Del Mar, La Jolla, Gaslamp - Expensive Rent? (San Diego, Solana Beach: apartment, rental)

[tawnyk]

We are a young, professional couple (no kids) moving to San Diego soon, and I would be working in either Del Mar or downtown San Diego. We'd like to live in either Del Mar or in/near the Gaslamp area, respectively, or perhaps La Jolla for either if the commute isn't too bad. We would not be buying a house, just renting an apartment. A place with a great ocean view is our #1 priority, and we'd like to be in a nice, fun area with shops/restaurants, etc.

Many posts discuss how expensive these areas are, but can someone be more specific about its rental expense relative to other cities? We currently pay $3,000/mo for our 2-bedrm apt in the Washington DC area and previously lived in Manhattan, which was of course much more. Would an upscale apt/condo with a great ocean view in Del Mar, La Jolla or Gaslamp be less than this? How much? Which of these 3 is most and least expensive for what we are looking for? Any advice is greatly appreciated! Many thanks in advance!

[sav858]

You should be able to find a good place for under $3k, that is a lot of money for San Diego. Everyplace is cheaper than NYC and SD seems cheaper than DC.

Lots of new empty condos in downtown but you're looking at the bay and the ocean is kind of far off, not sure if that matters.

As for LJ and DM, I think they probably would come out about equal.

I was a little curious to see what was out there for that price, this place is in Windansea (my favorite beach in San Diego) and has great views but it's not exactly luxury inside but the location makes up for it imo:
CHECK OUT THIS AMAZING VIEW!!! WILL GO QUICK (http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/apa/1058815531.html - broken link)

If you don't mind North PB you can't beat this view b/c no towers this tall are allowed near the ocean anymore: SOARING VIEWS &UPSCALE BEACH LIFESTYLE (http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/apa/1053464663.html - broken link)

This one is pretty damn nice too for $2900: LUXURY CONDO W/ WHITE WATER OCEAN VIEW,WALKING TO LA JOLLA SHORES (http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/apa/1053330162.html - broken link)

I don't think you should have a problem finding a nice place with ocean views for $3k or less per month in either community.

[Encinitan]

A two-bedroom place with a great ocean view in Del Mar will be at least $3,000, maybe more, if you can find one. Those go pretty fast. I don't know, maybe things have changed since I rented, but I'd think it's still in that range. Good luck to you guys.

[tawnyk]

Thank you! Especially for all the helpful links!

[cainsurance]

Have you thought about Solana Beach?

[luvSD]

I think Del Mar and La Jolla would be a nicer place for you to live. The price would be similar and I'm guessing that it would cost over 3K per month, but less than $4K. I think La Jolla has more trendy shops and restaurants etc. Del Mar has some too, certainly, it is trendy and upscale but I like La Jolla a bit better.

I wouldn't recommend the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego for you. This place is fun at night when you want to go bar hopping and partying but the district surrounding Gaslamp seems kind of run down. It's patchy.