How expensive is expensive? (San Diego: middle-class, 2013, apartment)

[jmc]

I agree with Kettlepot. I made it work here on less than $25-30k. I even student taught (while getting my teaching credential) here with no salary for about 4-5 months. Granted, I had a sweet deal where I was living in a friend's house for $600 or less per month, but you can make it work here if you don't want to buy property or raise kids here. It's a fun place to be young and single....you may have to leave once you get married and start thinking about having kids, though. We're leaving soon ourselves, possibility of having kids in our future being one of the reasons. I sure have loved living here, though. Good luck!

[billiemae]

[quote=billiemae]Where is a nice area in California to live? I take care of my father, so he will be moving with me. He likes the idea of snowy mountain, I just need to be able to drive to work in film somewhere. I'm a film student late in life. I also need a dog friendly area to rent. I'll be moving in a year or so. Where would anyone sugguest?[QOUTE/]

Originally Posted by jmc

I agree with Kettlepot. I made it work here on less than $25-30k. I even student taught (while getting my teaching credential) here with no salary for about 4-5 months. Granted, I had a sweet deal where I was living in a friend's house for $600 or less per month, but you can make it work here if you don't want to buy property or raise kids here. It's a fun place to be young and single....you may have to leave once you get married and start thinking about having kids, though. We're leaving soon ourselves, possibility of having kids in our future being one of the reasons. I sure have loved living here, though. Good luck!

[BENZBOY15]

For a mountain area try Idyllwild or Big Bear which is in SoCal. Air is clean and the climate actually has four seasons. Plus, you're not that far away from L.A.

[Woof]

Originally Posted by spakanatoy

From all the websites I've looked at, San Diego seems to rank PRETTY HIGH as far as cost of living is concerned.

Suppose one moves there and has say an entry-level job, and another part-time job, lives in a so-so area is it possible to make ends meet? (RENTING NOT BUYING).

Also, how much do you guys spend on average on gas? Without the long commute to areas like carlsbad, poway, escondido.

You don't really need a car in San Diego, it's not just gas but also parking that's expensive. Public transport is good enough there between the trolleys, buses, and Coaster train. You can rent a car on the rare occasions you might actually need one.

If you live reasonably close to the water, there should be no great need for either heating or airconditioning.

For cheap food, dine at the Chinese buffets, or buy food at Mexican or other ethnic grocers and markets. Smart & Final also used to have some bargains when I lived there a few years ago.

The rent is the problem .... in the downtown area you can get a small efficiency SRO for $600 /month (shower, TV, single bed and microwave in a tiny room - Peachtree Inn), or a bigger studio or one bedroom for around $1000. Or as others have said, share an apartment - not a bad option if you don't mind music thumping all night long.

[leighland]

It is very possible to live in SD without a good income but you must remember that you will be giving up entertainment that is free or more accessible in other cites. You won't be able to eat out very frequently, unless its mcdonalds dollar menu. You won't be able to rent a surfboard a couple of times a week, The area you'll live in may be physically safe but your car may be broken into. You'll need to rely on the buses/trolleys for work which can add on a half hour or more to a car commute time. You might have to lug your laundry sack on the bus once a week to get to a laundrymat. Check out some of the offerings in other areas that are free in many other cities; Lincoln park zoo in chicago, the museums in DC, even art fairs and city sponsered concerts in LA's Griffin Park. My family made it here by taking picnics to Balboa Park and Coronado and did a lot of people watching; walking in the Gaslamp; and watching the sunset in front of the Green Flash is always free. You can live here for a couple of years pretty cheaply before you yearn to do more.

[Donna7]

I live in NE OH, and I don't get to do much more than that here (responding ton Leighland's post). The way that people talk on the CA board is that CA is going down an abyss and many are financially broke and about to go destitute. Do the people here think that the rest of the country is in a time warp - that it's still the 50's and 60's prices on things, that the demographics are the way they were back then, etc.? That there's no meth problem anywhere else but CA? That only CA public schools need help, etc., etc.? That people everywhere else BUT CA have tons of disposable income?

I mean, let's get real. Let's not compare Timbuktoo (where you can get a house or trailer "cheap") with the major cities of the United States of America. If you want to live in backwoods/Hicksvilles, Americana - that's fine. For some people (like myself), I don't pretend to think that living in prime areas is going to be cheap. I still believe that one gets what they pay for.

I'm interested in seeing what many that leave CA are going to think in a few years. I'd like to see what NC and some of the other states that are getting bombarded by newcomers are going to look like in the next 5-10 years.

[dynomite1]

Finding a rental is easy. Dealing with rent hikes each year is another. SD. is a very nice city but it's hard to make it long term here. If you add a wife and child. Your toast. Unless you can pull a salary above $100k. Keep in touch with all your friends back home. Since you will probably be heading back after 2-3 years. Which is what happens to 95% of the people who move here. Good luck.

[mariawalk]

ya gotta figure it kinda like the mortgage underwriters do when they look at whether or not you would qualify, as far as your net income goes, your rent/mortgage and any recurring debt (not including immenities)should be no more than 1/3 of your disposable income. So having a significant other or roommates to bring that figure within reason is kinda the only way for young people in their twenties with not much unsecured debt could have a decent style of living. I think what sends most young people back "home" is probably the likelihood that they party, i.e., drinking, clubbing, or other, ahem, recreationalsdin. If you can be content with low cost entertainment, i.e., hanging at the beach, dollar movies, coffeeshops (not starbucks btw), I don't see why it wouldn't be totally doable.

That being said, it's all a trade-off. Do you want to live in Ohio and afford the night life, or do you want to live in one of the most beautiful cities in the contigious U.S., with one of the most desirable climates, and not go balls out. To me, the choice is obvious.

[mariawalk]

Encinitas is coastal. Period. The homes there (on both sides of hwy 5) are more desirable than the majority of San Diego suburbs. Plus, the surfing is good, which draws alot of people. It's mostly older money there, and it's on the border of Rancho Santa Fe - at one time rated the most expensive residential real estate in the nation. It's suburbia meets beach town. And it's relatively clean for the most part. Have you seen Pacific Beach lately? OMG horrifying, and not at all how it appeared 20 years ago.

[mariawalk]

In my experience renting in San Diego, which was years ago, one's best bet was ALWAYS to go with a private residence/apartment complex. Not the ones that advertise "move-in specials". THEY are the ones that have ridiculous rental increases because their turn-over is high. And you'd think they would realize that the type of residents they attract are looking for immediate gratification by taking advantage of the move-in incentives. These type of residents are on to the next best incentive as soon as their lease expires.

But, if you find a person that privately owns a small complex, there is more of a family feel and therefore loyalties on behalf of both resident and owner are easily cultivated and negotiations can be made that otherwise wouldn't be possible with the cookie-cutter apartment complexes.