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| *Travel Tips>>>San Diego Travel Tips |
Moving To California - Few Questions? |
Travel Info I've decided to move to California, I currently reside in Waterloo,Iowa (Yes, I know huge change) I'm thinking San Diego? I've heard both good and bad things. I'm a computer tech now, and plan on doing the same there. I have my A+ and plan on getting more certifications before I move, I know I wont make much but is this possible? Typical rent for a 1 bedroom apartment in a area of town where I wont get shot at on a daily basis? I have a deffered judgement on a theft felony charge from about 4 years ago, it will be erased when I pay off all my restitution, is this going to hinder me from finding a computer related job? Basicly what it come's down to is, am I going to be able to survive on what looks like 40-45K a year, and not be in poverty? I have ton's more questions but not enough space so any opinions on maybe other good cities to live in (halfway near the beach please), apartment rent prices, jobs, ect - Basicly any info you have, please share. Thanks! Travel Tips You should be fine on $40-45k a year. I make $42K and live 8 blocks from the beach. Middle Income in SD is considered $48k a year from a recent article I read so your somewhat on the lower end, as am I. You're probably not going to save a lot of money but you can pay your bills and have your fun still, but you won't be living lavishly or anything. And if you don't have much debt or any debt that you are making payments on then you should be fine. SD is such a great place to live; you don't have to travel or take trips to go on vacation, you can just go to the beach here. And LA, Orange County, Mexico, and Vegas are all fairly close. Plus the beach is free and there are plenty of things to do in SD where you don't have to spend money. It's such an outdoors type city and there is always events or something going on, so you don't need much extra money to enjoy this place and have a good time. You might be able to make more money b/c my friend just got some IT/computer tech job after just completing his A+ certification and makes $60k a year. He's only 24 and wasn't a computer major in college or anything and doesn't have the most impressive resume. But if you have some experiance, the certifications, and knowledge then you can probably land a job that pays better than you might expect. I live in Pacific Beach which is where you want to be if you're in your 20's, like to have fun, and want that classic SoCal beach culture and scene. PB is great; friendly people, party atmoshphere, great nightlife, good restaurants. The bars are cheap too and much less expensive than downtown Gaslamp Quarter Bars. It's also a pretty compact community and you can walk or get most places on bike, most people here have beach cruisers and it's the best way to get around, especially during summer b/c parking is a pain near the sand. Rent isn't cheap but it's not too bad. I pay $1375 for a 2 bedroom 8 blocks from the beach. Studios and one bedrooms range from $700 on the low end to $1500 for the pricier units. You can probably get a one bedroom for around $900 or $800 within a mile to 1.5 miles of the beach. Eastern Pacific Beach from Lamont St east towards the I-5 freeway are cheaper than areas west and fairly affordable in my opinion. If you want even cheaper check out Clairemont Mesa, it's just east of PB and a pretty cheap and not too bad neighborhood. North Park, Hillcrest, and University Heights just north of Downtown are the more urban neighborhoods in SD and fairly reasonable too with rent and a 15 min drive to the beach. But if you want to live by the beach, which you should if you are coming to CA for that type of scene, then check out apts all over Pacific Beach or even Ocean Beach if you want a more hippy scene. Craiglist, SDReader.com, SignonSanDiego.com are all good sites to check rentals. Honestly I think people exaggerate about how expensive it is to live out here. Maybe i;m used to it b/c I grew up in CA and am from the Bay Area, which makes SD look cheap by comparison. Since you are not looking to buy a house it's not that bad, rental prices aren't completely out of whack like purchasing prices. Gas will be more expensive so have a car with decent MPG. Utilities will probably be lower since most places near the beach don't have AC and if you have a heater that works you only need it at night maybe 10-15 times a year. The weather is great in SD, never too hot or cold near the beach, rarely rains, low humidity, and never severe weather. Pretty much sunny and in the 70's year round. If you have any more question feel free to ask me. If you want that sunny CA lifestlye SD is the place to go for that. Others 40-45K would put you at the paycheck to paycheck level in most parts of San Diego. Anything near the beach is "prime" and would be out of your price range. Before you leave Iowa make certain that your felony conviction has been expunged. You won't be able to get a surety bond with it on your record. After that come out for a few days to look around. Get a feel for the rents, job possibilities, cost of living, etc. before committing your self sight unseen to moving here. ..$ 45,000 per year = Lower Middle Class Living. People like to say southern Californians are lazy, but the truth is that we are some of the hardest working people in America. We have to be or we would not be able to pay our bills. Finding a good place to live at a fair price is hard. Most people have to over-pay on rent just to get something decent. Is it worth it ? I still live here. you will be living from paycheck to paycheck, your record might be a problem if you get a federal job. |
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