Best City In Cali? (San Diego, San Francisco: apartment, rent, how much)

[ArtfulDodger22]

I'm thinking of investing in a holiday home in California. Right now, I'm a 22 year old male from Ireland and setting myself up in another country with property I can retreat to in the harsh winter months sounds awesome.

My friend who has family in San Francisco said that's a pretty cool city, but I'm not sold on the idea..instead, Americans I've talked to have praised San Diego and put SF and L.A down as over populated etc, etc.

I'm looking for a lively city with a good nightlife scene and not some dead town somewhere, because I've lived enough with that in Dublin, so I want to experience a great American city. I know we're in recession but if you guys think the current state of SD property is good, any info you can give me is really appreciated.

Thank you in advance for any replies.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Pb

[Charles]

Originally Posted by ArtfulDodger22

I'm thinking of investing in a holiday home in California.

How much do you want to pay?
What type of home?
Who will occupy the home while you are not on a holiday in it?

[humboldtrat]

Why buy a house. Besides the expense, there are property taxes? Why not just visit here in the winter, stay at a hotel or rent an apartment? You can stay in different cities year after year without being tied down to a house in one place. If you buy a house, you might decide later you don't like the city you're in

[clongirl]

Spain (or better yet for nightlife, Ibiza) would be better..and closer to you. Weather's just as good, closer, and you can stay the whole summer. As you probably already know, the property bubble over there has burst (like Ireland's) and you will get much more for your money there overall. Plus Ryanair does those cheap flights..much more tiresome and costly to get to California from Ireland (9+hours of flight with stopovers!) I just don't think it would be worth it to purchase in Cal.

[Beth56]

What about Portugal? The weather is very similar to California and not that far from Ireland. A friend of mine has a second home in Portugal and loves the night life.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Southern California (say from Santa Barbara down) will have the most consistently pleasant weather year round. What's the point of getting a winter retreat in Northern California where its going to be cold and rainy? San Diego would be a good choice since its not as big and overcrowded as LA but still has great weather.

[ferretkona]

I'd avoid using the term "Cali" in conversation.
But I think Hawaii would be a better investment with ideal weather. You can find some wonderful homes on the beach for less.

[AKgirlinCA]

San Diego.

[MisterDuke]

You can refer to California as Cali, but then we get to call Dublin "Dubby".