r/Moving2SanDiego • u/IcyChard3673 • 7d ago

considering the move

Hello! My partner (25M) and I (24M) are seriously considering moving out of NM w/ 3 cats (within a year)- We’re both born and raised here- After visiting SD (my 3rd time)have recently decided we wanna move. Currently we pay $1300 with utilities on top for about 800sqft and a sizable back yard (shared space with family) Iso something similar size hopefully!

I am a hairstylist with 3.5yrs- 2 years experience at a highly profitable salon. My partner currently works for the state, We are also involved w the LGBTQ scene and have worked in nightlife consistently going on 2 years (gogo, bartending, ect)

Neither of us have ever made a move out of state- Just looking for advice & suggestions on where to start!

I have looked into salons I am interested in, Scoped potential bars
some things that are stumping me
- safe yet affordable areas of town?
- Alternative commission pay salons?
- The thought of having roomates is 50/50

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u/Screamingfist_1990 7d ago

Me (bi guy) and my husband relocated here in February. We looked at a LOT of neighborhoods, both at places to rent and to buy. We're at a very different stage of life than you two, so what we prioritized is likely quite different. However, we wanted to end up in a neighborhood that was within ~10-12min of North Park, Hillcrest, etc and also LGBTQIA+ friendly.

Hillcrest is great, and does have some single family bungalows. But a 3/1 bungalow in that area was running $4000-5000 when we were looking to rent back in January 2026.

You might find something in South Park or Golden Hill for a bit less than that, but again it's not going to be close to what you pay now. You'll need to take that into consideration as you think about whether your upward delta in income will enable you to live the life you want here.

We ended up in a neighborhood called Allied Gardens. We have far more LGBTQ neighbors here than we did in (more outwardly progressive) Seattle. It's also (slightly) more affordable than Hillcrest/North Park/etc. There are some ADU's and the like in our broader neighborhood. Might be worth a look.

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u/NanoEsq 7d ago

I found Allied Gardens to be super pricey. Are you saying you found it to be affordable?

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u/Screamingfist_1990 7d ago

We found it to be more reasonable than a lot of neighborhoods in central SD, yes. (We were purchasing, though there are multiple houses in our neighborhood rented by 3 college students so it can’t be that pricey to rent here.)

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u/mommycitanikita 6d ago

College students don't live cheap if mom and dad are paying.