LA Alternatives: Find the Perfect Commuter City for Renting in the Los Angeles Metro Area

Hi from LA! I’m Rachel, your ApartmentHomeLiving.com Local Expert for Los Angeles, CA. I'm a transplant from The Bronx coming up on half a decade in this sprawling megalopolis where we have seasons, but no snow like I did back east.

So, you’ve thought about moving to LA but are overwhelmed at the sheer vastness. Unlike my home city, where you have incredibly palpable differences when you depart the city limits into Long Island, New Jersey, or Westchester, you can be on the same road for hours yet still be in LA. Even more diametrically opposite, you can walk across Olympic Boulevard and flit in and out of the City of Los Angeles without even realizing it. Semantically, you’ll still think that you’re in LA, but you’re actually in Culver City or Beverly Hills.

Current Rental Pricing for Apartments in Los Angeles

But if you’re thinking of going closer to the edges of LA County, or just past it into the OC, you’ve got options if you want SoCal living without the crowds and infamous traffic within LA’s city limits. Whether your rental decisions are driven by work, family, affordability, or the overall vibe, many LA area renters gravitate to the northern and eastern metro areas to get more breathing room without compromising proximity to LA.

In this guide, we'll go over LA's surrounding cities so you can consider which area would suit your needs best.

Long Beach

Long Beach is part of LA County, but not the City of Los Angeles. The small beachside city isn't just a place where cruise ships come to dock: Long Beach is one of the most underrated parts of the county. The bustling downtown area features a large convention center and racetrack with dining options at every price point. If you're tired of seeing the same chains on every corner, Long Beach also has plenty of underrated treasures off the beaten path, like Retro Row on 4th Street where you'll find a plethora of quirky independent shops and restaurants. Shoreline Village offers the quintessential boardwalk experience and the annual Pirate Festival. A trio of City beaches only boost Long Beach's appeal, especially since they don't get as crowded as their West Side counterparts in Santa Monica and Venice.

Renters who rely on transit also have more options in Long Beach than in most surrounding cities near LA. Commuters who work in DTLA or Hollywood rely on the 710 that goes through the Gateway Cities, or the 110 through the South Bay cities. However, the City of Long Beach has its own bus system, a LADOT Commuter Express line running from San Pedro and Terminal Island to the Long Beach Transit Mall, and serves as the terminus for the Metro A line, which is the longest light rail line in the world with over 50 miles of track.

Angelinos frequently move to Long Beach because they're longing for the kind of artsy neighborhood they used to inhabit in Melrose or Silverlake, but in a more affordable package. The thriving arts and music scenes in Long Beach combined with its relative affordability, access to transit, and proximity to LA proper and major outposts in Orange County make it attractive to artists and renters who like nightlife and events. Long Beach has much to offer young families seeking safer and more affordable rentals than they'll find north of the 10, along with several options for singles and couples interested in SoCal beachside life with a smaller price tag.

Pomona

Cities in the San Gabriel Valley foothills like Pasadena, Monrovia, and San Dimas started generating more interest after the completion of Metro's A line expansion. Pomona is at the current end of the line before the Montclair and Claremont stations are built, and the small foothill city is having a moment in the sun as Angelinos seek more options that are still close to the city center.

Pomona offers significantly lower rental costs than LA proper and popular foothill cities like Pasadena, and all without having to sacrifice amenities like public transit, proximity to the city, and fun things to do. The City of Pomona is about 45-60 minutes away from DTLA by car or the Metro A line, or 25-30 minutes by Metrolink or Amtrak commuter rail. Interestingly, Pomona is unlike most small cities in that it has two different rail stations in place of a singular transit hub, Pomona North and Downtown Pomona, which serve different rail lines. While it's easier to get around Pomona via car, apartments in downtown Pomona are indeed an option for commuters looking to save money by taking the train to work instead.

Home to the LA County Fair and numerous other events and large concerts that take place at the Pomona Fairplex, Pomona is a great place to live if you work in the live event industry. Pomona also attracts renters who are students or work in higher education, as California State Polytechnic University has a major campus there, referred to as Cal Poly Pomona. Pomona doesn't have the same reputation as the South Bay when it comes to aerospace employment, but the proximity to Ontario Airport offers aerospace workers--and fliers in need of regional flights--a less congested option than working in or near LAX.

Fullerton

The surrounding cities and suburban sprawl of neighboring Orange County famously come with some of the highest home prices in the U.S. However, you can often score better deals on rentals than you can in LA proper and find that many of the neighboring cities in the OC are pleasant places to live, like Fullerton.

Fullerton is situated just north of Anaheim, so it's the ideal place to be if your family (or household of Disney Adults) has Disneyland season passes. It's also only about 30 minutes from DTLA, featuring a small transit hub at the locus of downtown Fullerton with regular Metrolink and Amtrak service plus several OCTA bus routes. Downtown Fullerton has a wide array of fun shops, restaurants, and nightlife if you don't want to give those things up by leaving LA, although you can find lower rents by going farther away from the vibrant and walkable downtown center. Fullerton is also extremely close to the 91, so if you work in LA for aerospace instead of TV, you'll have a smooth commute to the LAX area instead of having to brave traffic flooding in from above the 10.

SoCal isn't like my origins: the city that never sleeps. You'll find a few sleepy small towns if you look hard enough, but LA and its surrounding cities provide a happy medium in this respect. If you always struggled to eventually check out those cute brunch places in LA that close by 2:00 PM, Fullerton has your back with a surprisingly wide variety of bars, clubs, and coffee shops that are open well after 8:00. Much of downtown Fullerton even keeps fairly late hours on Sunday nights as you chase that last Amtrak back to DTLA.

Fullerton has a lot to offer to single professionals and couples starting a new life together, although the area is also popular for renters with families on account of the larger unit sizes and higher quality schools compared to LA proper.

Glendale

Many Angelinos gravitate to Glendale for its proximity to major employers in the studio system, like Disney and Warner Brothers. Located just 10 minutes east of Studio City when the 134 isn't backed up, downtown Glendale offers affordable urban living compared to LA proper and the pastoral blocks of Pasadena, with numerous dining and shopping options minutes from your apartment.

Glendale is just 15 minutes from the heart of DTLA, and smack between Pasadena and Burbank. You'll find a stark contrast of an incredibly dense downtown and commercial center with whisper-quiet side streets. Newer apartment developments are close in average rental price to comparable units in LA proper, but you can find significantly lower rents by looking away from the main drags, like Brand or Central. You're also more likely to find better deals for larger apartments in Glendale compared to the neighborhoods with high concentrations of industry people, like North Hollywood and Studio City.

While Glendale doesn't have as many public transportation options as nearby DTLA, with no Metro light rail stations at all, the city does have its own bus system and is served by several major Metro bus routes. Notably, Glendale is served by the 501 express route to the North Hollywood Metro station. Glendale also has a rail station with Metrolink and Amtrak service, and either train can reach Union Station in mere minutes. If you plan to live in Glendale but work in Hollywood or in DTLA, it can be doable without a car.

Glendale may be known among Angelinos for the Americana at Brand faux city loaded with high-end shops, but the city has several hidden gems. You'll find Armenian bakeries tucked into the strip malls off Central Avenue, neighborhood bars with open mic nights, and acting workshops that don't have Hollywood price tags.

Subsequently, Glendale renters tend to skew towards younger media and broadcasting professionals, in addition to retail and hospitality workers.

Santa Clarita

With the San Fernando Valley being part of the City of Los Angeles, the closest surrounding city to the north is Santa Clarita. Santa Clarita is also the third-largest city in LA County, even though you cannot easily walk in and out of LA city limits there like you can with Beverly Hills, Glendale, and the other smaller cities more interwoven with LA proper. Situated between two large expanses of land above the San Fernando Valley, Rocky Peak Park to the west and Angeles National Forest to the east, Santa Clarita is just 30 miles north of DTLA. This equates to about 45-60 minutes by car or Metrolink's Antelope Valley rail line.

Industry people and creatives seeking safer and more affordable housing have a niche in Santa Clarita, but the recreation, healthcare, and biotech industries also attract many potential renters and homebuyers. Princess Cruises is headquartered in Santa Clarita and other major employers include Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, Boston Scientific, Precision Dynamics Corporation, and Six Flags Magic Mountain. Renters in Santa Clarita tend to be established single professionals, young families, or retirees.

Storied movie ranches and breathtaking natural vistas surround Santa Clarita, with the Santa Clara River bisecting the city in the middle. Outdoorsy types choose Santa Clarita as there is no shortage of bucolic hikes and rafting routes in Angeles National Park, or a short trip to Castaic Lake.

A car is a necessity in Santa Clarita compared to LA proper. The City of Santa Clarita does have local bus lines and also offers commuter bus routes to Union Station in LA during the week, in addition to hourly Metrolink rail service, but frequency and coverage can vary. However, if you live in Santa Clarita but work in DTLA or Hollywood during the week, you may be able to commute by transit but need a car for everything else.

Ultimately, the decision to live in LA or one of its surrounding cities will be driven by your personal and professional needs and wants. Think about what's motivating you to leave, but also compelling you to stay close by: do you want less density and more space where you live, and would that be accomplished by moving to a smaller city near LA or just a bigger apartment in your current neighborhood? If you commute to work, would this move ameliorate that commute, worsen it, or have no palpable difference?

It truly comes down to your needs and lifestyle, and what you can reasonably expect in the next few years. Single professionals often have more to gain staying in the city for opportunities, while renters with families are seeking space, comfort, and quality schools. If you like the idea of being close enough to LA for work and the occasional night out, but want more space and a quieter neighborhood off the clock, moving to a surrounding city is the move for you. If you rely on public transit and that taco truck that's open until 3:00AM, you're probably staying in LA.