answer:I’ve only lived in the downtown area of LA, but I’ve had friends in Silver Lake, Echo Park, Culver City and Los Feliz. I’m not privy to the intricacies of their finances, but they seemed to find pleasant digs as students and recent graduates. Of course rent is always pricey in LA, but it doesn’t have it be impossible. There’s also North Hollywood though that’s kinda on the fringe. Edit: Koreatown if you’ve got balls.