I live in Leucadia west of the 101 and we love it. My husband and I rent an old little beach house (with gold shag carpet in some areas) but we really love the character of downtown encinitas. If you are going to be home a lot I think its worth a little extra in price. I personally am not a huge fan of Oceanside, but love cardiff, encinitas, leucadia and south carlsbad. You can live in a nicer home further from the beach or an older home closer.
