Another calculator here: https://www.nerdwallet.com/cost-of-living-calculator/compare/houston-vs-san-diego Similar results. It says $145k.
Why are you comparing cost of living? Houston is obviously a million times cheaper. The quality of life is much higher in SD. Perfect weather Surfing year round Pacific Beach Golf at Torrey Pines Craft beer (ballast point, etc) Short ride to TJ
To see if I can afford it and what salary I need to be expecting.. I can't imagine having perfect weather year around! I have been loving our fall weather the past week.
It can be foggy in May/June (May gray, June gloom). But otherwise year round 75-80 degrees. I'm to the point in my life now where I'd consider taking a pay cut to live in SD. Def in my top-3
I mean not perfect. But a strong 95% You are paying for quality of life as mentioned before. Beaches aren't as pretty as other parts of Cali but anything beats GTown
You can afford a loft near the beach. But you will score all kinds of penocha. The one thing about California is having a car is a necessity similar to Texas because the PCH goes for miles and you'll be making trips to LA
LOL @ the people saying a $600-700 car payment is too much for somebody making $100k a year. Either you are really bad at math or just a hater.
If you're single and you make 100k a year then a $700/mo car note is a drop in the bucket. Not so much if you have a family to support, though. I think the point is that having a $700/mo car note is not really a healthy thing since it means you likely put very little money down on the vehicle which is a depreciating asset, so you lose a bunch of money to interest and depreciation vs just leasing the vehicle which can save you money assuming you don't put a ton of mileage or wear and tear on the car. As for the OP, San Diego is one of the most expensive places to live in the U.S and for good reason. If you can line up work there then you have it made. I once thought about going into real estate out there about 10 years ago, before the housing collapse but then I got offered a deal I couldn't refuse here in H-Town working automotive wholesale, worked out well but still no plans to move to San Diego yet.
I'm married and with a family (large) and that's basically my car payment for my wife's car. But it's precisely because of that situation. The car is a 2014 Toyota Sequoia. For some reason those things cost you a trillion dollars. Could I have gotten a Tahoe ... sure it might have been a bit cheaper but there were things about the Sequoia that made it more functional for a family of six. Plus we needed 4 wheel drive for certain trips we make. Which left exactly 1 minivan option... and f minivans
Ya I was a little confused. I mean I get it...ideally no car payment is best but my goodness what do I make money for if I can sensibly buy the one thing I like in life (other than traveling). On the contrary. I buy 3-4 year certified cars that's 30-50% of the original MSRP. The first porsche I bought was 4 years old. got it for 39K (msrp 76). That's a 700 dollar payment over 5 years with interest. I sold it after 3 years for 27K. I got the 911 after that. Slightly more expensive but same idea.
I finally got to visit SD when I was "stuck" out in Cali during the storm. Loved it and plan to visit again for longer one day.
I lived in houston, lived in pacific beach, live in woodlands back in tx. Drop me a line if questions. For those of you saying move inland san diego I would say dont waste your time. Inland san diego is no way to go through life. The area you want to be is a 2 mile wide strip from downtown up the coast. People talk about california, san diego, they are actually talking about the coastline. Inland california sucks. Sucks really bad actually. You can find stuff near beach but even the best places and location - you are sacrificing square footage. People live on top of each other. Its fine its just part of the deal. The honeymoon period lasts longer moving to sd than most any other place ive lived ..but even san diego got old. The women and eating options are way better in tx and the south. The weather again is a 2 mile strip. You go inland and you are looking at 100 degrees. They have 4 weather reports on tv - coast, inland, mountain, desert. The weather on coast is what makes it a place to be. Valentines day feels like 4th of july and halloween so after a while it starts to feel like groundhog day. If i didnt have kids we would have stayed. Its great for getting tattoos,cocaine, and looking like lindsey lohan.. but even at la jolla high school you are only cool if you are blacking out in tj. Speaking of tj, the best looking hooker I saw there looked like ivankas twin. She was popular. The snake and plaster of paris shows were entertaining. Hong kong bar looks EXACTLY like the whorehouse on mars in total recall. Be cool vato
Wrong. You live in SD? 1500 for 1br apartment in midtown aint terrible nowadays, it's actually relatively low. When I left Houston it was 1500-2000 for a nice place in midtown. San Diego you'll pay 2200 for an apartment equivalent. But everything else just costs more. If you're making 100k in Houston, think of it like needing $160k here in SD. But it's beautiful, definitely a top city in the nation. Totally worth moving here within those parameters if you're young.
OP, how old are you and what's your situation like in life? Are you in relationship, what do you like to do, etc? San Diego is worth the move, if it's something better for your career. First, and foremost, the best move for your career is the best overall move depending on your age. But you'll love going to La Jolla, Huntington Beach, and even take trips to Ojai. LA is cool, but a bit too much. Meet lots of people who are dying to find some hollywood fame, the other places are far more chill and cool.