FREE Search for Los Angeles Apartments and Homes

Despite what is depicted on TV, Los Angeles is more than just beaches, Beverly Hills and Botoxed beauties. L.A.'s large metro area is made up of dozens of varied communities and no true center, so regardless of where you're looking for apartment rentals, you can create a lifestyle for yourself as rich as those you see in Hollywood movies.

Quality of Life
The one constant in Los Angeles is the need for a car. While there are buses and a subway system, a car is definitely needed to enjoy all that L.A. has to offer. Take your pick of activities from healthy to indulgent, cultural to just plain silly. The area's beaches, stretching from Malibu in the north to Long Beach in the south, are a popular draw for water sports, sailing, family fun and the regional pastime of seeing and being seen. Multiple urban areas provide hot spots for clubs, live music, eclectic restaurants and other urban pleasures. Places like Disneyland and Universal Studios are huge attractions for tourists and residents alike, with many locals holding annual passes that let them visit the theme parks as much as they want.

After all that indulgence, you might be ready for some culture. Culture? In L.A.? You betcha. Take your pick from the Getty Center, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, Norton Simon Museum and the the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens.just to name a few. L.A. is also one of the most diverse and multicultural cities in the nation, with a wide range of races and ethnicities represented in its population, communities, cuisine and culture.

Where the Jobs Are
It seems like everyone who moves here wants to break into the entertainment biz.or maybe that's just what all the movies and TV shows want us to think. Actually, L.A. has a diverse economy with many industries, ranging from aeronautics to shipping, manufacturing to communications, finance to fashion. In recent years, high-tech companies have been on the rise and are major employers. And yes, it's also the world's center for the motion picture, television and radio industries.

Cost of Living & Apartment Prices
If you want to live in the City of Angels, you have to pay a premium. The overall cost of living here is 33% above the national average, with housing costs tending to be among the most expensive in the nation. In the city of Los Angeles, the median cost for apartment rentals is $735 per month. You can pay less in areas such as Glendale, Long Beach and the San Fernando Valley, all of which have a median rent for apartments at $600 per month. Expect to pay even more for apartments in places like Santa Monica, Malibu and other upscale communities.

Neighborhoods to Explore
The city's downtown is a growing area of lofts and businesses, and is also home to many of the city's museums, theaters and historic landmarks. Hollywood defines the city for the millions of tourists who flock to the Walk of Fame and Mann's Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard. West Hollywood features the Sunset Strip, a stretch of Sunset Boulevard showcasing the city's hottest nightclubs and live-music venues, and is also the center of the city's gay and lesbian community. Family-friendly Santa Monica and funky, artsy Venice both look out over popular beaches and the Pacific Ocean. When you're looking for Los Angeles-area apartments for rent, don't forget about the San Fernando Valley, known as "The Valley" to locals. Valley girls and boys enjoy warmer temperatures and cheaper rents on apartments than many other areas of the city, as well as a more suburban lifestyle. For a cross between the quiet neighborhoods of The Valley and the fun in the sun of a beach community, explore apartments for rent in the South Bay, which includes Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach.