Newport Beach, Balboa Island or Los Angeles?

Question

Whats the best place for a woman singleton (with her dog!) to live, thats not too expensive, coming from the UK?

Answer 1

Newport Beach

Answer 2

Its a myth you have to be a millionaire to live in Newport or Balboa! There are condominium/townhomes which you can buy or rent. There's apartments off Jamboree, unfurnished for $1300 per month, and if you need furnished its a bit more. Most apartments are pet friendly, but they will ask for a higher deposit.

Balboa is a man made peninsula, and yes, it is very pricey but you can find a rental inside the peninsula. Rule of thumb, the farther from the water, the less expensive.

You can live in the border community of Irvine and Costa Mesa, which are literally minutes from Newport and Balboa, and the cost is a bit cheaper.

Los Angeles is 1 hour - 1 1/2 hour north of the Newport area. LA has various areas, but if you want the beach of the equivalent status, you have Manhattan Beach, parts of Santa Monica, and I would even say Malibu. LA if different than Orange County. Heck, its located in a different county all together.

But for a single woman, its up to you if you want to live closer to the beach or inland. I have lived both counties and stayed in Orange. I just like it here, and the people seem to be happier here too.

Answer 3

Hi, I grew up in Newport..actually Balboa Island and know it like the back of my hand.... if your single and have a dog..there is no reason at all why you couldn't live on Balboa Island.. there are many house that have upstairs apts. for rent that are awesome..it is truly about one of the safest places I know. People still don't lock their doors. They are very friendly. The farthest your going to walk to the beach is one block and you can walk to the grocery store right across the bridge (a ten minute walk), there is a pharmacy there. Only to take your car to doctors, work or appt.
Yes to buy a home on the island is very expensive compared to my grandparents buying a bay Front for $55,000.00 and now paid for. But renting is very reasonable... good luck!

Answer 4

Unless you are a millionaire, Newport Beach and Balboa Island are out of the question. Both are exceptional places to live over LA, but the real estate is exceptionally priced, too. I can recommend suburbs north of LA, that are a safe place to live, median priced housing and dog friendly. Pasadena has the flavor of Europe, is still a walking city with a core that is well policed and has great parks that will allow dogs. The mountains offer spectacular views of the basin, hiking, camping and skiing. Pasadena also has great restaurants, little shops and is freeway close to downtown LA. Other places to look, Sierra Madre, San Dimas, South Pasadena, Monrovia, Santa Anita all of which are located along the 210 freeway.

Answer 5

newport beach is by far the most beautiful, but there is not a home there that is under 1.5-2 million dollars. Los Angeles is great and there are different areas depending on your income. High income = Hancock park, Santa Monica; Medium income = silverlake, Santa Monica; low income = don't live in LA. Balboa Park is about 40 minutes from downtown LA and maybe less than that too the beach. It's not an area I would recomment, but if you are on a budget, it is truly nice and you'll probably like it!

Answer 6

Newport Beach and Balboa Island are neighbors. My aunt lives on Balboa Island. Both are breathtaking and my top choice if I were to move back to California. The problem is that they are both one of the most expensive places in the nation to live. Los Angeles isn't much better, but it is cheaper in parts. California is one of the nation's most expensive state to live in these days (I moved to Utah). But if you must live there, I recommend Ramona, CA. It is located in Southern California... about 2 hours south of LA near Oceanside.

Answer 7

If you are looking for an inexpensive to live Los Angeles would be the place because those beach places you mentioned are really expensive places to live... You could look into Long Beach... but the rule of thumb there is that the closer you are to the beach the nice and safer the area is and it much less expensive the the others you mentioned.