patrick.net

Pro: easy access to Mexico, simply walk across the border
Con: probably need a car for anything else

I always hear people like it, I have visited but never enough to feel the whole of it.

Lived there for almost a decade and have family that still do. Its nice but I prefer the Bay Area. The weather is probably similar to what you are used to in Monterey but is also highly dependent on just how close to the coast you live. If you want it warmer than Monterey you should consider somewhere a few miles inland. I lived on the coast and it does get cold (for coastal CA) in winter. Inland gets very hot and dry when the Santa Anas blow in the fall.

The biggest problem I had with San Diego was the feeling of being locked in. There is the desert to the east, Mexico to the south, Camp Pendelton to the north and the Pacific to the west. I imagine Monterey is similar though.

Love it- best place I've lived in California. Spent 6 years in San Diego- lived by the coast as well as inland. Weather is actually to me warmer than bay area or Montery but cooler than Los Angeles or Sacramento. Downside is lack of good jobs and lower pay than bay area. Homes and rent are less than bay area. People were friendlier and more laid back. Not ultra compete like here in bay area. Would move back in a heartbeat if could score a secure high paying job,

New Renter says

The weather is probably similar to what you are used to in Monterey but is also highly dependent on just how close to the coast you live

The weather is definitely better in San Diego. Monterey is pleasant but dull. I guess if you love the outdoors then it has plenty to offer, though I suppose that's also true for San Diego.

I live in OC (also have lots of business interest in the Bay Area that keeps me there for about 4 months out of the year).

I love visiting San Diego. It's hot, but I like the weather (which is why I live in SoCal). When I used to live in San Francisco, I actually had to have a space heater turned on in the morning just so I could get out of bed. San Diego, you will never have that problem.

I echo what SJ says. The pay for white collar jobs tends to be significantly lower than other areas (less than OC and LA for sure). But I think the housing cost are a lot lower.

Do you like Mexican food? Probably the best in SoCal.

Minus a few nice pockets, it is nothing special. I was just in San Diego this past spring. I'd remembered it being Heaven-on-Earth from my days in the Navy, but it's sadder now. More run-down, crowded, lots of urban campers everywhere...and still stupidly overpriced. If you were to play dumb with your cash and buy a place, you'd do better in LA.

Overall, not bad, but certainly nothing worth leaving Monterey over, even though Monterey is painfully dull for anyone under the age of 100.

This summer has been pretty brutal by San Diego standards. Lots of humidity that recent research coming out of UCSD indicates maybe the new norm for this area and it may get progressively worse. I've lived here for most of my life and can honestly say this last summer has been particularly bad. If the research is correct....

It all depends how much time you spend in the water. It would be very hard for me to leave SD because of how much I like to surf all year long. The natural environment is the biggest pro. A couple of years ago was a strange cold summer on addition to this year being a little warm, but overall the weather is still the best in the country.

What others are saying is true. Downtown is riddled with homeless. The choice zip codes have been walled off with nonsensically high prices. Other areas are nothing to write home about. Jobs pay lower, and the company will treat you poorly. We call it a sunshine tax and they get away with it because the SD lifers have their heads up their asses (SD is not known for a good school system) and the transients think they live in paradise (and don't plan on staying long term).

But the biggest problem in SD is isolation. Maybe it's due to the landscape like the other poster said, but regardless there is a hopeless feeling when you live in SD. The lifers seclude themselves with family in suburbia and choose not to socialize outside of their children, parents, cousins, and PTA neighbors. The will on occasion reach out to a "stranger" but that is only to better their career or gain something. The transients can be even worse. They're a mix from wherever, usually on the younger side and they're only here because of the Navy or because they wanna party before joining the grown ups in the real world. Transients will trash the place, crowd the surf breaks, crowd the freeways, rent properties and bring down the QoL for the owners in the building, etc. Some are no doubt awesome people but they always move out after 3-5 years.

I thought I'd never say this, but my wife and I are actually planning to move to OC. We have more friends and family there and like that its a bit more conservative than SD.

Hope this helps.

ptiemann says

IMHO, there is really more to life than the average temperature or number of sunny days.

Agreed.

My wife loves it down there, and there are way more job opportunities than in Monterey.

I could go for a bit warmer weather, surf without a wetsuit and a little bit cheaper rent. Looked at a few listings, and buying doesn't even seem to far out of the question if we were serious.

My wife always wanted to live in San Diego. We go there occasionally, it's a fun place to visit, lots of fun attractions. Don't know how it is to live there though.

We visited for a week a few years ago. Its definitely got a different vibe. To me it was more of what people from other parts of the country might stereotypically think of Californians: Lots of beach dudes who say stuff like " Like totally!" and whatnot. I thought the area was really nice. The city- though large- for some reason felt more like a small city. It seemed more laid back than the Bay Area.

As far as surfing without a wet suit- well the water definitely wasn't warm and in fact was a bit too cold to swim in for us, and this was in the summer. I too have heard there is a lack of jobs. From what few rentals I saw it didn't look cheap if you wanted to live anywhere near the water.

The other thing is that it seemed as soon as you were 10-15 miles out of the city it turned into ugly scrub land real fast.

JodyChunder says

Minus a few nice pockets, it is nothing special. I was just in San Diego this past spring. I'd remembered it being Heaven-on-Earth from my days in the Navy, but it's sadder now. More run-down, crowded, lots of urban campers everywhere...and still stupidly overpriced. If you were to play dumb with your cash and buy a place, you'd do better in LA.

Overall, not bad, but certainly nothing worth leaving Monterey over, even though Monterey is painfully dull for anyone under the age of 100.

If you have a pilot's license, San Diego is still heaven on earth.

rootvg says

If you have a pilot's license, San Diego is still heaven on earth.

I do :)

joshuatrio says

rootvg says

If you have a pilot's license, San Diego is still heaven on earth.

I do :)

Well, my man...time's a wastetin'.

How many hours do you have?

rootvg says

Well, my man...time's a wastetin'.

How many hours do you have?

lol.

Around 53.

Cleared my single engine (VFR) FAA checkride, several years ago @ 42 hours - took a few of my family members up flying - then got married :)

I should mention if you live near the beach you will have this guy as a neighbor:

I like it because it's my home but I wouldn't choose to relocate here.

I'm not really a fan of constant sun. It annoys me.

And I don't care about beaches, although I do like being 'near' an ocean.

The job market doesn't seem so bad but I guess I can't adequately compare it to anything. I've found that if you're in a tech field, you'd be just fine here.

We don't really have tons of culture and our downtown is kind of small.

You have to drive everywhere. Really, even if you live and work in central SD, public transit is just no good.

I live inland, it's alright....more affordable. I do not have the money to live in the areas I really like.

We do, hands down, have the best Mexican food in the nation, nay the entire Americas, even Mexico.

That being said, as far as American cities go, I've only considered Seattle or New Orleans as possible alternatives.