I rented a nice place a couple years ago now for $1500 on the beach in del mar (Stratford and 14th st). It was a 600sqft 1/1 with a garage. I felt like that was a good deal. Being in Mira Mesa for only a couple hundred cheaper, sounds ridiculous, but maybe rent really is going crazy.
When I was shopping for that place, I didn’t see too much for less than 1200 in a nice neighborhood. I never looked in Mira Mesa, it didn’t offer my kind of walking neighborhood. 1/1 and 2/1 were never much different in price. Studios on the other hand could be had for much cheaper.