how much....?

[M@tt]

hey guys....

well, ok first off just a few words, why i'm posting here. i'm 18 at the moment and i'm from germany. my dream is to study here for the next four years and then i want to leave germany. cuz i wanna emigrate to the united states. my fave place to went would be the o.c., california. i probably prefer laguna beach, if its possible.
ok and about this dream to come to laguna, i've some questions to someone, who lives there in nearly from laguna.

the first one is: how much money does i need per month? i mean how much cost a "normal live per month" in laguna or the o.c. for food, free time interests, insurances and so on?
ok thats not a simple question, i know. but i really don't noone else, who could tell me them. so it would be great if someone would be here. you could also estimate if you really don't know it. (for example: 3,000$; 6,000$ or 10,000$ - i really don't have a plan)

ok i guess that's it at first....


and as i said before - i'm really glad, if someone could give me an answer! :D


bye matt

[Jojo]

Laguna Beach can be quite expensive - especially for a college student - and it's very difficult to state specifically how much you'll need to live comfortably. What's your budget for rent? Will you have a roommate? Where will you be going to school? Will you be able to work full-time? Will you have car expenses? :confused:

If you feel Laguna Beach may be too expensive, you may want to consider some of these other areas which are not too far away:
Costa Mesa, Laguna Woods, Laguna Niguel...:cool:

Good luck to you!

[M@tt]

Thx for the fast answer!

Well, but I guess you misunderstood some things. I'll finish my study here in Germany, so I just want to working in the United States - not study anymore. And I want to working as programmer. Last week I found some Job offers for California and it's very different what the companies pay.... but all in all it's between 45,000$ and 65,000$ per year for a jr. programmer. So that's my budget for everything what I need. Oh and yes... There are all full time jobs.

And about your last question... "Will you have car expenses?".... I don't preefer a expensive car. It shouls be just working and ... ok it should also not be the oldest one.

Another question.... cuz you said other areas aren't far away.... How far is L.A.? Well I don't mean in kilomtres or miles... I mean in hours. Because the most job offers aren't in Laguna.



Anyway - thx for answers! =)

[Jojo]

Great! School will be out of the way and you'll be earning lots of money! :D A rule of thumb you may want to follow - your gross income should be at least three times the monthly apartment rate (rent). For example, if you make $50,000 - then your rent should be no more than approx. $1400 a month.

L.A. is about 50 miles from Laguna Beach, but takes about an hour to get there. If you're traveling during rush hour - you can double your commuting time. :eek:

[M@tt]

ok.... thx 4 your answers one more time. it helps a lot!