Standard of living for Los Angeles nurses.

tothepointeLVN, LVN · Oct 19, 2009

You should be able to do it. Santa Monica is pricier but there are other surrounding areas that are just as nice but less touristy therefore less money.

Of course the best sausage rolls are in Santa Monica....

I live in the Southbay area. Close to the beaches and all the amenities but less rent than Santa Monica.

Coffee Nurse, BSN, RN · Oct 19, 2009

The standard of living, or the cost of living? Because, obviously, the former is contingent upon how high you're willing to go on the latter. I don't know how doable Santa Monica is (I didn't even bother looking, myself, when I was apartment hunting, because it is pricy, as the previous poster mentioned), but I work in west LA and have my own one-bedroom about two miles away from the hospital. The rent eats up about a quarter of my monthly income, but I live pretty comfortably -- i.e., not paycheck to paycheck, at least -- and feel fairly safe in my area, so long as I avoid things like jogging alone after dark, etc.

Another factor to consider, besides where you'd be able to afford to live, is how much of a commute you can handle. I'm sure you've heard the horror stories about LA traffic; I have coworkers who sometimes have their drive to work doubled or tripled in time by rush hour. It depends on your tolerance for that sort of thing.

One thing I'd look into before committing yourself to a plan of action is what sort of openings are available to you, as a nurse coming from outside the US. If you've looked around the CA forum much, you'll have seen that jobs are pretty few and far between right now, and you might want to make inquiries as to whether employers have policies regarding the consideration of US citizens ahead of foreign applicants.

All that aside, I have to say that working as a nurse in CA is pretty great. The union, the CA Nurses' Association, is strong (at least in my hospital), and this is one of the only states (if not the only one) with mandated nurse-to-patient staffing ratios.

scoobysnax · Nov 12, 2009

Check out craigslist for rentals.

But I would make sure you could get a job first. I'm a new grad from calif, haven't found a job in almost a year!

bluejumperbunny · Nov 12, 2009

So what do new grads do to pay the bills all year long while trying to get a job?

scoobysnax · Nov 12, 2009

I'm a male gigolo.

Coffee Nurse, BSN, RN · Nov 12, 2009

Live at home/with roommates, take lots of part-time jobs. Or, you know, become a male gigolo.

bluejumperbunny · Nov 13, 2009

LOL! Funny, guys.... Thanks though for all the helpful information.

mum of twins · Nov 15, 2009

Santa Monica Huh? It is one of the prime area of LA we can afford it as nurses as long we don't go north of Montana!!!Best alternative as mention earlier is West LA, Good alternative is Marina Del Rey, You can take advantage the

ocean weather and people working as waitress/model/actress, bartender/model/actor;student/model/actor

Culver City is also good. You need a car !!!! Our transportation system is not very impressive. Either way it is fun to live in LA with the culture diversity, beaches, and weather!!!! Lots of part time jobs helps and a mode of life!!!

bluejumperbunny · Nov 17, 2009

Wow - a little ray of sunshine! Thanks mumoftwins. Tell me, are you a single mum and can still afford to live here? I would probably be on the starting sarary too so there's that to consider.

Thanks everyone for all your useful information, too.

tapioca · Jan 9, 2010

Hi bluejumperbunny,

have you moved? I have been looking at this thread, and I am very curious if you moved? I am thinking of doing the same

bluejumperbunny · Jan 10, 2010

No, haven't moved yet. It takes a lot of preparation if you're from outside the US! However, I was reading another thread just before the new year where a lot of US nurses were saying they were moving back to their home states having failed to find jobs in California since the economic downturn. So what are the chances of a foreign nurse getting a job now when homegrown professionals are unemployed?

Having said that, I haven't given up. Hopefully by the time I've done my NCLEX exams and tied up my loose ends here, the economy will have improved and there'll be jobs going again in LA. Failing that, I'll look somewhere like Texas, NYC or, at a push, Florida...

Where are you moving from, Tapioca?