Will my wife and I afford to live nicely in San Diego? (Carlsbad: for rent)

[Rod D]

Will my wife and I afford to live nicely in San Diego? First off I am currently employed by the US Military and will seperate in the less than 6 months. I am currently about to wrap up a deployment, and I have I have earned my PT Phyiscal Therapist degree, My wife is an RN , we are in our mid 20's and we are proud parents of a toddler. I have been to SD once and feel in love with the vibe of the city. My wife and I love to salsa and go out ,have a good time once in a while, enjoy the nightlife, and eat a nice dinner. I have never lived close to the ocean, and have always dreamed of living in Southern California. If we can find solid jobs out there would we be able to afford a condo/home in a nice area,with good schools, and low crime, an area thats always alive, but still have that laid laid back Cali vibe . Another reason I want to move to SD,they have world class martial arts training facilities, and I want to learn form the best and become an instrucor one day myself. So with all the factors set forth, would it be a [SIZE=3]feasible plan, or should I aim at moving to a city with a little lower cost of living?[/SIZE]

[moved]

With the economy the way it is now, I would stay in the service.

[Sassberto]

My brother is a PT, works for a small firm here in SD, he makes about 50-60k. Demand is very strong in that field, including in SD. I work for a firm that places RN's, the market is softer, but still pretty good, pay is in the 30-40/hr range.

[beachrescue]

Vibe on these forums
CHECK THIS OUT.

[lrmsd]

As said, PT's are in demand in SD. RN will find something.
Rent first, get the lay of the land, find your martial arts school/teacher, and things will fall into place for you from there,IMO. (ie,As far as where to buy, and what constitutes an alive area that is still laid back, and affordable/safe for a family.)

Keep in mind that in SD, everything is about '20 minutes' from everything else-lol-except for rush hour traffic times, you can be most places in 20 min. These days, that's about how long it takes in any small city or even large town, with traffic, stop lights, etc. And in SD, you'll be in a beachy area or funky hood in minutes, even if your home neighborhood is a little more staid and family-oriented.)

Look in Clairemont area, and also Carlsbad, and maybe Poway, for renting to start out, IMO.
BTW, you can often find salsa classes at even the smallest of rec centers. So you could easily join in almost anywhere in SD, and the major salsa joints would only be a 20-30 min. drive.
Martial arts teachers of influence are located throughout the city-including central SD and north county coastal.