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L.A. Times Reminds You Real Estate Is Worse In Other Cities
Homes in Gowanus, Brooklyn (Photo by Steven Pisano via the Creative Commons on Flickr)
It's no secret that living in Los Angeles is an expensive life choice. Last year, our fine city even won first place in having the most unaffordable housing in the nation (when you take into account median income). But as a consolation prize, the L.A. Times reminds us that we could have it worse, by comparing our real estate to a city we already knew was more expensive: New York.
The Times' opinion piece takes a look at the price per square footage, from different neighborhoods in Los Angeles compared to New York City. "It’s probably not terribly surprising that while Los Angeles may now be less affordable than New York — relative to what the residents of each of these cities get paid — it’s still cheaper in an absolute sense," Constantine Valhouli writes in the Times.
I've personally resigned to the fact that I may never be able to afford to buy a house in the city I love living in, but sure, I'll humor this list. We find some cheery info like how the ritzy beachside city of Pacific Palisades ($1,048 per square foot) is just a dollar per square foot more expensive than Gowanus ($1,047 per square foot), a neighborhood that even has a sign welcoming people to "Brooklyn's Coolest Superfund Site." The Times describes Gowanus as "a formerly industrial area that contains one of the most polluted bodies of water in the United States. The 1.8-mile-long Gowanus Canal is a Superfund site with toxic sludge up to 18 feet deep that has tested positive for both gonorrhea and radioactivity." So, at least the savings are in the value there!
Malibu Beach House (Photo by Marcus via the Creative Commons on Flickr)
While some neighborhoods like the up-and-coming enclave of Highland Park are compared kind of appropriately to hipster neighborhoods like Bushwick, there are some odd comparisons in the mix. In a graph from the Times, which can been seen below, Los Feliz in is compared to Brighton Beach, a Brooklyn community that's dubbed the "Little Russia" by the sea.
(via The L.A. Times)
And then there's this:
Sponsored message
Malibu ($905/square foot) and Pacific Palisades ($900) are better deals space-wise than Park Slope ($999). You could trade a $3-million beach house in the former for a Victorian row house in the latter, which is known for its good public schools and access to Prospect Park.
A Victorian row house and beach house seem like two completely different things, and in different environments. The piece seems to be listing off a bunch of dollar amounts without taking into consideration that there's a reason why some people choose to live in Los Angeles versus New York. We've got sunny weather in Los Angeles for most of the year and are barely dusting off our jackets in November. Los Angeles is sprawled out instead of densely packed. Some things you can't exactly put a dollar amount on.
Though, if you're looking to buy, we do agree Malibu is better than a place full of toxic sludge.
Related:
Map: How Much A 1-Bedroom Costs By Neighborhood
Los Angeles Is Over, Say Trendpieces
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