How much does it cost to live in Marina Del Rey (or LA in general)

May 25, 2008 11:51 AM

I will be moving to Marina Del Rey from NY soon. I've been a New Yorker all my life, and don't know much about west coast economics. I do come from the 10th most expensive-to-live-in county in the country, so I'm sure I won't be terribly ruffled by the prices. I was hoping I could get some insight on how much it typically costs for: Electric, Gas and Heat, Water, Cable/Net, and any other utilties I may have missed. Thanks!
posted by FireStyle to travel & transportation (10 comments total)

Hunh. Saw this Web 2.0 local utility thing on lifehacker the other day: Whitefence

Maybe it can help you suss out costs while it helps you subscribe to TimeWarner Cable and the DWP.
posted by notyou at 12:08 PM on May 25, 2008

If you rent an apartment, water is usually paid by the landlord in L.A. - but not if you rent a house. You may be able to find a rental where the landlord pays all utilities except cable or internet - I did the last couple times.

In the past, I've paid up to $100 a month for electricity in summmer, going as low as maybe $20 a month in winter. Gas/heat usually an average of $20-$25 a month. Cable internet from Time Warner is around $40. Not sure about cable tv, since I don't have one.
posted by chez shoes at 12:13 PM on May 25, 2008

Cable/Internet - I have a pretty good cable package (HBO, etc) from Time Warner, along with middle-tier cable internet. I pay about $110/month total.

Electric- varies on how big the place is and how much you use a/c of course, but for a 1 bedroom I typically have paid $70-100 per bill. They bill every two months. (the need for A/C in L.A. really varies year-to-year. Being close to the ocean you probably won't need it that often, but last August, for example, was absolutely awful and I had it on constantly).

Gas- very little, usually $5/mo-ish for a newer place. (my current place uses gas for the hot water so I pay a bit more, but I live in an old building).

Water- None of the apts. I have lived in here have ever billed me for water.
posted by drjimmy11 at 12:19 PM on May 25, 2008

I live in santa monica a few miles north of MDR, and I moved here from florida 4 years ago. Cable/net are pretty standard, depending on what packages you get, I pay $100 bucks a month for tw digital cable and internet. Gas I usually pay 30-40 a month. I don't pay water or trash ( building pays for it).

Good thing about it being so close to the ocean, you don't need ac but a few weeks a year. Our apt. doesn't even have ac at all ( although we put in a window unit in the bedroom for certain times), we just always have the windows open. So we end up paying between 40-65 bucks a month for electric ( higher when we turn on the window unit).

prices for other things ( gas, food, etc) is higher than what I was used to when I moved, but as you said, it probably won't ruffle you.
posted by brent_h at 12:38 PM on May 25, 2008

I don't know if you have a car, but that will probably be a necessary added expense, with gas at about $4/gallon.
posted by PinkButterfly at 1:30 PM on May 25, 2008

If you rent an apartment, water is usually paid by the landlord in L.A. - but not if you rent a house.

We rent a house, and water is still paid for by landlord. Don't know if that's unusual, though, but just a data point.

Charges for sanitation collection are bundled onto your electric bill. I think we pay about $25/month.

Gas charges can depend on what kind of heat you have. Lots of places use older gas-fueled wall or floor units, which can get expensive to run all the time during the rainy season. (Also, on that note: it may seem counterintuitive, but even without snow and freezing temps it can get pretty chilly in L.A. at times, and plenty of houses/apartments are not well heated or insulated. So don't be surprised if you'll need to pick up a space heater or portable radiator for use later in the year.)
posted by scody at 4:21 PM on May 25, 2008

What scody said about insulation. It gets *damn* cold in my apartment in what-passes-for-winter-- brick building, one gas wall unit in the main living area.

On the upside, if you like to cook, own sweatpants and thick socks, have adequate bedclothes, and so on, you'll probably be OK in the winter even if you don't touch the heat.

Pricewise, everyone else is pretty much in line with what I'm paying. If you're in Marina del Rey and can hack the rent there-- MDR is a pretty pricey area for the Westside-- I don't think you'll have much of a problem with the other stuff.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 8:08 PM on May 25, 2008

I used to live in Marina Del Rey, and can third the comment that you don't really need AC, so that keeps the electric bills under control. And yes, cold in winter by LA standards, but coming from NY you will probably just laugh at us all.

I seem to remember that LA DWP was my electric/water/sewer/trash collection provider, so that's all combined in one bill. Heating is probably gas - from the imaginatively named The Gas Company. Cable was AT&T, phone was Verizon. My bills all went up shockingly when I moved to a single-family home in the Valley, so I'm pretty sure you are correct in that the bills will be very manageable for you.

I think I threw out all my old bills, so I can't provide you with figures, sorry.
posted by Joh at 11:38 PM on May 25, 2008

great info everyone! this helps greatly with my budgeting. I am VERY excited to experience the L.A. "Winter!" I visited the west coast for the first time in january and was shocked to see people in parkas when it was 50 degrees out! I lived in upstate NY during my undergrad years, where the low (with windchill) hit -50 degrees! (and to our dismay... that day the "high" was -5 =[ )

That's good news for me though... as fairytale of LA said... sweatpants and a warm blanket should suffice and save me a few bucks =)

I'm also surprised to hear AT&T is a cable provider... as far I know, they don't offer that service where I'm from... I have my cell service from AT&T, could I get a discount? And how does it fare vs. verizon and TWC (which blows in NY)?
posted by FireStyle at 2:14 AM on May 26, 2008

Oops, sorry firestyle, I was getting my company names muddled, with all the buyouts and moving house etc. Cable is Time Warner, and phone is Verizon. For extra excitement, I think Verizon are offering FIOS there - you lucky person you!
posted by Joh at 2:51 PM on May 26, 2008