Moderate climate, affordable rent, safe...anywhere in CA? (San Diego, San Francisco: apartment, rentals)

[CuppaTea]

Hello all,

I've been searching for quite a while for the right place to relocate to. I've thought about my priorities and requirements ad nauseum, and I've decided that good weather is just about the most important thing to me in terms of living a happier life.

I am willing to live in a smaller place in order to be somewhere that's pleasant enough to allow me to walk with my dog regularly and breathe in fresh air - not humid, not hot nor cold, a safe place in a good area, and to be near good shopping and decent transportation should I need it.

Northern CA , ie: Pacific Grove and Monterey, San Francisco, seems like the right place in terms of weather, and I imagine the San Diego is great, too. But where can I find affordable rentals in those areas?

I'm sure I've asked some of these questions before, but I'm trying again now to see if there are any new ideas that come up.

Thanks in advance.

[Hackopotamus]

What is your definition of "affordable"?

Anywhere the weather is really nice will be pricey.

[Flovis]

Check out Santa maria, Salinas, eureka, paso robles, and ventura county.


If those places are too costly for you or too difficult to find work in, try these inland cities

Fresno/Clovis, riverside, temecula, modesto, santa clarita, and Sacramento.
Bakersfield isn't bad either(bout two hours for the beach) but it has the worst air on this list.

You'd have to adjust to some heat and bad summer air if you move inland. You could make weekly beach trips in the summer time if you make enough money tho

[CuppaTea]

Apparently the answer is "no".

[HockeyMac18]

If you don't mind Northern, CA coastal weather, you can find "affordable" if you keep driving north from SF. You'll have to figure out what to do to earn an income, but one can live much more affordably in that part of the state. Just went up the Sonoma, Mendocino, and Humboldt coast this past weekend and had a great time. Very wonderful scenery up there. And much cheaper living (comparatively).

Other options in northern CA could be the northern Santa Cruz and San Mateo coasts ("slow coast" as some people there dub it now). More affordable than the interior Bay Area.

The San Luis Obispo/Pismo beach/Moro Bay areas might be good candidates, as well.


That said, you're being a bit vague on your specific "wants"...you list liking Monterey/San Francisco weather, but then also mention San Diego weather. Besides coastal fog that they all get, the similarities are not that strong. Monterey and SF can be much cooler than SD (especially in the summer...less temp differences in the winter). And Monterey/SF can get much more rain in the winter.

Also, it's hard to make monetary recommendations when "affordable" is rather dependent on the individual and their income.

I don't mean this in a mean-spirited way, but are you that familiar with the various coastal CA weather varieties? Maybe you are but are being as vague as possible to avoid disqualifying an otherwise good candidate?

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by CuppaTea

Apparently the answer is "no".

You never specified your price point.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

And ... the more remote places along or near the coast that are not as expensive, normally have higher crime, more difficult social problems, meth, alcoholism, homelessness. The North Coast has it the worst. Lots of people lost logging and mill jobs when the Green Noose tightened during the 1990s and 00s.

[RosieSD]

I noticed in one of your other posts that you're hoping to rent a small house with a backyard for your dog for $1000 - $1500.

Houses/cottages in that price range are pretty rare in San Diego County, but if you are willing to go a little inland every now and then you might find something. I live in a semi-rural area about 30 minutes from downtown SD and a little 2-bedroom guest house with a yard that accepted pets just down the road from me just rented for $1495 a month. But you'd need a car here, as we don't have much public transportation out this way.

If you are OK with an apartment (are you over 55?), you should be able to find an apartment in a decent inland area in San Diego County for that price. If you're over 55, I sometimes see ads for senior citizen complexes in your price range in various places in San Diego County.

The tricky part is that most landlords here don't allow dogs, so a dog will limit your options. And, the landlords who allow pets often charge a pet fee, which can range from $100 - $150 a month sometimes.

But, some decent areas to look at in San Diego County might include: Mira Mesa, Clairemont Mesa, Poway, La Mesa, San Marcos, Rancho Bernardo, Santee, Rancho San Diego, and maybe parts of Chula Vista , Oceanside, and central San Diego. (I say maybe because, while there are less expensive areas in those places, they also have some dicier areas, so you'd have to do your homework).

Weather wise, inland San Diego isn't bad. People who live by the beach here think once you cross the 5 heading east it suddenly becomes Phoenix, but those of us who actually live inland within say 30 miles of the coast know that the weather's nothing to fret about. For 98% of the year, temps were I live inland are in the 60s-80s range, we don't have much humidity, and when its foggy and cloudy at the coast, it's often sunny and clear inland. There are a lot of different microclimates in San Diego County that can make it a little hotter or colder, sometimes even within the same city.

So I think you can certainly find the nice weather you're looking for in the San Diego area, but even going a bit inland, you might have to make some compromises (apt instead of a house, smaller place, less desirable area, less public transportation, etc.) to get a rental in the lower end of your price range that also allows dogs.

[JohnSoCal]

Originally Posted by CuppaTea

Northern CA , ie: Pacific Grove and Monterey, San Francisco, seems like the right place in terms of weather, and I imagine the San Diego is great, too. But where can I find affordable rentals in those areas?

Thanks in advance.

The simple answer is you can't find cheap rentals in any of those places. It is a matter of supply and demand. I don't like the term affordable because what is affordable to somebody may not be to somebody else. That is why you should always say what your housing budget is rather than some obscure term like affordable.

[Bert_from_back_East]

I would check out the Santa Maria area in Santa Barbara County.