If you want to “go coastal”, there is variety in SD County. Esp is you’re willing to live a few miles east of the beach. You certainly don’t HAVE to be in the La Jolla area to enjoy a nice beach.
I owned a 1400 sf condo in La Costa (Carlsbad). I loved living in SD and thought I would HATE North County – but, much to my surprise, I liked Carlsbad a lot. I was (I think) just under 3 miles from the beach – I could jump in my car and be watching dolphins play in the waves at Tamarack Beach in about 7-12 minutes.
Walking that beach every Sunday morning was my own personal “church service.”
I dont think I ever used my a/c in summer, and I had nice ocean breezes.
I’ve also been following the condo that I sold a few years ago for $385K (bought in 2003 for $300K) just for giggles. Zillow’s value range on the place now is $245-315K!! So, that area is certainly affordable by SD standards.
Some of the negatives about living at the beach: May Gray and June Gloom…summer tourist traffic and water that isnt swimmable for most of the year. Mind you, I still love the coast, but if you want to dip your toes in the water there are only a few months out of the year when you can truly do that.
Say, didnt you just buy a home in Harveston? If so, you may be there for a while….
