San Diego is a Southern Californian city famous for its sunny weather. The city is a diverse, cosmopolitan spot with varied experiences to offer. It both has urban and suburban environments where a lot of people love and enjoy.
Living in San Diego is like having the right balance between sophisticated city life in a relaxed setting. It is safe, comfortable while providing world-class experiences.
There are top-caliber restaurants that can deliver a first-level dining experience. Wide selections of the professional sports center and entertainment options are also available. It is like living in a vast metropolitan area where the community enjoys strong ties and bonds.
The patchwork of the neighborhood harness relationship where they can enjoy gatherings and festivity. Most of the residents meet during festivals and interact in a farmer’s market. There they can meet friends and develop harmonious relationships long term.
San Diego is a great city to settle in if you are looking for city life while enjoying human interaction. It is a perfect blend of modern living in a tranquil environment.
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What is so great about San Diego?
San Diego is considered one of America’s most acceptable cities. It has a long stretch of glorious beaches coupled with relaxing and ideal weather. It is one of the most visited cities in the world where people intend to experience.
San Diego is so great that people chose to stay for long. Living in San Diego is about having the freedom to enjoy its fine weather all year round. The city has a natural beauty that attracts visitors from different walks of life.
Here are the top reasons why San Diego is a great city:
- Weather
- Food
- Shopping
- Safety and Security
- Outdoor activities
- People
- Diversity
California is famous for its sunny weather, which people to enjoy all year round. As a Southern Californian city, San Diego is blessed with this kind of weather. Rain is rare, and can only visit a few times a year. Along with the weather, San Diego has idyllic beaches to offer where people can enjoy and explore.
San Diego has a good selection of restaurants offering different cuisines. Even when you are in America, you can still enjoy Chinese, Vietnamese, or Korean cuisine in the city. Top-notch restaurants are offering excellent dining experiences as well.
The city also offers a sophisticated way of urban living. Shopping centers are available where you can stroll and shop during the weekend. It has UTC, Fashion Valley, North Country to gives wide selections of items to buy.
You have access to healthcare facilities. San Diego is surrounded by hospitals and health care, which you can visit anytime. These hospitals are accredited by renowned health care insurance like Kaise.
You will never run out of activities to keep you entertained and interested. The city has a wide array of outdoor sports like hiking great for your physical health. Water sports activities are abundant as well on beaches.
Another thing to love about San Diego is the people belonging to a community. In some larger cities like Los Angeles, San Diego is more friendly. It is much comfortable to go to a weekend farmer’s market in San Diego and meet people in the process. Locals also love to gather in restaurants for simple conversation.
San Diego is a cultural melting pot, and it is more inclusive. You have Mexican, Filipino, and Chinese as neighbors and build a friendship with them. You can experience different cultures that can expand your perspective in life.
Do you have to be rich to live in San Diego?
Along with these positive views about San Diego, some people are still reluctant to live in this city. They think San Diego is an expensive place to live.
Yes, it is expensive to live in San Diego. For a family of four to thrive in the city, it requires an annual income of more than $75,000. It continues to increase over time, so a lot of people find it hard to keep up.
Aside from expensive living, taxes in San Diego is skyrocketing. California has the highest tax requirements among its citizens. Rent is also pricey in San Diego. For a decent apartment, you need to shell out around $2500 for monthly rent.
These may be the reasons why people think you need to be rich to survive in San Diego. Yet, it is still about one would manage finances.
San Diego is an expensive city to live in. You do not have to be rich to be able to live comfortably in San Diego. San Diego is still a livable city as long as you are aware of your spending and work hard to maintain your lifestyle.
Wealth is not a requirement to be able to stay and live in San Diego for long. It is a misconception that you must be rich to live in San Diego. Ordinary people with a decent job can live in this city. A good-paying job is crucial, coupled with excellent financial skills.
Where is the cheapest place to live in San Diego?
Yes, San Diego is a livable city when it comes to spending. There are affordable areas in San Diego where you can live very comfortably. You can find suburbs with the lowest cost of living in San Diego.
There are affordable and cheap places in San Diego to live in. Suburbs in San Diego are available where you can find the cheapest place to live in. The suburbs offer the lowest cost of living in San Diego.
So, here is the list of the most affordable places to live in San Diego. You can try your luck living in these places too:
- Chula Vista
- Lemon Grove
- Otay Mesa West
- Gaslamp Quarter
- Mira Mesa
Chula Vista is a place located near the beach in San Diego. It is considered as one of the cheapest neighborhoods in San Diego with affordable rent. The house pricing in Chula Vista is around $537,000. It is the lowest you can find in the city.
Lemon Grove is another affordable neighborhood in San Diego. Yet, it is highly populated with more than 30,000 population. It is cheaper compared to Chula Vista, with a median sales value of $450,000.
Otay Mesa West is also an economical neighborhood in San Diego. The place is near Chula Vista that can still provide excellent access to the city proper. You will not get bored living in Otay Mesa West because there a plenty of activities to do. The average house cost is $460,000 annually.
Gaslamp Quarter is a suburb in San Diego with lots of enjoyable establishments. There are restaurants, bars, and even commercial stalls that will keep you entertained. The median value for houses is around $500,000.
Mira Mesa is one of the safest and affordable neighborhoods in San Diego. It is a densely populated neighborhood in the northern part of the city. The average selling price of real estate in Mira Mesa is around $575,000.
Do celebrities live in San Diego?
San Diego attracts people, even celebrities, to live in the city. The Pacific Ocean’s impressive view, coupled with sunny weather, are reasons to settle in the town.
Celebrities cannot resist the charm of San Diego, so they do chose to live in this city. They consider San Diego as home and live lavishly in the city’s high-end neighborhoods.
Here is the list of celebrities who acquired the property in San Diego and chose to live there:
- Shaun White
- Deepak Chopra
- Zandra Rhodes
- Jason Mraz
- Pauly Shore
He is an Olympic Gold medalist for professional snowboarding. Shaun White has a four-bedroom and five-bathroom pad in San Diego worth $8 million.
Deepak Chopra has real estate in La Jolla, San Diego, where he currently lives in. He is a renowned physician from India and one of the wealthiest personalities in medicine.
She is a famous fashion designer from London. Zandra Rhodes chose to settle in the city and acquired a beach house in Del Mar, San Diego. She enjoys her lavish lifestyle in San Diego like a typical American celebrity.
He is a famous musician in America who owns a 5.5-acre farm in California. Jason Mraz is a great fan of San Diego, where he chose to settle in. He enjoys his farm life in Southern California as well.
He is an actor, director, writer, and producer in America. Pauly Shore is also a comedian who acquired a property in La Jolla homes in San Diego.
How many billionaires are in San Diego?
Aside from being a home to celebrities, San Diego is a fave spot for billionaires too. The wealthiest San Diegans regarded the city as their home and spent much of their time there.
Many billionaires are living in San Diego compared to other cities in California. They are the wealthiest San Diegans who live Santa Fe, Del Mar or even La Jolla.
Here is a list of famous billionaires living in San Diego:
- Gwendolyn Sontheim Meyer
- Osman Kibar
- Gary L. and Mary West
- Irwin M. Jacobs
- Charles H. Brandes
Meyer has a net worth of $5.3 billion, which she inherited from the Cargill company. She is believed to own almost 11% share of the Cargill conglomerate. She lives in Rancho Santa Fe and the current board chair of Feeding San Diego.
Kibar resides in La Jolla, San Diego, and has a net worth of $2.8 billion. He is the current CEO of Samumed. It is a biotech company that creates anti-aging therapies in San Diego. Most of his wealth is acquired from his company, Samumed.
They are entrepreneurs with a net worth of $1.4 billion. They live in Rancho Santa Fe and acquired wealth from a telemarketing company. Aside from being entrepreneurs, they are philanthropists as well. They are founders of non-profit organizations like The Gary and Mary West Foundation.
Jacobs is a famous philanthropist with a net worth of $1.3 billion. He lives in La Jolla, San Diego. He earned his wealth by founding Linkabit and Qualcomm Inc. Both companies are in the communication technology that is making a huge success.
He was the founder of Brandes Investment Partners LP. He currently lives in Rancho Santa Fe and has a net worth of $1.2 billion. He is known for his work in Brandes’ The Manzanita Foundation, San Diego Symphony.
What are the bad parts of San Diego?
San Diego is not just about glitter and glamour where the famous and the wealthiest life. Several areas can fall to different stereotypes too.
San Diego has bad parts or places like hipster areas, preppy places, and ghettos. These are what the bad parts of San Diego exist with higher violent crime rate.
The recorded violent crimes include murder, rape, assault, among others. Based on the local law enforcement agency, here are the terrible parts of San Diego.
- Encanto
- City Heights
- Barrio Logan
- Linda Vista
- Golden Hill
- San Ysidro
There are zones in San Diego that are socioeconomically distressed. In Greater San Diego, the more eastern you go, the more social issues and distressed are magnified. In this part, you also avoid El Cajon, Escondido, and Chula Vista for your safety.
San Diego is a friendly city to live in. Living in this Southern Californian city gives you access to a fulfilling life. Yet, as a common misconception, San Diego is not about sunshine and glamour all the time. There are areas experiencing distress and need a better policy from the state government.