Advantages & Disadvantages of Moving to Los Angeles

You think about moving to Los Angeles?

Great! However, make sure to check out all the pros and cons of living in Los Angeles in this article first to avoid common mistakes in this regard.

Living in Los Angeles – Overview

Advantages of Living in Los Angeles

1. Los Angeles has a strong economy
2. Many big corporations are located in L.A.
3. You can make good money in Los Angeles
4. Weather in Los Angeles is great
5. You can meet many relaxed people
6. Beaches are not too far away
7. Los Angeles is surrounded by beautiful nature
8. Many leisure activities to choose from
9. Los Angeles has excellent public infrastructure
10. Good schools and colleges in Los Angeles
11. Los Angeles is a tolerant city
12. You can meet people from many different cultures
13. There is always something going on in L.A.
14. Los Angeles is a big metropolitan city
15. High quality of life in Los Angeles
16. Good future outlook
17. Art is important in Los Angeles
18. Many people live a healthy lifestyle
19. Many different neighborhoods to choose from in LA.
20. You can go skiing, swimming and hiking
21. Los Angeles is popular among tourists
22. Many different foods to try
23. Many entertainment opportunities in Los Angeles
24. World-class shopping opportunities in Los Angeles
25. Great bars and clubs in LA.
26. Los Angeles has many interesting museums
27. You will find everything you need on almost every corner
28. You will live where many other people enjoy their vacations
29. You can make your friends envious
30. Los Angeles offers many recreational spaces
31. Los Angeles has big airports
32. Numerous sports events in Los Angeles

Los Angeles has a strong economy

One advantage of moving to Los Angeles is that the city has a pretty strong economy.

In fact, Los Angeles is the economic center of California and is the biggest city in the state.

Consequently, L.A. has a strong glamor factor and attracts companies from all over the world, which in turn offers many jobs for the local population while people living in Detroit often have to worry quite a lot in this regard.

Many big corporations are located in L.A.

You will also have many different employers to choose from.

Since Los Angeles is a big metropolitan city, you can work in many different sectors and almost everyone will find a job according to his or her qualifications.

In turn, chances are that you find your dream job in L.A. are much higher compared to a smaller city where job prospects are limited.

You can make good money in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles area is also famous for its high income levels.

There are many companies that pay really good money and if you work for one of those renowned companies in the tech or financial sector, you can afford a decent lifestyle and don’t have to worry that much about money.

Weather in Los Angeles is great

Another benefit of living in Los Angeles is that the weather and the overall climate is pretty great.

While you might have some rainy days, you will have full sun most of the time.

Not only will this improve your own mood and will also make you look nicer, but nice weather also improves the mood of the general public according to many studies.

In turn, you can have many nice conversations since people are usually pretty friendly and will have an open ear for your problems and often give you helpful advice on how to overcome them.

You can meet many relaxed people

In general, the Los Angeles area is known for its relaxed people and a rather relaxed lifestyle.

People are just laid back and just want to have fun without having to worry about the future that much.

While this attitude might be concerning, it also leads to a state where people live in the moment and enjoy every second as much as possible.

Beaches are not too far away

Another reason why living in Los Angeles is a good idea is that the city is closely located to the beach.

From many districts in L.A., it will only take you a few minutes by car to get to the beach.

In fact, many people go swimming or swimming before work or during lunch break and you can therefore live your dream in Los Angeles and really enjoy your leisure while you can still make pretty good money at the same time.

Los Angeles is surrounded by beautiful nature

The Los Angeles area is also a beautiful place.

While the city may be pretty crowded, you will find beautiful nature just a few miles from the city border.

Not only will you have access to beautiful beaches, but you can also enjoy hiking, skiing or spending time in national parks.

This mix makes Los Angeles pretty unique and is not offered by many other cities out there.

Many leisure activities to choose from

Since Los Angeles is a really big city, you can also choose from many different leisure activities.

Not only will you be able to play many sports, but you will also find music schools, chess clubs and many other institutions where you can enjoy your hobbies.

In fact, almost everyone will find his or her favorite place in L.A. since there are just so many different hobbies to try and to enjoy that you often don’t even have the time to try all of them.

Los Angeles has excellent public infrastructure

Los Angeles is also a place with excellent public infrastructure.

While public transport is not that great, you will still find hospitals, doctor’s offices, grocery stores and many other important things of daily life nearby and you will therefore have access to those important things all day long while many other people who live in small cities or villages might have to drive long hours to see a qualified doctor.

Good schools and colleges in Los Angeles

Another upside to moving to Los Angeles is that you will also find many good schools and colleges.

If you are a student or plan to have a family and want your kids to go to good schools, living in L.A. is great for you and your loved ones will find many renowned schools and universities and if you have the money to pay for tuition and other expenses related to college education, you can get world-class education for you or your kids and can make sure that your kids have excellent long-term prospects.

Los Angeles is a tolerant city

Los Angeles is also a pretty tolerant city and people are really friendly.

In turn, it doesn’t matter whether you are born in the US or migrate from a foreign country.

Everyone is welcome as long he or she is polite and a good person and LA therefore attracts people from all over the world who really enjoy the diverse and exciting atmosphere in the city.

You can meet people from many different cultures

Since L.A. is so diverse, you can also experience many different cultures and attitudes towards life.

In fact, if you are an open person, you will soon be able to make friends with people from many different cultural backgrounds and those people can teach you a lot about their culture and what’s different from what you are used to.

In turn, you can really see the world from a different perspective and can also grow as a person since you will see how relative the world really is.

There is always something going on in L.A.

Due to its size, there is always something going on in Los Angeles.

You will just find one event after the other and you will have more events to choose from than you could ever attend.

Thus, Los Angeles is also a great city for you if you are young and just want to have fun and experience as many exciting things and events as possible.

Los Angeles is a big metropolitan city

Los Angeles is also a really big city.

In fact, it is by far the biggest city in California and well-known across country borders.

Los Angeles also has a certain glamor factor and if you tell people that you move to L.A., they will often be pretty impressed and you will therefore gain a pretty high standing among your circle of friends.

High quality of life in Los Angeles

Due to its proximity to the beach and to beautiful nature in general, Los Angeles offers a pretty high quality of life to its inhabitants and you will find everything you need in this beautiful city.

The mix of a big metropolitan city and the proximity to nature is pretty unique all over the world and you can therefore make really good money while you can still enjoy your life quite a lot in this city.

Good future outlook

Los Angeles is also a city with an excellent future outlook.

Since it is the largest city in California and known by people from all over the world, Los Angeles will keep its importance for tourists as well as for the economy for many years and decades to come and you can be sure that you will find everything you need also in the future.

Art is important in Los Angeles

Another reason why living in Los Angeles is great is that you will also have access to many different art galleries.

Also outside those galleries, there are many artists and if art is really interesting to you, you will find many like-minded people with whom you can enjoy your leisure and also grow as an artist at the same time.

Many people live a healthy lifestyle

Los Angeles is also known for its healthy lifestyle.

While most people in the US eat and live pretty unhealthy, many people in Los Angeles care about their health a lot and really take care of their bodies and their brains.

In turn, people in Los Angeles and the surrounding area tend to live a healthier life and also have higher life expectancy on average since they are less likely to suffer from serious health problems.

Many different neighborhoods to choose from in LA.

Since Los Angeles is such a big city, you will also have numerous different neighborhoods to choose from. Neighborhoods and districts are pretty different in L.A.

However, this is actually a good thing since everyone will find his or her place according to his or her individual preferences while you will be rather confined in this regard if you lived in a smaller city where cultures are not that diverse.

You can go skiing, swimming and hiking

Another thing that makes Los Angeles a great place to live is that you can go skiing, hiking or swimming and don’t have to drive long distances for it.

In fact, L.A. is located close to the beach while it will also not take you that long to reach the mountains where you can do all sorts of winter sports.

Thus, no matter whether you are rather a surf or ski guy or gal, chances are that you will find everything you need to live a happy life in Los Angeles since there are more than enough things you can do in your leisure.

Los Angeles is popular among tourists

Since Los Angeles is well-known across country borders, it also attracts many tourists from all over the world.

This is really great since you can have conversations with many different people from many different cultures and can really grow in character and can see the world from a different perspective.

You can also make many new friends from different parts of the world and this can be really helpful for your own travels since you will have contacts to locals who can help you once you travel to their home country.

Many different foods to try

Another advantage to living in Los Angeles is that you can try many delicious foods.

Due to its diverse culture, you will be able to try foods from all over the world.

There are many great Indian, Mexican, Chinese and other restaurants to try and there will be something for every taste.

In turn, you can not only enjoy those great foods, but you can also learn a lot about different kitchen styles and can also improve your own cooking skills in the long run.

Many entertainment opportunities in Los Angeles

Los Angeles also offers lots of entertainment.

Due to its size and its diverse culture, you will find many fancy events to choose from.

However, you will also find many things to do in case you don’t have lots of money to spend yet and L.A. offers entertainment opportunities for every pocket.

In fact, many of those events are even free and you will find everything you need to have a great life, at least if you spend a little bit of time informing yourself.

World-class shopping opportunities in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is also a great place to live in case you are a shopping queen and are really willing to spend lots of money on fashion.

In such a case, L.A. will feel like heaven to you since you will not find many other cities where you can choose between that many designer stores.

However, keep in mind that shopping in L.A. is only fun if you have the money to do so.

Otherwise, you might get into serious debt and may experience lots of financial trouble in the long run.

Great bars and clubs in LA.

Los Angeles also offers great nightlife and you will have many decent bars and clubs to choose from.

In fact, some of the most prestigious clubs are located in and near Los Angeles and you will even be able to meet many famous people and celebrities if you choose the right ones.

Hence, Los Angeles is a great place to live if you are still young and want to enjoy nightlife as best as possible.

It can also be a great place if you want to meet wealthy people whom you can marry so that you don’t have to pay for all the luxury yourself.

Los Angeles has many interesting museums

Los Angeles is also known for its world-class museums that are popular all over the planet.

In fact, you will not find many other cities where you can find so many popular museums and if those things are really important to you, you can really enjoy your time in Los Angeles and will never run out of events and exhibitions in this regard.

You will find everything you need on almost every corner

Since Los Angeles is a big metropolitan city, people will find everything they need nearby their homes and don’t have to drive long distances for grocery shopping and most other things of daily life.

This is quite convenient since you will have everything you need within walking distance and don’t have to spend lots of time in your car to get to the store you need to go.

You will live where many other people enjoy their vacations

Another upside to living in L.A. is that you will live in one of the most beautiful places on our planet where most people would be more than happy to spend their vacations.

People from all over the country and even the world travel to LA to spend great holidays while you will just live at this place and will be able to enjoy all the nice things every day.

You can make your friends envious

If you tell people that you live in the Los Angeles area, they will often get pretty envious and secretly wish to change places with you.

In fact, L.A. has a pretty high reputation and attracts people from all over the world due to its high quality of life and the many things you can do in this city.

Consequently, you will have a pretty high standing within your circle of friends and your friends can also live at your place in case they want to visit you and don’t have to spend lots of money on a hotel.

Los Angeles offers many recreational spaces

Since Los Angeles is surrounded by beautiful nature, you will also find many nice spaces where you can enjoy your leisure without having to drive long hours.

Even within LA, you will find many parks and other places where you can relax from your stressful life and reload your batteries for the stressful things yet to come.

For instance, you can meditate in parks or just sleep a little bit on a mattress during lunchtime to get additional energy for work.

Los Angeles has big airports

Since Los Angeles is a globally important city, it also has a big international airport and you can therefore fly to many destinations all over the world without having to deal with layovers of any sort.

In turn, you will sooner reach your destination and can also travel to places all over the world in a rather relaxed manner.

Numerous sports events in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is also a great place to live since there are so many different sports events to choose from.

Whether it is basketball, football, hockey, soccer or many other sports.

You will find a professional team for all of those sports and will also be able to play those sports in your leisure.

Thus, moving to Los Angeles can also make quite a lot of sense if you are really into sports and want to spend lots of time on those things.

As you can see, there are many advantages of moving to L.A.

However, it is still not all upside and I will also show you all the disadvantages of living in Los Angeles in the following chapter so that you get a more realistic picture of reality and can better decide whether you still want to move to LA or rather go for a different city instead.

Disadvantages of Living in Los Angeles

1. Property prices and rents are pretty expensive in Los Angeles
2. Housing shortage is a serious problem
3. Overall living costs in Los Angeles are high
4. Rather poor public transport in LA
5. High crime rates
6. Air quality is relatively poor in Los Angeles
7. Homelessness is a big problem in LA
8. Increasing level of inequality
9. People are often in a rush
10. People in Los Angeles are not as relaxed as in other cities
11. You will often get stuck in traffic jams
12. Finding parking lots is often a problem
13. Los Angeles is waiting for a big earthquake
14. It takes time to get from one end to the other
15. Job market in Los Angeles is fierce
16. Many jobs don’t pay enough to make a living
17. It may take you long to find a flat or house to rent
18. Wildfire may become a problem
19. Water scarcity

Property prices and rents are pretty expensive in Los Angeles

One problem with living in Los Angeles is that property prices and rents are enormously high.

In fact, the average person has serious problems affording rent and unless you work for one of the renowned financial or tech companies in or near Los Angeles, you will likely struggle to pay for even basic things like rent.

Consequently, housing is a big problem and if your goal is to buy a home or rent a nice house, chances are that you will be better off moving to Indianapolis or other cities where rents are much lower and housing shortage is not a big deal.

Housing shortage is a serious problem

Housing shortage is a big downside of L.A. in general.

Not only are property prices ridiculously high and have increased dramatically over the past years, but there is just so much more demand than supply for housing and even if you have the money to afford to buy or rent a nice home, you will still have to compete with many other people who have the same plan and this might lead to bidding patterns that are just not healthy and may get you into serious financial trouble.

Overall living costs in Los Angeles are high

Not only rents and properties are pretty high, but also overall living costs in L.A. are higher than average and if you are used to cheap groceries and affordable prices, you will soon face an unpleasant surprise once you move to L.A. since you will have to spend lots of money on basic things like food but also for drinks and other leisure activities.

Los Angeles just attracts many wealthy people and price levels are therefore pretty high.

In fact, many people moving to L.A. from other states are surprised by the high price levels and really struggle to afford a decent lifestyle.

Rather poor public transport in LA

While Los Angeles provides excellent public infrastructure and you will find really good doctors, dentists and hospitals, public transport is still rather poor, especially if you don’t live in the city center but rather live in a suburb.

In such a case, you might have to spend lots of time commuting to work and back if you don’t have a car since buses and trains are not that reliable and are often late.

Hence, you should rather not rely on public transport in the LA area and rather get your own car so that you are independent of those issues.

High crime rates

Another disadvantage of living in Los Angeles is that crime rates are pretty high.

In fact, they are much higher than national average and you will often see and hear the police solving conflicts.

Los Angeles has become increasingly insecure over the past years and you might just not feel safe in the city anymore, even though your own risk of getting involved in serious incidents will be rather low if you don’t make friends with the wrong people and also have some emotional intelligence that keeps you out of trouble.

Air quality is relatively poor in Los Angeles

People in LA also suffer from pretty poor air quality.

You will often see smog clouds over the LA area.

This is due to heavy commuting and also since many power plants are located in this region.

In turn, you will inhale many harmful particles and this may really hurt your lungs and your overall health in the long run since your risk of suffering from lung cancer or cardiovascular diseases will be much higher compared to people living in regions with better air quality.

Homelessness is a big problem in LA

Another downside to moving to Los Angeles is that homelessness has become a serious problem over the past years.

In fact, an increasing number of people are no longer able to afford paying for rent and get evicted from their homes.

In turn, those people have to live in the streets and this is just not a nice picture and also contributes to increasing crime rates since those people have to engage in crimes to stay alive.

Thus, if you don’t want to see those unpleasant things, you might be better off moving to a smaller city instead of Los Angeles.

Increasing level of inequality

Due to increasing property prices and rents, there is also an increasing level of inequality in LA.

While landlords have become pretty wealthy and can make some nice extra money or even fully live off their rental yields, tenants often struggle to pay for rent and have to spend a significant fraction of their income on housing and don’t have much left for other important things.

Consequently, with an increasing level of inequality, the level of aggression also increases and conflicts will become even more common in the near future.

People are often in a rush

While people living in the LA area are rather relaxed, people living in the inner city are often in a rush since they have to get to important meetings or have other things to do.

In turn, they will often not have time to talk to you and you might be on your own in case you experience any problems or need advice from a third party.

Hence, you should be fine with living in a rather hectic environment before you choose to move to downtown LA.

People in Los Angeles are not as relaxed as in other cities

While some people in Los Angeles are relaxed, LA inhabitants are not as relaxed as people from other cities in California.

In fact, people from San Diego or San Francisco are often much more laid back and will have more time to spend with you compared to people in LA since Los Angeles is a big metropolitan area where money and fame are really important while other parts of the state are rather focused on having a great time instead of making the most money.

You will often get stuck in traffic jams

Another downside to living in Los Angeles is that you will often get stuck in traffic jams.

Since Los Angeles is a big metropolitan city, numerous people have to commute to work and back. In turn, streets are pretty crowded and you will get stuck in traffic jams quite often.

In turn, you will lose lots of time that you could spend on your hobbies or with your favorite people and this may get really annoying in the long run.

Finding parking lots is often a problem

Not only will you have to deal with heavy traffic, but finding a parking spot is also another serious problem in LA.

Not only is parking pretty expensive, but finding a parking lot is also pretty difficult and you may have to spend lots of time in this regard and may be late to important meetings or family events since you might just not find a parking spot in time.

Los Angeles is waiting for a big earthquake

While Los Angeles has many nice things to offer, people in LA are also waiting for a big earthquake.

It is called “the big one” and once it hits, the whole LA area will likely get wiped out.

Thus, people in LA constantly worry about this thing to happen and at one point in time, it will actually happen and the unlucky people who live at this place at this time will likely not survive the earthquake.

Consequently, if you want to be on the safe side, you should not move to Los Angeles or to other places near the Bay Area.

It takes time to get from one end to the other

Since Los Angeles is that big, it can take you many hours to get from one end to the other, especially at rush hour when traffic jams are quite common.

This can be a real problem in case you have to get around quickly and if this is the case, you might rather not want to move to LA but rather choose a different city where traffic jams are less common and distances are far shorter.

Job market in Los Angeles is fierce

While there are many well-paying jobs in the Los Angeles area, competition is still pretty fierce and if you want to get one of those great jobs, you also have to be pretty smart and willing to work hard on your skills.

Moreover, you also have to get lots of fancy education and have to spend lots of money on it before you can expect any returns on your educational investment.

Many jobs don’t pay enough to make a living

While people who work at renowned companies in the tech or financial industry often make really good money from what they are doing, the average person often struggles making enough to afford paying for rent and other expenses of daily life.

In turn, many people in LA are pretty desperate since they have to take on huge amounts of debt to finance their lives and will get into serious financial trouble sooner or later once they are no longer able to pay interest on those debts.

It may take you long to find a flat or house to rent

If you plan to move to Los Angeles, you should also know that it will most likely take you lots of time to find a suitable apartment or house.

Competition is just insane and many other people will love to rent the same homes as you.

In turn, you may have to search for weeks or even months before you find a suitable place to stay in LA and this can be really annoying and frustrating in the long run.

Wildfire may become a problem

Los Angeles is not only waiting for a big earthquake, but the region is also pretty vulnerable to wildfires.

In fact, there had been serious wildfires in the past and if you are pretty unlucky, your house in the Los Angeles area may just burn down and you will lose everything unless you got proper insurance that is often pretty costly due to the high risk of those events.

Hence, before moving to L.A., also make sure that you get proper insurance in this regard and that you are also willing to take this risk since wildfires may even take away your own life and the lives of your loved ones.

Water scarcity

Water scarcity has become a serious problem in the LA area.

Due to climate change, there is not enough rain in many regions around Los Angeles and this leads to a state where people are often no longer allowed to water their lawns.

If this trend continues, even drinking water may become a scarce resource and L.A. may no longer be able to offer a high quality of life to its inhabitants.

Top 10 Moving To Los Angeles Pros & Cons – Summary List

Should You Move To Los Angeles?

Los Angeles is a pretty great place to live.

However, it is also pretty expensive and if you don’t have a good job and make enough money, you might not be able to afford a nice lifestyle in this city.

In the end, it is on you to evaluate all the pros and cons of moving to Los Angeles to make the best possible decision in this regard.

Alternative Cities To Live In

If you come to the conclusion that living in Los Angeles is not for you, you should also have a look at:

Advantages and disadvantages of living in San Diego

Advantages and disadvantages of living in San Francisco

Advantages and disadvantages of living in San José

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Sacramento

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Fresno

Sources

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles

https://lacounty.gov/government/geography-statistics/statistics/

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.