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Hi Lili-rose-france,

Welcome to the forum 

Here are some primary indications about cost of living in the USA as a whole : Cost of living in the USA - 2017. Numbeo could be a good tool as well :

Feel free to ask the francophone members of the USA forum here, Forum Californie, they will surely be responsive.

All the best,
Bhavna

Yes, you can live comfortably in Riverside County for $3000/m ($3300 minus $300 saving). We lived in the same county for less than that for two people.

However, since you'll have to pay for security deposit, plus perhaps first and last month rent, and on top of that, buying furniture, the first couple of months will be tight.

Almost all apartments come with a refrigerator and absolutely all apartments are equipped with stove, so you'll only have to buy personal furniture. You could rent them (from furniture rental companies) for a couple of months while saving for something that would suit you better, but beware that furniture rental are rather generic in style.

If you don't mind secondhand furniture, Craigslist is a great source for good stuff. A few years ago, I sold all furniture in my three-bedroom home through Craigslist, all of them less than 5 years old, for only 15% - 25% of the original price. If I were in your shoes (staying for only one year), Craigslist is where I would head.

The chart from Numbeo is a bit wrong in the cost of utilities. You only pay all utilities if you own a house. When you rent an apartment in CA, water and garbage are always free. In Riverside County, you'd hardly pay for heating unless the stove is gas. Since temperature in most of the county is between 70°F - 85°F (20°C - 30°C) on most days, the only heating would be for your morning shower. When we lived in the area, our utility bill never reached $100/m.

Also, many apartment complexes have gym and pool on site so you could save money in the "Sport and Leisure" part of the chart.

The price of food in the chart is not 100% correct either. I know for certain that eggs, cheese, and chicken breasts cost about half or slightly more than half of the prices shown on Numbeo.

Aside from those errors, the rest of the chart is pretty close to reality.

Since you'll only be in the US for one year, I wouldn't suggest buying a car at all. Leasing is much better and more practical. Insurance may be high for you since you don't have a driving history in the US, but I don't know how high it would be.

Hello bhavna,
Thanks for all this information.

Hello Ciambela,

Thanks a lot for your reply.
It’s good to know that the apartments com with stove and refrigerator
Is it usual in the US to find some apartments full equipped (with all the fourniture, bed, table, chairs)?
Craiglist sounds to be a good idea, thanks for the tips.
I had a look of the rental cost for a car it’s really expensive, something like 400$/month (insurance Include).

So 3300$sounds not enough to live properly (especially because I would like to visit the California in the w-e, like make some trip to san-Francisco and others cities around).

Furnished apartments are not the norm in CA, but you still can find them in area near universities. In Riverside County, they are near UCR (University of California Riverside).

You can also rent a unit in extended stay apartments.  Extended stay lodgings are hotels, motels, or apartments building that cater to business people who need to stay in an area for more than one month. The cost is higher than regular apartments but it's fully furnished and you don't have to pay for utilities, cable TV, local phone calls, or internet. Refrigerator, air conditioner, kitchenette with pots, pan, dishes, and utensils, bed with linen, weekly cleaning and housekeeping, etc. are all included in the rent. All you have to bring is your clothing and nothing else so that may be a good fit to you.

Companies with staffs from outside of the state/country often have contracts with extended stay, so perhaps your employer can help you with that.

You can also share a house or large apartment with someone else. Most of them are fully furnished and your cost is much lower than living by yourself. Craigslist is also a good source for that, or your employer can set you up with someone in their existing staff.

You still can visit the rest of CA in road trip with your income.

From Riverside, you can take easy day trips (no hotel cost) to see the glitzy Beverly Hills, swim in the beaches in Orange County, watch dolphins in Sea World San Diego, go up on Aerial Tramway in Palm Springs, ski in Big Bear Mountain in San Bernardino County, etc.

Santa Barbara, the wine country in San Luis Obispo County, Big Sur, or Carmel-by-the-Sea can be done with one night stay in hotel. San Francisco is 450 miles or 7 hour drive so it doesn't cost much in gasoline either and you can do that over a long weekend with 2 night stay in AirBnB.

Las Vegas is only 250 miles or 3.5 hours in good traffic (weekends are different story). The best time to see Vegas is during the week when you don't have to fight with traffic from Southern CA, and when hotels offer good deals in room rate.

Assuming your salary if after tax and you live conservatively (not paying very high rent, not spending a lot of money in shopping or drinking in clubs), you can travel within CA without difficulty. We do that all the time and our retirement income for two people is lower than your salary for one.

You don't want to rent a car if you need to use it daily for a whole year. Leasing (from a car dealer) is a much better deal.

Here is a good article from CA DMV (Department of Motor Vehicle) on car leasing and the different options of mileage allowance:

Thank you so much for all this informations.
I made a quick estimation of my budget, and if I have to rent the car by myself ( car + insurance + gasoline), the amount they want to give me is not enough. Especially because of the important amount of the insurance ( i'll be consider as a new driver).

Hi, did you end up leasing or buying a car. If you leased could you assist me with the process and a cost guide