Question:
If I were to move to California, preferably Hollywood, how much would it cost a month?
Alice
2009-11-14 09:24:28 UTC
Hi! So, i'm moving to California when i'm old enough, and i would just like a head-start for when i do. I wan't to know all expenses. I aspire to become an actress so that would include acting classes to keep me on top of my game :D. If anyone would like to calculate how much i would be spending a month to live in a one bedroom apartment, gass, groceries, and etc. that would be downright awesome.

Thanks to anyone who answered my question!

XxxX
Six answers:
anonymous
2009-11-14 12:22:18 UTC
well i live on west Hollywood, and for one single i pay around $700...
Gray Area
2009-11-14 21:14:18 UTC
I can not say much more than Obviousman has already pointed out. Jenna Fischer who plays Pam Beesly on The Office has a great blog on her journey and it took her roughly 8 years before she could support herself solely on acting income and most actors do not make it that far.



http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendId=27753303&page=7



A specific quote "Every year I did a little more than the year before. My first 5 years I probably earned between $100 - $2,000 a year from acting. Year 6 brought me some of my biggest success and I only made $8,000 from acting. But, I put a lot more money into my career than that. Headshots are expensive. The photo session and getting prints can run anywhere from $500-$800. Classes range from $150-500 a month. It costs $1,200 to join SAG once you are eligible. And apartments are crazy expensive. $700 - $1,000 for a crappy apartment that you share with at least one roommate. Its no wonder my living room curtain was a bed sheet."





She mentions that it costs $1200 to join SAG, well that has since gone up, membership in LA is now $2355.00.
Capt. Obvious
2009-11-14 09:57:37 UTC
Alice, we get this in here a lot. And us regulars just rooooooooll our eyes everytime we see it. Because there are literally a million wannabe actors here. And we see it at least ten times a day.



Want to know how people get "discovered"? It doesn't just happen overnight:



1. Go as much experience as you can. That means practice, practice, practice, every day. Most people don't have the discipline to be any good. And this also means that you sign up for every singing workshop, musical theater production, and drama/singing camp that you can find. There's no such thing as an overnight success here. People who succeed have been doing workshops since they were five.



2. Next, you need contacts. By doing step 1, you'll start to get contacts. You need them in this town. Because the way you get a contract is when someone in the music or movie business hears about you. And they aren't going to sit in every karaoke bar in Hollywood to find you. (It's too painful, much like the opening rounds of American Idol).



3. You need an agent. Because your agent will have your demo, your head shot, and he/she's the one with contacts in this industry. Your agent is the one that gets the casting calls. Your agent can set up the gigs in the really high profile places.



4. You need money. Money to stay in LA while all this is going on. Money for workshops, camps, and classes while you improve your craft. Let's do the math, shall we?



Unless you have mad skills and a killer resume, you'll make minimum wage, which is currently $8 per hour. If you are lucky enough to get 40 hours per week, that's 320 per week, or $1280 gross per month. And that's BEFORE taxes. Take home is probably $910. Now it's a hard economic fact that you should spend around 1/3 of your salary on rent or mortgage. One third of $910 is about $300, which is what you can afford. However, the average rent for a studio/bachelor/single apartment is about $1000, and a 1BR is about $1200. In order to afford that, you need to make at least $3000 per month. And since you need a car, you'll need about $100 per month for auto insurance. Utilities vary from place to place, but you can figure $150 per month for that. You'll need a cell phone, so your agent can contact you: Another $50-$100 per month. Food varies, but figure about $500 per month.



Don't they have a class in jr. High where you do this?



If you wanted help, you got the best advice anyone can give you at this point. What you choose to do with it is up to you.
?
2016-05-24 04:48:26 UTC
California is a money state Are you sure you want a house now? You should get an apartment first before you get a house because a 3 bedroom house in Alabama may cost $50,000 but the same 3 bedroom house in California will cost from $75,000 to $150,000 and about the job problem well we are in a recession so it is much harder to get a job these days so ................... good luck hope i helped
Mad Dog
2009-11-14 10:12:06 UTC
You and millions (LITERALLY) of others! Get back in line!



Trust me, don't even BOTHER considering the state of California if you want to come here to be an actress and have no experience whatsoever.



Zac Efron did not "just become an actor." He used to spend all his time at the Clark Center at my old high school and then that's where his teacher recommended him to Disney. Keep in mind, he got famous and didn't even live in LA to be famous!
anonymous
2009-11-14 09:30:08 UTC
Cheap 1 bedroom apartment (complete with roaches) - $1,000. (Without roaches, $2,000)



Acting classes - $350 month


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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