moving to SD next year / questions (San Diego, Kensington: apartment, rent, health insurance)

[tervist26]

Hey there,

I currently live in Poland. I've always dreamt of moving to another country and basically, making a change in my life. As soon as I went to college to study English philology I became fascinated with the US, the history, the culture, the people etc. After I got my university degree I found a job in an American travel agency that has its offices where I live. I've been working for 3 years now and I feel like I need a change. Where I move depends on whether I get a decent job, but I would LOVE to move to SD. Why? The weather, all the nice things I've heard about the people etc. What I've noticed is that everyone pretty much agrees on one thing: SD is absolutely perfect, but incredibly expensive. I realize that at the very beginning I will not earn as much as I would like to so it can be a bit tough. I'm not delusional and I don't want to make a big mistake, but at the same time I really feel like I have to take some risks... My question is: suppose I get a job in my field (corporate travel) and earn aprroximately around 30-35k a year, will it be enough for me to survive?

The thing is, I will definitely look for a roommate, I don't drive a car (I always use my bike) and don't need one, I NEVER eat out (always cook my own food) and rarely go out (if I do go out I don't drink - I know, I'm weird...). I could pay up to 600$ for a room per month. I know my company has its offices somewhere in Mira Mesa so I plan to search for a room in that area. So, taking all of that into consideration, do you think San Diego is a good idea?

I'd appreciate any suggestions, tips etc.

[kettlepot]

Yes, San Diego is a good idea because it is beautiful. Yes, you can live on 30k - 35k, especially since you don't drink much, won't own a car, our go out very often. However, here some flaws in your plan:

Living in Mira Mesa and only having a bicycle doesn't really work. Mira Mesa is a car dependent suburb far away from the center city. I suppose you could bicycle down Mira Mesa Boulevard, take Sorrento Valley Road and eventually get to the coast which would let you visit the beaches and explore Del Mar, but that bike ride can be pretty scary at points. Maybe some locals will suggest some enjoyable and safe bike routes, but you could find yourself missing out on a lot of what you want to see and explore.

$600 rent as your share with a roommate isn't reasonable. $700 appears to be the minimum to give you some housing choices. However, I think it would be risky to plan this whole thing assuming you will have a roommate. You may find it impossible to find someone you can live with comfortably.

Finally, given that you are from Poland, and a bicyclist, my heart tells me that you should live around Balboa Park not Mira Mesa. But the commute from there up to Mira Mesa is difficult. But, maybe you could move to Mira Mesa first, and then opportunities may arise elsewhere for employment, housing, or your income will increase before you become discouraged.

[tervist26]

Thanks a lot, kettlespot!

I know about Balboa Park and that indeed would be a perfect choice to find a place somewhere near, but it all comes down to my employment opportunities. There's still a lot of time before I move and things might change, but I feel like I've already made up my mind. People may think it's not too wise to choose a place to live depending what the weather is like, but I refuse to live in a city where there's winter or long periods of rain (like it is in Poland). I'm over that, for sure.

As for the 600$ rent, I could definitely try and explore some more expensive options, but then again, it all depends on how much money I'll make and with that said, I sure hope I will make more as I get more experience.

What about public transport? Is it good? Affordable?

There are still a lot of things I need to think of since this is a life changing decision, but obviously whether I like it or not, money is the biggest issue. Sometimes I think I'm too old to make that kind of decisions since I probably should have thought about it when I was in my early 20s...

[Sunny_View]

Originally Posted by tervist26

My question is: suppose I get a job in my field (corporate travel) and earn aprroximately around 30-35k a year, will it be enough for me to survive?

@tervist26

I'm just going to be honest with you, I really don't think it will be enough.......Sorry. Cost of living is VERY high in SD, and after they take taxes out of your 30-35k/year salary, you will be hurting. Trust me.

I make twice that and live in the MD/DC/VA area, and I find that it's STILL not enough at times smh.... Sure, you can probably "survive", but at the same time you also don't want to be counting your pennies and worrying about where/when you're going to get your next meal. Remember, even if you are debt-free, and don't have any car payments, unexpected events/expenses DO come up at times, so you want to be prepared. You don't want to be living paycheck to paycheck in other words.

With THAT said... There are a few things I will say in addition to that...
First of all, how do you know you will only be making 30-35k/year in your field? Is this what the avg. income is in the SD area for someone in your field/position? Also, if I were you, I would invest in a car. Either that, or move to NYC (which can be equally expensive, but at least the transportation is so good that you don't ever "need" a car). In SD, and most parts of CA actually, you NEED a car. Like, NOT having a car is almost not an option at times.

You're doing well to minimize your eating out habits, and having a roommate to live with you is a GOOD idea. But just make sure that you and a roommate are really compatible and okay with sharing a ROOM together. Let me tell you, I had a roommate and we were sharing this apartment that was wonderful, but even THEN sometimes you need your own space, or you get on each other's nerves. I can't imagine what sharing a room with a roommate would be like, day in and day out.....unless, MAYBE they were family or my bf or something like that. Otherwise......Idk.....that might be a little too close for comfort ...I'm just saying....lol.


I think it's great that you're trying to move over here to the US, so continue to do some research about moving to SD or to CA in general. Just make sure you have done A LOT of good research about it, and have saved up your money. I'm trying to eventually move to Southern CA myself, and I'm not even coming from outside of the country, so I can only imagine how challenging it must be to be trying to move from out of the country.


Keep us posted!

[kettlepot]

Originally Posted by tervist26

Thanks a lot, kettlespot!

What about public transport? Is it good? Affordable?

Affordable? Yes.

Good? Only in certain areas, like the areas surrounding Balboa Park. Your best options for public transit are downtown, around Balboa Park, and in the neighborhoods to the east of Balboa Park between I-8 and and SR94, such as Normal Heights, City Heights, North Park, Golden Hill, the southern portions of Kensington and Talmadge.

However, there currently isn't very good transit from the southern portion of the city up to Mira Mesa.

[oddstray]

You might be able to manage with public transport depending where in Mira Mesa your offices will be. Here's the public transportation information for San Diego: Transit.511sd.com

[moved]

You can take a bus to Mira Mesa, but expect it to take 1 1/2 - 2 hours, and you may have a long walk from the bus stop.

[AZ2SD]

Unfortunately, SD is not like London or Washington DC or New York City (NYC) when it comes to public/mass transportation. I lived in London for many years, and I never needed a car as the public transit system is so good over there. Most European cities are like that, where you can take the train, bus or the subway to pretty much where you need to be.

San Diego on the other hand is car-centric, and yes you can live here and use public transport plus your bike as your main form of transportation. Fact is not everybody in San Diego has or can afford a car, but yet they need to go to work or school...what am saying is, yes it can be done, just be prepared for the inconveniences that come with it. I've seen a few people biking along the freeway (especially on I-15), and that is so dangerous given the speeds at which the cars are travelling.

When it comes to money, not knowing exactly how much you'll be making a year (take home pay after all the taxes are taken out), can be very tricky trying to plan your move around a guesstimate amount. Do you know if your company provides health insurance benefits for its US employees? otherwise you'll be paying out of pocket for your medical needs and that can eat you up quickly. In most European countries, the government provides health insurance by way of higher taxes on everything. In England, they even pay Television taxes, yes you heard right, you pay TV license to watch TV and if you're caught not paying, it's treated like not paying your due IRS taxes. You'll be fined!

If you plan well and save money upfront, you'll have something to fall back on in the event things don't pan out well as you had hoped from an employment perspective until you’re able to secure something new. Additionally finding someone you can get along with as a roommate is always never easy. No one is perfect, but I just prefer to have my own space even if it's just a shack, but then we all have to start from somewhere...just put yourself in some of the extreme/worst cases and go through the paces to see how you feel. Obviously, experience is the best teacher, but you still have to ask yourself the what ifs.

What I would say is, yes there are some low-income families in SD that are getting by on a 35K annual income, your life style may not be what you had hoped for. 35K in some cities in the US will provide a semi comfortable living, but in San Diego you'll feel like you're chocking every day. I wouldn’t want to live like that, just to be in a place where the weather is nice and there's plenty of outdoor activities. Oh by the way, it's not always sunny in San Diego, just remember that. We do get rain, and also can be foggy with the marine layer hovering over the county...am not trying to burst your bubble, just being honest and am sure that's what you want.

Have you also considered other cities in the US if your company has a location there? If so you can always move to that city first and see how you fare before coming to SD? San Diego is among the top 5 cities in US with a high cost of living and a terrible wage/salary correlation…the “sunshine tax” is very steep.

[tervist26]

I was actually planning to move to London for a year or two, save up some money and then move to the US as my final destination so to speak. That can be done and it seems like a good idea. Other than that, my company has its offices all around the US, but like I said, as shallow and stupid it might sound, it all comes down to climate for me (closely followed by job opportunities). I was also thinking about Phoenix or the Bay Area, but I don't know. With all the research I've done so far, San Diego seems to be the best option for someone like me. I do realize that SD has its rainy/foggy days, but I can live with that. In fact, a change is always good every once in a while. I don't expect it to be sunny and warm all the time. It'd be a bit boring to be honest.

Now, back to work. I believe 35k is the minimum I can be offered. Again, I did my research and the results vary big time depending on experience (obviously), location and the company itself.The mean annual salary may be 35k, but it can go up to 45/50k which would be ok, I guess. Next year I will have 4 years of experience as a senior international corporate travel counselor so that may make a difference salary wise. Apart from that I am fluent in Spanish and French so I don't know, will that help?

[moved]

Speaking Spanish here will definitely help you.