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How much to live in Orange County, CA?
I live in Texas now, but I want to move to Cali. I'm 23, single, and have a good career path as a Pipe Designer in the Petrochemical Engineering industry. I wanting to move to California and my preferred destination is Orange County. How much would I have to make to live in a decent neighborhood, in a 1 bedroom apartment? My only bills other than the essentials are a 200 dollar car payment, and 100 dollar credit card payment.
BTW, I love the beach so the closer to the beach the better. And what city would you recommend?
I do also know that I will have to pay at least 1000-1200 for a 1 bedroom apartment if I want to live in a decent area. I'm hoping to make over 50,000+ when I move there.
Chuckles-I'm not exactly an engineer. I have an associates in mechanical drafting. I'm a Pipe Designer. I've checked with Fluor and their supposedly on a hiring freeze. I've tried to get on with the Houston office also, but no luck. I think I could even do some normal drafting and make 50,000+ but my career is in pipe design and I'd hate to shy away from that because I need to get the experience. I have over 2.5 years exp. in Pipe Design/Drafting. I didn't even know that Cali was a place in South America...haha, I'll be sure to call Cali, California when I move down there. I don't necessarily need to live in the OC, but if it was close enough where I get a job I'd like to live there.
4 Answers
- ChucklesLv 71 decade agoFavorite Answer
As an engineer you have some hope of getting a job here. Check with Flour as they have a big office on Orange County.
I am an electronics engineer and I work in Lake Forest and like in a somewhat down market area in Costa Mesa. I pay $1220 a month for a small 2 bedroom 1 bath place, about 800 sq. ft. with a single garage and a small year. I make about $90K and I don't know how some other people make it. Mund you I have a daughter in grad school (civil engineering) who costs me a bit.
I suggest going on www.monster.com like I did and line up 2 to 4 job interviews over a period of a few days. Then fly out here for them. I did 3 interviews in 3 days. I got a call back from one of them about a week after I went back and have been here since 2001.
There is quite a bit of oil business going on here but most of it is in Long Beach and the southernmost part of the city of LA. Too far to commute from any part of the OC except maybe for Seal Beach.
Better areas like Mission Viejo are like $1700 a month for a nice 1 bedroom apartment. However I have to warn you that the OC is not an easy place to meet single people.
And do note that people here will frown at you if you call the place Cali. Cali is a city in South America, the center of the drug trade.
And outside of housing, gas is a little more expensive. The rest is about the same cost as in Texas. A young person can do OK here on $50K a year
- Capt. ObviousLv 71 decade ago
If you want to live here and enjoy the weather, then you have to pay for it. You put up with the smog and the traffic, enjoy the weather and pay your rent or mortgage. My advice is to start checking out craigslist, rent.com, westsiderentals.com and apartments.com if you are looking to rent. You’ll quickly see that the minimum rent for a non-war zone is about $1,000-$1,200 per month for a studio or 1BR. Really nice areas (like the Newport Beach area) easily run $2,500 or more. If you want to live near the beach, expect to pay a premium.
In Orange County aka "The OC": Seal Beach , Huntington Beach , Newport Beach , Corona Del Mar , Laguna Beach , Dana Point , Capistrano Beach , San Clemente , Brea, Yorba Linda, Orange, Tustin, Irvine, Laguna Hills, Rancho Santa Margarita, Lake Forest
- SIMEON SLv 41 decade ago
Orange County is part of the "Rivera of America" (my name). Parts of Northern and Southern California and all of Hawaii are included in the "Rivera of America" due to the great weather, jobs and cost of living. Especially near the ocean, the costs are highest. Prepare to be shocked.
