Is the cost of living in Los Angeles worth it? Residents spark debate on Reddit

Is the cost of living in Los Angeles worth it? Residents spark debate on Reddit

A Redditor recently reflected on how expensive it is to live in Los Angeles—one of the most expensive places in the country, according to an outside analysis—and asked others if it’s worth living there.

“I find this city frustrating in many ways,” the user wrote in a post earlier this month. “I don’t understand how someone who isn’t doing well financially can live here happily. For people who are struggling, it’s really awful. Are most of you happy living here or do you just feel stuck here?”

Residents of the City of Angels responded with a range of different views: some supported life in LA, others took a more pessimistic view.

“Well there are tons of resources and help out there that have helped me keep my sanity,” one person wrote. “Besides free parks and beaches, the library has a wealth of free resources. You can borrow laptops, print stuff for free, borrow books, and sometimes they have events where they give more information on food banks, jobs, or anything else you might need. Being a student myself, my school supports a lot of food banks so I always have some to take home. I live paycheck to paycheck, but living a little more frugally makes it a little easier.

The commentator continued: “It also helps a lot to avoid going to expensive restaurants and clubs, and if you’re a casual drinker, I would avoid the bars every now and then and just relax at home. In short, I’m happy and take advantage of a lot of free offers available throughout the city.”

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Others said that more money would make life easier.

“Now in my early 30s, I’m financially secure, but 18 to mid 20s was tough!” wrote another user. “I couldn’t find steady work while in college because it was 2010. It took a long time and I never really understood how things would change, but you have to be ambitious and a little bit hopeful. I’m a first generation American, born in LA, and it worked out OK. It’s tough, but it gets better. I was very proud and never accepted help from my family. If gig work had existed earlier, I probably would have done a lot of it.”

But the grass is not always greener outside of LA, many commentators said.

“I’m not necessarily happy, but I recently visited my family in another state and they were struggling there too,” one person wrote. “At least I have more resources, opportunities and general distractions here than they do. Plus, my friends are here and I still have family here, so there’s a big emotional connection for me.”

Meanwhile, at least one Reddit user hasn’t missed a simple thing like the topography of the area.

“Beaches and mountains are free, except for parking,” they wrote. “There is a lot of natural beauty in Southern California, but people forget to see it.”

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