving to Los Angeles

Before you start your life in the big city of Los Angeles, there are ways in which you can reduce potential headaches. Moving is going to be stressful. It always is. But with careful planning and execution, there is a way to reduce the stress level to a minimum.

Packing

When packing, care is your biggest ally. Carefully and mindfully sorting, packing and labeling all your things is a smart move. You don’t want to find yourself needing something and not knowing where it is, or god forbid, losing something during the move and not realizing that you lost it. Sort everything in a specific box. Label the box. And put it on a list. A little care now goes a long way. Also, avoid packing unnecessary things. You will have to pay for everything that you relocate, so not pack unnecessary things saves you a lot of money. A good rule of thumb is that if you are not completely sure if you need something or not, you don’t need it. LA is not cheap, and you will need all the money you can save, before moving to Los Angeles.

Moving

If you are one of the lucky few who can organize moving to Los Angles without using a moving company, great. But if you are one of the other 99.9%, picking a good moving company is vital. Some moving companies offer both moving and packing services, but that will cost you more than just moving. Although, it will cost you less to hire one moving company to both pack and move than to hire a specific company for moving and for packing. Sum up the costs. Figure out the necessary time required for the move. And give room for mistakes. For both your’s and other people’s. Sometimes things go completely buy the plan, but more often than not, something will go wrong. We would say expect the unexpected, but that is a paradox, so we won’t say it.

Starting your life in Los Angeles

So you managed to move your stuff to LA, what now? Well, there are priorities to get to, before you start your life in the city of angels.

Housing

Finding the right place to live should be your priority number one. The city is big and diverse and so are it’s housing prices and conditions. You will soon find out that it’s not uncommon for people to rent apartments without refrigerators or stoves. Figuring out how much you spend on daily life will give you a better idea of how much you can spend on rent. There are a lot of places to chose from, and there are a lot of people looking. Combining both online search and looking on foot will give you a slight edge. Some places are up for rent days before the owner post anything online. And if you are looking to buy a place, give yourself even more time to get familiar with LA. That should not be a rash decision, and a lot of local knowledge is required to make a smart purchase in the housing market. Start off with finding the neighborhood that is right for you.

Job

Next thing is a job. Your housing and your job tend to go together in LA. The amount of money you make will impact on what kind of housing you can afford (of course), but it’s quite common to live where you work in LA. The city was made with cars in mind, but traffic jams are a daily headache and a 30-minute drive on a normal day, can easily turn into a 2-hour commute during rush hour. If you are looking for work in LA, entertainment business might the first thing that comes to mind, but the city is very diverse in its economic possibilities. Some of the countries biggest brands have their headquarters in LA, like Nestle, Tesla, and Honda. But know that entertainment industry is alive and well and always will be in Los Angeles.

You will use a car daily — Meet your new best friend

Lifestyle

Diversity if LA’s middle name. People from all around the world come here to try their luck in “the industry” to make their American dream a reality. And with them, they bring their culture and cuisine. There will be a lot of new and unexpected things for you to experience, but you will have to look for them. One of the differences between other big cities, like NYC and Chicago, and LA is that things are not as available here. The laid-back West coast vibe makes people like sharing their culture, but not trying to push it in your face, like they do in NYC. As we said before, LA is a car city, and you will need one if you want to explore all that it has to offer. Also, health is a big thing in LA. Everywhere you go you will find organic juice bars, gyms and yoga studios.

Girl doing yoga — Get ready to see this everywhere once you move to Los Angeles

Final advice

Once you get to LA and get your priorities settled take your time. The city is big and it’s constantly changing, so there will always be something for you to explore. From time to time, sit on the beach and ask yourself:

Am I satisfied with living in LA
Was moving to Los Angles the right move
What can I change about my life in LA

The city of angles sounds heavenly, but you don’t lose your head in the clouds while moving to Los Angeles.