Considering moving from Boulder to San Diego

[Aardvark]

I've been in Boulder for two years now. It's nice, but there is no ocean, the winters are long, and there is very little cultural diversity. Last weekend I spent 4 days in San Diego (SD) - it was amazing. I surfed twice a day, I was walking around in shorts and a T-shirt most of the time, I kayaked around Mission Bay Lagoon, and there was a lot of cultural diversity.

From a Mustachian perspective, what are the differences between Boulder and SD?
I see it like this:
-Probably need to drive more in SD than Boulder (SD is less bikable and gas is expensive)
-Higher taxes in CA than CO
-Desirable house/apartment rentals in SD seem more expensive than desirable rentals in Boulder
-Desirable house/apartment purches in SD seem LESS expensive than desirable purchases in Boulder (we are not sure whether we will rent or buy if we move to SD)
-Parents on the East Coast are further away from SD than Boulder

Anything else?


Also - if you have a recommendation for something that I should consider rather than SD please let me know.

THaNKS!!

[jeromedawg]

Keep in mind that SD County spans many miles both along the coast but also inland. You have cities in North SD county like Oceanside and Carlsbad and go as far south as National City/Chula Vista/San Ysidro (and given your preferences for the ocean, you probably aren't going to want to live any further inland than beyond Escondido or El Cajon). I'm not an SD Expert by any means but as with many locations there are good and bad/grungy pockets to be aware of. Not sure if you noticed the last time you visited but homelessness is a problem particularly around downtown (last time I drove around there it felt like driving through nicer parts of Skid Row... these days, it's probably worse) - not sure what location in particular you were thinking about but just be aware of that... which I guess goes back to your 4th point of purchases being *less* expensive than in Boulder. What area(s) of SD are you specifically looking at again? Definitely use AreaVibes and GreatSchools to get a better idea of the particular areas you're considering. Even a cursory view via Google Maps/StreetView can give you an idea of the area (and I'm not just talking about the immediate neighborhood area but those major cross-streets outside of where you're looking)

That said, consider North SD County and even South OC for that matter - Oceanside, Vista, San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente are nice areas to live, and depending on what you want for housing, may meet your needs and still be close to prime surfing spots.


As far as moving further from your parents, well, not sure what I can say about that. Are they in their latter/senior years and unable to fly or have medical needs requiring extra care, etc? If so, and depending on how close you are to them (and how burdened you are to help) then that's definitely going to be a factor in all of this. Maybe if those things are true, you can consider/plan to rent for X years so you're not glued to the location while working to figure out the elderly care piece if that's a future concern.

[Aardvark]

Thanks - apprecaite the insights!

[Catbert]

For years San Diego has had the most expensive electric rates in the continental US.  This winter we've added the most expensive natural gas to our Sunshine Taxes.

I'm not sure how much difference it makes with regards to elderly? parents.  Driving 2-4 hours vs taking a plane  would be significant.  Once you need a plane I'm not sure distance is as significant.  You might look at Google Flights to see in general how easy/expensive it is to get to their particular location.

[joe189man]

RE parents on the east coast

https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/12/the-tail-end.html

we are considering a move to be much closer to our parents and so the kids can have more time with grandparents

depending on your and your parents ages and considering being on opposite costs, you may only see them a few times a year, is that enough?

i cant comment on San Diego, never been - i never liked Boulder,

[jeromedawg]

For years San Diego has had the most expensive electric rates in the continental US.  This winter we've added the most expensive natural gas to our Sunshine Taxes.

I'm not sure how much difference it makes with regards to elderly? parents.  Driving 2-4 hours vs taking a plane  would be significant.  Once you need a plane I'm not sure distance is as significant.  You might look at Google Flights to see in general how easy/expensive it is to get to their particular location.

Definitely a good point - I'm in South OC and we are under the vice-grip of SDGE, who if not already at the top spot for highest electric rates in the nation, is definitely in the top rankings. We just put solar up and I feel it's worth it (well, assuming we stay here for at least another 7-8 years) but the ROI for solar just makes sense in an area with the highest electric rates in the nation.

Another consideration as far as parents is concerned, and it really depends on how tied they are to their current location, is them moving out this way (either to SD or a closer state) so that they can be closer. Sometimes our parents are really tied to their location but there are circumstances where they would be more than willing to move (e.g. for the sake of being closer to their kids and grandkids, especially if you might be their only child or your siblings are out this way as well)