Pros and Cons of Living in San Diego: 14 Things To Know Before You Go

TL;DR: Pros and Cons of Living in San Diego

Pros of Living in San Diego	Cons of Living in San Diego
Near-perfect weather Abundant outdoor activities Diverse neighborhoods Plenty of housing styles Lots to see and do Excellent food and craft beer Easy access to great regional attractions and destinations Relatively low crime for a big city	High cost of living Car required — and traffic inevitable Only two “seasons” Crowded beaches and tourist areas A significant homeless population Long-distance trips often require flying

 

If you’re wondering whether San Diego is a good place to live, there’s a reason the answer is often an enthusiastic yes. America’s Finest City combines pleasant year-round weather with beaches, mountains, parks, lively neighborhoods, and a diverse economy. Still, San Diego has its share of trade-offs, especially when it comes to cost. Before packing your beach blanket, it’s worthwhile to take a look at the pros and cons of living in San Diego.

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San Diego at a Glance

• Population: San Diego’s population is more than 1.4 million.
• Median age: The median age in San Diego is 36.6.
• City size: San Diego’s total area is about 326.1 square miles.
• Location: The city is situated on the Pacific Coast of California about 120 miles southeast of Los Angeles, directly north of Tijuana, Mexico.
• Fun fact: San Diego is the avocado capital of the U.S.

14 Pros and Cons of Living in San Diego

Plenty of San Diegans believe their city is the best place to live in California. Whether it becomes your paradise depends on your budget, lifestyle, and tolerance for traffic. Here are 14 pros and cons of living in San Diego.

Pro: San Diego Weather Is Hard To Beat

If near-perfect weather tops your destination wish list, then San Diego could be your next stop, with more than 250 sunny days each year. But even with all that sunshine, the temperature rarely gets warmer than 77 degrees in the short, dry summers — except about 20 miles in from the coast, where it can get brutally hot. And even during the handful of cloudy days, rain is scarce: In February, San Diego’s wettest month, the average precipitation is just 2.3 inches. But odds are the weather will be glorious for a beach day in March or cocktails on the patio in December.

It’s not quite an endless summer, but surfing, sunbathing, and swimming are part of what makes living in San Diego unbeatable for outdoor lovers.
(Source: Frank Mckenna via Unsplash)

Pro: San Diego Is Made for Outdoor Living

Surfing and skateboarding may get most of the attention, but living in San Diego opens the door to all kinds of activities and sports, from hiking in state parks to paddleboarding in the lagoons of Carlsbad. Favorite destinations include Mission Trails Regional Park, Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, and Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, where trails wind through the habitat of the rare Torrey pine.

And, of course, there are the beaches — some of the best in California, in fact. Besides the Ocean Beach Dog Beach, otherwise known as the happiest place in San Diego, a few top spots include Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, and La Jolla Cove, ranked the No. 1 Beach in America and No. 7 worldwide by Tripadvisor.

Pro: San Diego Has Diverse Neighborhoods, Each With Its Own Vibe

One of the best parts of living in San Diego is that the neighborhoods almost feel like different cities. You can choose a chill coastal neighborhood, a high-rise in one of the downtown districts like the Gaslamp Quarter, or a country club home on one of the many golf courses in the northern suburbs.

Here are a few coveted areas:

• Hillcrest: Vibrant, busy, LGBTQ+ friendly
• La Jolla: Relaxed, upscale, stunning coastline views
• North Park: Hip, lively restaurants and bars, indie boutiques
• Pacific Beach: Chill, seaside vibe, touristy

From upscale La Jolla to lively North Park, living in San Diego offers neighborhoods with a lifestyle for every taste.

Pro: Housing Comes in Plenty of Styles and Shapes

Whether you’re looking to rent a beach cottage or buy a contemporary downtown condo, there are all kinds of housing options in San Diego. Depending on the neighborhood, you’ll find Spanish-style bungalows, coastal estates, midcentury houses, high-rises, and spacious suburban-style homes.

If you’re retiring and want peaceful living away from the bustle, there are plenty of inland areas that still offer convenient access to shopping, dining, and entertainment. Young professionals and students may prefer to rent (or buy!) in one of the lively coastal hubs. And if your family values lots of space and good schools, you’ll find plenty of options in that category, too.  

Pro: There’s Always Something To See and Do in San Diego

Living in San Diego means more than just a day at the beach. Locals take advantage of the weather to get outdoors every chance they get — to catch the MLB’s San Diego Padres at Petco Park or hike to see the spectacular views from the Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve.

Indoor attractions are abundant, too. Some of the city’s cultural spots include:

• USS Midway Museum
• San Diego Museum of Art
• San Diego Air & Space Museum
• The Ballet Company

Pro: The Food and Craft Beer Scene Deserves Its Stellar Reputation

Thanks to its proximity to the culture and tastes of Mexico, San Diego is known for Cali-Baja cuisine, which combines the Golden State’s all-natural, farm-to-table ethos with the spice and tradition of Mexican food. Seafood is also a San Diego mainstay, of course, with top-quality fresh catches sourced from local waters.

Then there’s the beer. More than 150 craft breweries and brewpubs operate across San Diego County — many founded by local homebrewers who’ve evolved their passion into a thriving scene that attracts beer aficionados from all over the nation.

Some must-visit places to try include:

• San Diego Brewing Co.
• Ballast Point Brewing Company
• Stone Brewing
• O’Brien’s Pub
• SD TapRoom

One unusual perk of living in San Diego: It’s easy to take an international day trip to Tijuana for local Mexican cuisine and shopping.

Pro: Weekend Getaways Are Easy

San Diegans can get to Los Angeles neighborhoods in just over two hours, Las Vegas in five, and Tijuana in about a half-hour. The city is also a great home base for exploring Southern California and Baja California Sur, a Mexican state known for gorgeous mountain and seaside vistas.  

Explorers also appreciate the Cleveland National Forest, an hour’s drive — not a bad commute to get to the start of the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail. And if you’ve always wanted to visit Hawaii, you can catch a six-hour flight from San Diego International Airport.

Pro: For a Big City, Crime Rates Are Relatively Low

It’s an unfortunate fact that no large city is crime-free, and crime can vary from neighborhood to neighborhood, block to block. Still, San Diego ranks favorably when it comes to safety: Its overall crime index is 15 according to NeighborhoodScout, meaning San Diego is safer than 15 percent of American cities. That doesn’t seem very impressive, but it’s safer than a few other California cities like San Francisco (rated 3), San Bernardino (rated 4), and Sacramento (rated 5).

As for individual San Diego neighborhoods, Fort Rosecrans, Midway District Southeast, and The Crosby are considered the top three safest, according to NeighborhoodScout data.

Pro Tip: Get a day pass and head to Balboa Park, where you’ll have 18 world-class museums to explore in one place!

Con: The Cost of Living in San Diego Is High

Is San Diego expensive? That’s a big fat yes. This is probably the No. 1 tradeoff that can potentially overshadow every “pro” on your list. San Diego is a pricey place to live, particularly when it comes to housing. The average home value is $985,200, while the average monthly rent is $2,725 for a one-bedroom apartment. As for the overall cost of living, San Diego’s index is 154.9, which means it’s 54.9 percent more expensive to live there than the rest of the U.S. Also worth noting that the Golden State’s top rate income tax of 13.3 percent is higher than in any other state, and utilities like electricity and water can be expensive as well.

According to MIT’s Living Wage Calculator, a single person without kids would need a salary of $68,400 before taxes to cover basic living expenses in San Diego. For a family of four with two working adults, that income would need to total about $156,500 before taxes.

Con: You’ll Probably Need a Car in San Diego

San Diego has substantial public transportation options that include MTS buses, the San Diego Trolley, and light rail connecting downtown to areas like East County, UC San Diego, and the Mexican border. But the city is enormous — sprawling across hundreds of square miles, and there are major gaps in service areas. So unless you’re savvy with making transfers and connections, it might not be practical to go carless.

Con: You Might Miss Having Four Seasons

While sunny days and minimal rainfall may be good news for surfers and beachgoers, endless summer isn’t everybody’s cup of tea. There are really only two types of days in San Diego: Sunny and cloudy. The cloudy days roll around mostly in May and June, which locals call “May Gray, June Gloom,” when more than half the days are cloudy. Summer and fall are sunny and warm, and winters stay mild with an average temp of 66 degrees.