some input on moving to SD (apartment, leases, home)

[pballnc]

my wife and i are in our early 20's want to move to SD. we are looking at having about a 66K between the 2 of us. and i was wondering if that is enough for to make it on? we are just looking for a 1 BR apartment, only request would be that its an area where i don't have to worry about my wife being in danger at night.
any area suggestions?

also what would utilties look like there for a 1 BR apartment? i work 50 and my wife works 40 hours a week so there won't be a ton of time spent in the house.
if anyone has any other suggestions for us please comment
thanks

[GratefulDeb]

Hi Guys:

I live in a 2 bedroom in LaJolla/UTC for $1482 a month. My utilities are only $37 a month and I am home all day. My neighborhood is very safe. There are people out walking, running, walking dogs, kids in strollers, etc. all night long. The only thing I can tell you is to make sure you have a job first. I have been here for almost 5 months and I can't even find something at the mall to hold me over. The job situation is ridiculous here right now. I am even asking for $15,000 a year less than I made in NJ and I still can't even get an interview.

Good Luck.

[f_m]

Utilities depends on if the place pays the water/sewer/trash or not. If you are paying elec/gas and water/sewer/trash, then expect $70-100 month. Oddly enough, unless you have air conditioning, elec/gas is cheaper than water/sewer.

[hanna_house]

My utility bill for gas and electric was $26 this month! We save a ton of money on utilities, compared to what we paid in MI which could be upwards to $200. To answer your question, yes, you will certainly be able to afford a 1 bedroom...even 2 if you prefer. There are lots of great areas and where you want to live depends on your personal preferences. I suggest finding a temporary place to call home to give yourself some time to look everything over before signing any long term leases. As long as you stay north of Balboa Park you shouldn't have a problem with safety.

[pballnc]

thanks for the feedback so far... please keep it comming...so 66K a year between my wife and i good for a young couple??

[MAK802]

66k is fine, but are you keeping the jobs you have when you get here? Unless you have jobs lined up and are sure you will be making the same as you are right now, don't move. Listen to Deb, there is a good chance neither of you will find a job here, even if you have a college degree.

[pballnc]

as far as jobs go i have a job lined up already, and the reason why we haven't moved yet is because we are waiting to get something lined up for my wife, because we don't want to move and her not be able to find a job. this is a big move for us as well, we are moving from North Carolina and my family is moving back to Wisconsin in june.