LOS ANGELES — Residents of Los Angeles County are dealing with an exponentially high cost of living this holiday season, and it’s affecting how families are being able to celebrate.

What You Need To Know

  • A Payscale report found that the cost of rent is two times more than the national average

  • Other high costs include transportation, utilities and other goods

  • Despite the soaring costs, one mom said she feels blessed that she’s able to pickup gifts from the Holiday Toy Drive at Connections for Children and that she has resources that are available to her

According to a Payscale report, the cost of rent in LA County is roughly two times more than the national average.

On top of that, utility prices are 10% percent higher, transportation costs like gas and public transit are 33% more, and the cost of groceries is 12% higher than the national average. 

Amy Larkin is a mother of two who lives in a rent-controlled apartment in Santa Monica. She says with the higher cost of goods, planning for the holiday season begins much earlier in the year.

“It really does tend to come down to a really strict budget for gift,” Larkin said. “We tend to start actually looking at things in the summer time to really kind of plan ahead, so that we are prepared come Christmas so that we aren’t in a last minute panic that there’s nothing under the trees for the kids.”

President-Elect Donald Trump said in an interview that he understands the public's concern about the cost of groceries but acknowledges that bringing prices down won’t be easy. Ali Hashemian, the president of Kinetic Financial, warns that a change in regime might not cause lower prices.

“I think the new administration will have some effect on taxes, and I think they’ll have some effect on interest rates,” he said. “But at the end of the day, you have to remember politics don’t necessarily drive our financial world. It is things like inflation, things like corporate profits.”

The cost of childcare remains another roadblock for families across California. With a lack of access to affordable care, many families have had to tighten their budgets or look for creative ways to find care for their children. 

“We know that families are paying over $1,500 dollars a month in child care, that’s 65% or more of their earnings,” said Jennifer Cowan, executive director of the Connects for Children in Los Angeles, a non-profit child care resource and referral agency. “It leaves really little for other basic needs and luxuries like gifts for your family for the holidays.”

Despite the soaring costs, Larkin feels blessed that she’s able to pickup gifts from the Holiday Toy Drive at Connections for Children and that she has resources that are available to her.

“It’s such a nice support system to have, and everyone should honestly have access to it,” Larkin said."Because it’s not something necessarily that you think you need, but when you don’t have it and you do need it, it makes things in a household just that much more calmer and stable."