Yet Another Couple Moving To SD ...We NEED your imput! (San Diego: house, theater)

[DubHaze]

Okay... so I really would like to be more Coastal, we don't need to be in Downtown San Diego for work, and I've heard the younger crowds are closer to the beach. My husband and I are 23 and 26 with no kids, we aren't partiers or big drinkers per say but I don't need to be close to a "good school" or in family type neighborhoods. I don't think either of us will be working downtown, so does everyone else agree with NiceGuy that we can't afford a small one bedroom in one of the coastal cities/neighborhoods?In MN we make a bit over 50K and I am assuming our rate of pay will go up a bit for california? What does the typical couple with no kids need to make to survive comfortably?Does anyone know of any other websites that I can look at rentals? I've been on Craigslist and SignonSanDiego a lot, but heard there are a lot of Scams on Craigslist. I've seen a lot of duplex's... are some nice? or are most located in more run-down neighborhoods? I have a small dog that I like to walk and definatley want to feel safe being outside!Definatley want a 1 bedroom (studio would not fit our furniture) hopefully atleast 600sqft. Any recommendations on specific apartments or apartment rental companies would be greatly appreciated...Oh yes.... How much are your current gas prices? ...A little food for thought

[DubHaze]

Also... one more thing to clear up too...

My husband and I have had a few friends out in the LA area who lived there for about a year and ended up moving back to MN eventually... My husband and I DONT want that to happen to us. For one our friends were single guys who cared more about drinking and pot than finding decent paying jobs.... (one worked at the comfort inn...come on...) the other worked for a B list band basically as a Roadie... so I would think they just didn't put enough effort into it... or got lonely for family.

My husband and I have ZERO credit card debt, all we have is Student loans (about 200 monthly total) and one car payment which is $300 total (VW Bug Convert. TURBO) So we do have some money to spare for the higher rent (we are used to about $765 plus elec, cable etc...) I really feel that with about 10G in savings we could afford about 1,000-1,200 for rent and we should be ok... or am I too Naive?

Do many places offer a 6 month lease in Cali? here in MN that is hard to come by, but that might be better for us in order to make sure we can afford everything...


I feel like I keep repeating myself, but I just want to give everyone a good idea of our situation


THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR REPLIES!!!!!! ALL THIS INFO IS REALLY GIVING US SOME INSIGHT!!! HOPE TO KEEP HEARING FROM ALL OF YOU!!!

[f_m]

You may do okay, but I suppose that depends on how long it takes to find a job and what kind of job it is.

For reference, if you live east of the 15, then you probably need air conditioning, If you live west of 5 then you don't, if you leave between 5 and 15 then you may be able to get by without air conditioning. Most lower priced places don't have washer/dryer in the unit, and parking is so-so, you will probably have lot parking so you don't want a bad area where your car may be a target.

These are rental lists, I think most places want 1 year lease (or more costly month-to-month).
Torrey Pines Property Management- Available Rentals (http://www.torreypinespm.com/rentalunits.asp - broken link)
Carmel Valley Real Estate MLS, Sorrento Valley Homes For Sale, Foreclosures and Carmel Valley

[DubHaze]

Originally Posted by f_m

You may do okay, but I suppose that depends on how long it takes to find a job and what kind of job it is.

For reference, if you live east of the 15, then you probably need air conditioning, If you live west of 5 then you don't, if you leave between 5 and 15 then you may be able to get by without air conditioning. Most lower priced places don't have washer/dryer in the unit, and parking is so-so, you will probably have lot parking so you don't want a bad area where your car may be a target.

These are rental lists, I think most places want 1 year lease (or more costly month-to-month).
Torrey Pines Property Management- Available Rentals (http://www.torreypinespm.com/rentalunits.asp - broken link)
Carmel Valley Real Estate MLS, Sorrento Valley Homes For Sale, Foreclosures and Carmel Valley

Thanks for extra rental sites! I will check them out....
What would you say my husband and I need to look for on average for Hourly pay? We planned on just taking whatever jobs we could get right away, just to have some income coming in, and then keep looking for jobs that are more in our experience range. I have GM experience (I managed 2 tanning salon locations) as well as a ton of Outside Sales for a large beauty distributor. Currently I am just a photographer at the hospital which isn't much money, but they can transfer me to the area so I have atleast 1 job to start. My husband does all the inside sales and payroll paperwork for a middle size oil company and makes really decent money here... I am assuming he can find work with an Oil distributor or Shell out in CA...

Also, I know the economy is extremely bad everywhere in the US and now might not be the best time to move, but I've been looking online at it still seems like there are jobs out there for people that aren't too over experienced or over educated... As I said before neither of us are completed with school yet, but we have also never had a problem finding work, as we both have decent resumes and interview well... I would think we could find a job within' the first month for sure... and we plan on paying for the first 3 months plus deposit on our apartment...

We are definatley trying to be the most prepared we can be, and we would like to find jobs first before moving but I've read a lot of posts saying it's hard to find a job without having a close by zipcode... in other words... I heard most people hire locally... thats why I figured we would wait till we get there...

[DubHaze]

I would like to know what you San Diegan's do to keep costs low, wether it is buying fruits and veggies from a farmers market or bike to work... Also what do you do for fun (Thats relativly cheap) besides the beach?

[TA-TA]

My wife and I moved out here 4 months ago with no jobs and far less money than you have saved. We’ve rented a large 1 bed 1 bath apartment in Pacific Beach (right next to the beach) for $1000 a month including water rates. During the apartment search I was slightly downhearted due to some of the housing being slightly run down but I absolutely love it here now. So many people have helped us out. Our apartment is filled with furniture our neighbors have loaned us.

I have found Trader Joes and Henry’s to be extremely cheap for groceries; Far cheaper than Maryland where my wife is from. Vons (Safeway) is expensive but you can find some very good deals.

People will tell you that you need a 6 figure salary to live here, but from my experience, as long as you’re not expecting a large newly renovated house you’ll get by just fine.

I would definitely say go for it. You may experience some stress when looking for work and an apartment but it will also be very exciting too. I found that there was no better place to feel such stresses than in San Diego where I could lie on the beach and watch the dolphins swim by.

I wish you all the best.

[luvSD]

Sorry, don't know much about music scene. If you like bars and smaller gigs, might try Gaslamp Quarter (see here: Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego). if you like rap/reggae, might try connecting with people at WorldBeat Cultural Center (see here: Drumming at WorldBeat Cultural Center (http://www.san-diego-travels.com/drumming.html - broken link)). As for what else to do... lots of things to do, but depends on what you like (see here San Diego Attractions (http://www.san-diego-travels.com/attractions.html - broken link)).

[luvSD]

Originally Posted by DubHaze

I would like to know what you San Diegan's do to keep costs low, wether it is buying fruits and veggies from a farmers market or bike to work... Also what do you do for fun (Thats relativly cheap) besides the beach?

Avoid driving whenever possible (live near grocery stores, work, school etc). Avoid going out for lunch with work mates. Avoid things that are expected in SD (like getting hair cut every 3 months, getting nails manicured, getting clothes dry cleaned, getting car washed frequently, buying latest gadgets like iPhone, buying latest REI outdoorsy things etc).

Don't recommend biking to work because it is not really safe unless you happen to live quite close to work. You can take the bus. The bus is pretty good once you've figured out the routes and schedule. But, they don't come very often (sometimes once per hour) so you need to take that into consideration when going from A to B. the bus actually takes you to all the major attractions in SD (SeaWorld, Legoland, Balboa Park, Zoo, and even to the Wild Animal Park (see here: San Diego Bus Services (http://www.san-diego-travels.com/bus.html - broken link)).. If you take bus, then don't have to pay for parking either.

Cheap fun things to do involve walking around Balboa Park, walking around Seaport Village, walking in Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, Mission Trails etc. Basically walking and hiking which are free.

[DubHaze]

Wow Thanks Everyone with those last few replies, You've all done nothing but encouraged me further I can't wait to get out there, I know I should expect some stress but it sounds like it is manageable even for a couple like us with no six figure income! Few more things to chew on... Where are the cheaper clothing stores? Anything vintage or funky? I like botiuques but here in MN all you have are tons of American Eagles, Hollisters, and Aeropostles...Also... Do you have an IKEA? That store is my lifeline.ONE MORE THING... Which beach is best for beginner surfing? I don't want to kill myself!

[DubHaze]

Is Blacks beach really a good topless beach? Haha... Or is it just a bunch of perv's?