"Moving to la alone" is searched with "reddit", "is moving to los angeles worth it" and, revealingly, "how to move to la with no money". Here is the honest version of all three, in the order the first 90 days actually go.
The money question first#
Los Angeles is expensive and it is spread out, which makes it more expensive. Most landlords want income of 2.5 to 3 times the monthly rent, a deposit, and a credit check; without US credit you will need a bigger deposit, a co-signer, or roommates. The floor under wages is the City of LA minimum wage, $18.42 an hour since July 1, 2026 (hotel and airport workers are on a separate, higher schedule). The honest answer to "how to move to LA with no money" is: do not. Arrive with three months of rent, or a roommate room and a job you can start in week one. The people who did it with nothing describe cars they slept in.
Where to live if you do not have a car yet#
Along the Metro: Koreatown and Downtown (B and D lines, the densest and cheapest-per-location), Hollywood (B line), Santa Monica and Culver City (E line), Pasadena (A line), Highland Park (A line). In those neighbourhoods you can live, work and go out without a car; in most of the rest of the city you cannot. LA without a car has the detail, and where to stay in Los Angeles the neighbourhoods for visitors, whose logic is the same.
The apartment#
See it in person, never wire money for one you have not stood in, read the parking situation (a space is worth $100 to $300 a month here), and ask about the laundry. Roommates first if you are under 30 and new: cheaper, and the fastest social life you did not have to build.
The first 90 days, in order#
Week one: bank, phone, a TAP card, a grocery store, the DMV appointment (you have 10 days to register a car you bring in, and should get a California license within 10 days of residency). Weeks two to four: a gym or run club within 15 minutes, your commute without the map, one neighbourhood you walk at night. Months two and three: two recurring rooms, every week, no exceptions, because this is when the novelty fades and the city's distances start to feel like loneliness. How to make friends in Los Angeles has the rooms.
Alone, as a woman#
The advice from women who did it: neighbourhood over apartment, know your parking and your walk from it, trust the Metro by day and pick your stations by night, keep one friend informed the first few weeks. Is Los Angeles safe? has the numbers block by block.
The shortcut: an Angeleno, by the hour#
On Roavi you can hire a Local Friend: someone who lives in Los Angeles and spends a few hours with you at an hourly rate they set (most list $15 to $50; LA is near the top), platonic and in public, and in this city usually with a car. Not a tour. You ask the things you cannot Google: which neighbourhood you should have picked, where people your age actually go on a Thursday, which run club or climbing gym is friendly to newcomers, how to do the Westside without losing a day on the 10, and they take you. Roavi lists three Local Friends in Los Angeles today; messaging is free. Rent a friend in Los Angeles has the costs and the honest caveats.
One afternoon with someone who lives here and drives.
Meet local guides in Los AngelesRead next: part-time and weekend jobs in Los Angeles with no experience and things to do in LA alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you move to LA alone with no money?
Not safely. LA has a high cost of living, most apartments want income of 2.5 to 3 times the rent plus a deposit, and the first weeks cost more than people plan for. Arrive with at least three months of rent and a job lined up, or a roommate situation and a job you can start in week one. Anyone selling 'LA with no money' is selling something.Where should I live in LA alone without a car?
Along the Metro: Koreatown and Downtown (B and D lines), Hollywood (B line), Santa Monica and Culver City (E line), Pasadena (A line). You can live without a car in those neighbourhoods; you cannot live without one in most of the rest.Is moving to Los Angeles alone worth it?
For many people yes, and the ones who regret it almost always describe the same thing: month three, still no friends, 40 minutes from everything. Plan for that from day one with recurring activities near where you live, and the city opens up.