[Arielle123]

I've always lived in the midwest but am thinking about moving to san diego. The one thing really stopping me is the high cost of living in california. Now I know that people can obviously survive out there since there are so many people living there

But what I'm wondering form people who live there is: Is it really as bad as we hear it is to live out there cost wise? How do you make ends meet? Is driving really bad (ie. lots of people everywhere?) I guess is the people everywhere problem really bad? I'm really just looking for any help/suggestions that I can get

[La_Mari]

I lived north of San Diego, my husband and I had a roommate/friend so our 2br1ba 950 sq ft rent was 500$ cause it was split, which helped. I love it, it's so pretty there, and not as hot as where I live. As for gas rising, I don't think it's that bad, since there's a lot of people, you don't need to go far for what you need. I loved walking to Blockbuster, CVS, and Walgreens, and even the grocery store was around my block. I didn't do much driving in the weekend, but I know going north towards LA the freeway looked PACKED not so much south towards SD. But I would go through town to get to Walmart or the mall, 5 min. vs. 25 on the freeway.

I would not want to live there permanantly cause it's too crammed, I hate noise, and it is a lot of money over all. An average ( I think) 1br1ba apt in Oceanside where I lived was like 900$/mo, and they are NOT big at all! I couldn't believe I couldn't find many over 500 sq ft even more expensive ones. My mom said it's cheaper in San Diego.

Some sites like Rent.com have a roommate section, you post or find roommates.

I hope it helped.

[sharon333]

I used Craigslist and found my current roommate there.

[Arielle123]

I won't need a roomie since I'll live with my husband, but thanks for the response!

Originally Posted by La_Mari

I lived north of San Diego, my husband and I had a roommate/friend so our 2br1ba 950 sq ft rent was 500$ cause it was split, which helped. I love it, it's so pretty there, and not as hot as where I live. As for gas rising, I don't think it's that bad, since there's a lot of people, you don't need to go far for what you need. I loved walking to Blockbuster, CVS, and Walgreens, and even the grocery store was around my block. I didn't do much driving in the weekend, but I know going north towards LA the freeway looked PACKED not so much south towards SD. But I would go through town to get to Walmart or the mall, 5 min. vs. 25 on the freeway.

I would not want to live there permanantly cause it's too crammed, I hate noise, and it is a lot of money over all. An average ( I think) 1br1ba apt in Oceanside where I lived was like 900$/mo, and they are NOT big at all! I couldn't believe I couldn't find many over 500 sq ft even more expensive ones. My mom said it's cheaper in San Diego.

Some sites like Rent.com have a roommate section, you post or find roommates.

I hope it helped.

Washington's hotter than SD? Thanks that does help. Do you know of any 'nice' suburbs that are north/northeast of the city and inland? I'm not looking to live all that close to the ocean. I figure that I can drive there on the weekend and it'd still be closer than I am now Nice in atmosphere, close-ish to the city, ability to find housing for not a fortune (I know that CA is expensive but still), and just nice in general (low crime and all that).

[La_Mari]

I'm assuming it was cause of the ocean breeze since we lived like 2 mi. from it. But yeah over here in WA it's dessert and in the summer it's usually like 100/+ everyday or at least 90 degrees.

I'll look a few things up and get back to you. We might live in Carlsbad/Escondido this year.

[Arielle123]

Originally Posted by La_Mari

I'm assuming it was cause of the ocean breeze since we lived like 2 mi. from it. But yeah over here in WA it's dessert and in the summer it's usually like 100/+ everyday or at least 90 degrees.

I'll look a few things up and get back to you. We might live in Carlsbad/Escondido this year.

That's interesting b/c you never think of WA being hot. Thanks so much, that's so nice of you! I don't know exactly where I'd work that's why a doable commute into the city as well as just southeast of delmar (there seem to be a lot of biotech companies right there in the 92121 zip). I'd probably look for a job there or at the U of cali SD.

[La_Mari]

What's your rent price range? Romona looks affordable, Poway is nearby Del Mar.

[Arielle123]

I think under $1200 for a 2-bedroom? I haven't really looked mcuh so I don't even know if that's reasonable All I know is that it's more than what I pay more.

Do you know what the average commute time would be from carlsbad into the city? Just so I can get some sort of idea. It's hard to tell things from just looking on a map. Do you think I could PM or email you? I think you could be a great help to me if you wouldn't mind me bugging you a bit

[Ashley]

Carlsbad is about 20-30 minutes away from downtown san diego.

I don't live in in SD, but I live in LA. It really depends on where you live. Where I live, 2 bedroom apartments are $2,800+, (but it is also near a university and in West LA, so it's always more expensive) but if you go to a different city, 10 minutes away, you can find a 2-bedroom for $1400.

SD is really nice. I haven't been stuck in much traffic in San Diego (at least not as bad as compared to LA), but I have been stuck in traffic going between LA and SD.

Gas is about $4.60 where I live. I think CA's minimum wage is higher than most states at $7.50

This site might give you a good idea: City of San Diego Cost of Living Calculator. California--San Diego Relocation Calculator & Index.

[La_Mari]

I need that too, I'm looking for apartments down there to see if it's worth living farther or not. Thanks Ashley.