California dreaming doesn’t have to come with California screaming when you see the rent prices – at least not in Bakersfield, where studio apartments can be had for the mythical sum of $935 a month, a figure that would make Los Angeles residents spit out their $7 lattes in disbelief.
While coastal Californians are handing over their firstborn children as security deposits, Bakersfield residents are living in what feels like an economic parallel universe, where your paycheck doesn’t evaporate the moment rent comes due.
This Central Valley gem sits nestled between agricultural abundance and oil derricks, creating an economic stability that translates to housing costs that won’t require you to take up a side hustle driving for three different delivery apps just to make rent.
But don’t mistake affordability for blandness – that would be like assuming a book is boring just because it doesn’t have a $50 price tag…