Young Couple (25+22) leaving "Paradise" and moving to San Diego (Encinitas: apartment, rent)

[Mikochi]

Aloha everyone!

My boyfriend of 5 years and myself, have lived in Hawaii for all of our lives; and we are looking to start something new. While we love the scenery and Aloha spirit, there is very little out here on these rocks and we are itching to find new opportunities elsewhere.

We will be moving to San Diego in a while and we would like to know anything and everything about it. Pros, cons, little tips, advice, etc. We would like to hear from anyone who has been through what we will be going through, and everyone who lives in SD. We decided to move there after doing some research and visiting there. We love it. But we want to know about it from those who know it best, not just from what a travel brochure tells us. Many people come to Hawaii and think they know all about it, but it is the locals who really know Hawaii. Best places to eat, which sides of the island to avoid, etc.

So far the main con we have heard:
The cost of living is high, while jobs are hard to find. (Coming from Hawaii, and after some research I'm not worried. Same issue out here. Rent is more expensive for worse housing, and tax seems to be worse there. Everything else is varied)



Anything and everything is welcome. Thank you for your time!

[AADAD]

Much of what most of us do centers around our work. Do you plan to work or just kick back? In either case there are basic neighborhoods that you will want to learn about but the best way to do so is to be here and hang out in those places. If you want a specific lifestyle based upon your age and what you like to do, you might want to let the members here know about your desires/goals. San Diego is a bigger city so the more specific you can be the more helpful people here will be imho.

[Mikochi]

Thank you!

We are planning to work. I'm in an admin field currently and he is in banking. We will be attempting to find some jobs before we actually get out there. As we have heard the job market is not very good.

We aren't really surfers or beach goers. Even here we go only occasionally.
Instead we like music, and art. Especially art, of all kinds. And we are a little nerdy too. We would love to go to museums and festivals or markets. We have visited some if the Balboa Park areas and that was fun! We didn't have time to see it all so we would love to see more. We love farmers markets.
There really isn't much we would go to see. We like having a lot to do, and don't mind driving a bit to get there. We do like good bars, not so much clubs. We are kind of picky when it comes to bars.

Although we love Hawaii, great people, beautiful land and ocean scape, we feel like there is much more to offer in San Diego and the outlying areas. It would also be easier to commute to other places to see and experience as well.

I'll post more things to help as I think of them. Thanks!

[futbol]

I grew up mostly in Hawaii (St. Louis HS ) and have lived in San Diego for the last ~20 years. I like both Hawaii and San Diego, but prefer SD because of what you mentioned -- more opportunity.

Traffic is definitely better here than in Honolulu. The H-1 and H-2 are traffic nightmares.

You will find a lot of similarity to the weather and scenery, especially along the coast. Mission Bay often looks and feels like a park in Hawaii.

We were used to living in a small house or apartment in Hawaii, so living here was an easy adjustment.

[AADAD]

While there is an art scene in San Diego, L.A. is even more so. For that reason I would think over your ease of getting to L.A. given that driving there is a harsh reality pretty much any time of day. There are trains so you may want to plan neighborhood selection with that knowledge. Thinking out loud I would look at Encinitas or Del Mar if you have the $$. If you want to be around Balboa Park you may want to center there.

The job market is competitive that's a fact but if you have very good education/references you should find something. That will most likely be the challenging part....but maybe not. =)

[Mikochi]

Originally Posted by futbol

I grew up mostly in Hawaii (St. Louis HS ) and have lived in San Diego for the last ~20 years. I like both Hawaii and San Diego, but prefer SD because of what you mentioned -- more opportunity.

Traffic is definitely better here than in Honolulu. The H-1 and H-2 are traffic nightmares.

You will find a lot of similarity to the weather and scenery, especially along the coast. Mission Bay often looks and feels like a park in Hawaii.

We were used to living in a small house or apartment in Hawaii, so living here was an easy adjustment.

Thanks for your response! It's really helpful to hear from someone who knows the island and has been through this. I think that's the reason we like San Diego is that the weather is somewhat similar, but everything else is different enough. We don't want too much of a cultural shock you know?

I kind of figured with the traffic. Hawaii has the worst other than New York I believe. That, and the Costco of living is something I'm used to.

How long have you been in SD? Any tips on the process of moving, and finding a job?

Ps. I'm a Kailua grad. .

[Mikochi]

Originally Posted by AADAD

While there is an art scene in San Diego, L.A. is even more so. For that reason I would think over your ease of getting to L.A. given that driving there is a harsh reality pretty much any time of day. There are trains so you may want to plan neighborhood selection with that knowledge. Thinking out loud I would look at Encinitas or Del Mar if you have the $$. If you want to be around Balboa Park you may want to center there.

The job market is competitive that's a fact but if you have very good education/references you should find something. That will most likely be the challenging part....but maybe not. =)

Thanks for the insight. I'll plan on keeping travel to L.A for special occasions.

We are saving about 10k for the move out. Does this seem like a reasonable amount to you? We want enough for at least a couples months of living, as well as a cheap car, if we aren't lucky enough to find jobs before we get there. Normally for Hawaii cost of living, this amount would be enough for hawaii living for about 2 months including purchasing a car off of Craigslist,(which we use like google over here)

[moved]

You'll need to double that amount. By the time you get a place to live, buy a car, get it insured, registered, buy furniture, etc., it'll be gone. And jobs aren't easy to get here, so be prepared.

[Mikochi]

Originally Posted by futbol

I grew up mostly in Hawaii (St. Louis HS ) and have lived in San Diego for the last ~20 years. I like both Hawaii and San Diego, but prefer SD because of what you mentioned -- more opportunity.

Traffic is definitely better here than in Honolulu. The H-1 and H-2 are traffic nightmares.

You will find a lot of similarity to the weather and scenery, especially along the coast. Mission Bay often looks and feels like a park in Hawaii.

We were used to living in a small house or apartment in Hawaii, so living here was an easy adjustment.

Just realized you already answered my "how long have you been in SD" question. Sorry

[Mikochi]

Originally Posted by moved

You'll need to double that amount. By the time you get a place to live, buy a car, get it insured, registered, buy furniture, etc., it'll be gone. And jobs aren't easy to get here, so be prepared.

Wow, thanks. We will definitely be more prepared with your help.