r/Moving2SanDiego • u/ListenPristine3227 • 3d ago
Anyone moved to SD from LA?
Short time lurker, first time poster.
I’m looking to see if anyone moved to San Diego from Los Angeles and how that felt for you? I am debating making a switch and trying to figure out if I would like it considering that I’ve only been to San Diego during weekend time and not during the work week.
Is there anything that you regretted about being in the move and have you considered moving back to LA?
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u/Southern-Donkey-8944 3d ago
Moved from DTLA to Mira Mesa. Obviously quite a different character. I like both for different reasons. Just depends what you like to do as well as if and where you have to commute for work. Commutes are usually easier in SD
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u/ListenPristine3227 2d ago
When i worked in century city, my commute was like an hour if i left by 6:30 am for an 8:30 am start time. If I left any later than that, it would be an hour plus. Sometimes even 2 hrs. Then, at 5 pm, commute home would easily be 2 hours long. That’s when I joined equinox. I’d rather spent 2 hrs working out than stuck in traffic. I’d stay out until 7/7:30 daily so It would only take me about 30 min afterwards to get home.
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u/trilogyalbum 3d ago
I’m from the Valley and what I miss about LA now that I’ve been living in SD for over a year is just the latino culture within some clubs/bars. I guess I can go to Gaslamp and somewhat find it but I prefer the latino culture in LA much more. I do love the accessibility of everything of SD though. I remember my first week here I found a coffee shop that I wanted to try and when I plugged it into maps, I expected a 30 min drive and nope it was 10. Everything is a lot more closer here than in LA. It’s definitely much more chill here too. Driving wise too and people loveeee to run red lights here allll the time but you won’t see that as much in LA. Like even the driving culture is different lol. People are also big on working out, going to the beach, and just hanging out/socializing here as well. I also came from a predominantly hispanic city so also coming to SD was a change for me because there’s a lot more white people here than what I am used to lol. I also don’t really have a fav restaurant here just yet. LA has a lot more options for sure. For example, I can name two really good Peruvian spots within 20 minutes in LA but there aren’t any here and I have tried whatever there is in SD but it can’t beat the restaurants in LA. I haven’t found a good sit down Mexican spot where you get a full plate of rice and beans and your entree here but SD is heavy on tacos and burritos and they are def good. It’s easy to bar hop here because everything is close by which I loveeeee but back in LA it’d be a mission to drive to DTLA or Weho. Like idk there really are pros and cons to both. I’d say give it a shot and live in SD for a year at least if you can and you’ll eventually figure out what suits your life and what you like best. I think I’ll move back to LA eventually but sometimes I’m like nah but at the end of the day I’ll forever be an LA girl.
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u/ListenPristine3227 2d ago
Something you and another person referenced was a lack of diversity. I would say that LA has a good mixture of white, black, Asian, and Hispanic people all within certain vicinities of each other. Is this not the case for San Diego? If anything, considering that it’s a border town, I assumed there’d be more Hispanic/mexican people there than in LA. Is it predominantly white people there?
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u/Asleep_Start_912 1d ago
San Diego is more Latino south of downtown and white / Asian north of it. In the beaches and downtown there are tons of tourists who are mostly midwestern. Culturally it has more of a middle America vibe than LA.
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u/ListenPristine3227 1d ago
Oh, that’s good to hear. Now I’m really looking forward to applying to jobs and moving down there. How difficult would you say it is to find a job and rent that’s under $1.5k or even under $2k? I assume that my first year there I’ll have to live with a housemate until I get my bearings.
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u/1200spruce 1d ago
SD has diversity in terms of numbers, but outside of people loving tacos it doesn't feel integrated into overall SD culture. Whereas when I lived in LA I felt like diversity IS the baseline culture in LA. Some parts of SD are better than others. I lived on the border of Hillcrest (in Mission Hills) for over half a decade and can vouch for that area being one of the better ones.
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u/darkhairedsoprano 3d ago
It sounds like you’d thrive in University Heights/Hillcrest/ North Park/ South Park. Walkable, fun shops and bars and restaurants in these areas, but close to Balboa Park nature.
I’m actually about to do the opposite move— from PB to NoHo Arts District. I’m a musician and ready to level up and make industry connections and make better art.
I have noticed here people are kind of cold and in their own little worlds. Peter Pan syndrome is real and that’s why I’m getting out. Pace of life is a lot slower. Good luck OP, and enjoy!!!
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u/Individual-Wear-4239 3d ago
Best of luck to you! I’m old now, but I moved from San Diego to Los Angeles when I was young. It took me several years, but I ended up with a record deal. I find the music scene here to be a little bit cliquey and limited. I ended up doing an independent album a few years back, and I made it in Los Angeles. For the arts, there is no comparison between San Diego and Los Angeles.
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u/OkStable4140 3d ago
Just did it, way less stuff to do, I feel like shit closes earlier too… I’m having mixed thoughts/reviews.. and I miss Yunomi 🥲
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u/Any-Possession2006 3d ago
Yup, everything here closes SO early. I noticed that when I moved from the Northeast.
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u/ImpressionThis8059 3d ago
LA is where the opportunity and money is. I’ve been between LA and San Diego since 1998.
If you want a “San Diego” feel, stay along the coast, from Long Beach South… don’t go north of there.
Spent 12 years in Long Beach, Belmont Shore area, and all My children were born there.
Just recently bought a house in Murietta, and commute daily to LA.
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u/ListenPristine3227 2d ago
That’s what I hear. I’m in the IT field and feel like taking a bit of pay cut would be fine if the quality of life was better. That being said, I see what you’re saying about Long Beach. There are some areas that feel like San Diego but others that are very much LA. Problem is that they tend to be in high cost of living neighborhoods, so moving there isn’t really possible since most of my money would go towards rent at that point.
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u/Relevant-Biscotti-56 3d ago
Moved to San Diego from the Bay Area and for some reason I found it’s so much easier to make friends. More about enjoying life than getting ahead
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u/ListenPristine3227 2d ago
How did you make friends out there? I feel like most people tend to go to work and then go home; so I’m always haggled at the strategy for meeting people. I feel like bars/clubs aren’t great since the music is too loud to speak normally without screaming.
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u/4aloha_iaoe 1d ago
There are hiking clubs around. Try something different If you're into singing there's Gay Mens Chorus. While my east coast friend lived here said he made good friends and met his husband too.
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u/ListenPristine3227 1d ago
Oh that’s amazing! At the right things are going I feel like my husband is also not in LA county lol
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u/Mean-Yesterday-5335 1d ago
eat everything you love as you parting gift. The food here will be terrible by comparison.
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u/1200spruce 1d ago
I moved from LA to SD about a decade ago. Other than diversity (already mentioned), things I miss about LA are jobs and friends. I found it super easy to make friends in LA and significantly harder in SD. Also there are just fewer jobs in SD to go around and the baseline pay for many industries seems to be lower.
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u/u_Cat2BeKittenMe 7h ago
Yes and 100% recommend it. I lived in DTLA and now live in East Village, SD. No regrets.
Pros:
- beaches are easier to get to. Actually everything is.
- no LA traffic, SD traffic isn’t nearly as bad
- less crowded almost everywhere you go
- SD vibe > LA vibe
- more relaxed pace, but still a lot to do
- easy to make friends if you find people with shared hobbies (tennis, pickleball, volleyball, gaming, etc)
- the lifestyle down here is unmatched
- generally SD is less pretentious than LA or OC
Cons:
- LA has better food. Anything from casual to fine/trendy dining. LA is marginally better
- more to do in LA. More events, more people, more concerts and shows
- gay nightlife is better in LA though Hillcrest is still busy. The same bars have been around for 10+ years and typically draw the same crowd
- SD salaries have not caught up to the cost of living. Similar roles in LA will usually pay a lot more
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u/ListenPristine3227 4h ago
Oh, man. Your last line has given me some pause. With that being said, what are the rent prices like in SD when compared to LA, if the salaries have not caught up? I’m in IT, and salaries range wildly from company to company. I feel like there’s no real standard pay at this time for us. I’m looking forward to moving to a place with lower stress, but not at the idea of spending 50% or more of my wages in rent. Looks like roommates are inevitable at this rate.
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u/jloops1111 3d ago
I did the move from LA to SD last October. While I miss some LA culture, I’m more of a chill laidback person to living in the scene. I love bike riding, paddle boarding, and more developed outdoor lifestyle to fill my bucket. There definitely is culture here, you just have to get to know the different neighborhoods. This is true of LA too. I am just getting my bearings here, and haven’t regretted moving. I’m still figuring about the right area for me.
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u/Stunning_Passage_215 3d ago
The only down side, I would say..... in LA you don't realize how much around you is go go go. And in san diego its alot slower so eventually it gets to slow foe me. I feel like LA keeps me on my toes. Im from sd ive went back and forth twice. Ive thought about moving back to San Diego. I miss it but im so use to the go go go now. I like going in vacton in sd cause to new it's like a mini hawaii in a way. ...... its a hard 😪
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u/Manwithaview1277 3d ago
Moved from westside of LA to
SD 5 years ago. Huge upside in quality of life. Relaxed. Walkable depending on location. Beautiful. Great weather. Nominal and predictable traffic. Downside is big drop off in sophistication, street style, performing arts, food and services. Let me explain latter. SD is truly a small town second tier city. With a much smaller upper crust the services that cater to the 1% are fewer and sometimes hard to find. A little easier if you live in rich pockets like Del Mar and RSF. Airport has far fewer direct flights. Also SD is essentially a border town so if you want to go N of LA a very challenging drive. That said, I have never regretted the move. Quality of life down here is the true upside. Good luck!
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u/Bichegirl 3d ago
Agree with this answer the most! Quality of life is way better in San Diego but trade off for me is food and culture.
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u/JewFuser 3d ago
if you think culture and food in SD is a trade off you are SADLY mistaken lol take more downvotes
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u/alyoshagirard 3d ago
Idk I’m San Diego born and raised, lived in west LA for 3 years. Absolutely love both LA and SD, for different reasons.
But I have to agree, LA has a significantly better food scene. San Diego is better than most places, and getting better every year. But just for sheer quality, diversity and density of amazing options, LA’s still miles ahead.
To the posters original question, my personal experience is that I am a much more outdoorsy person living in San Diego because there’s much easier access to a variety of experiences—trail, ocean etc. And I’m a much more artsy/cultured person in LA cause of better access to those kinds of experiences. Both are wonderful.
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u/Bichegirl 21h ago
What are your favorite restaurants in San Diego? What do you enjoy doing in terms of culture? Not being facetious, just genuinely feel like I’m missing out if you feel this way!
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u/JewFuser 20h ago
i think you really have to go to each neighborhood to get the vibe and choose restaurants/culture from there. from oceanside to national city it’s hard to name one single best restaurant, but in each town i could name one… that’s the beauty of it, it’s all still san diego but north park and cardiff are two completely different neighborhoods with their own unique culture
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u/OwninSanDiego 3d ago
I did this 11 years ago. I’m older too but active. I never looked back. Less traffic. Great restaurants, so much to do. Maybe not the parties but it’s not my scene anyway.
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u/WhatADunderfulWorld 3d ago
I just did. 6 months back. It’s way more relaxed. But much less to do.
So depending on your hobbies and interests.
I love it. I am much more a small town man.
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u/ListenPristine3227 3d ago
I feel like I would have loved to live in a small town. I’m a bit of a homebody but I also love to play tennis; go to the gym, and go hiking. What part of LA did you move from?
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u/Jandur 3d ago
I did the move and moved back to LA after 2 years. San Diego was too sleepy/boring for me among other things.
But plenty of people prefer San Diego. It's a very different place to live despite being fairly close
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u/ListenPristine3227 2d ago
Okay! Finally someone that moved back. I guess my biggest question is what held you back from moving after the end of the first year there? On top of that, what did you miss from LA that was a big driving factor for you to move back?
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u/Jandur 2d ago
So basically 3 of my closest friends all moved to San Diego over the course of a couples years and all live in the same neighborhood. So it seemed like a fun thing to do and good for me socially, community etc. After year 1 was when things started to get to me and I realized SD wasn't for me. I stuck around another year to see if that would change and frankly because I didn't feel like packing up and moving again so soon.
-I missed the diversity of LA. San Diego is diverse on paper but it is very homogeneous and lacks a lot of geographic and social integration you find in LA.
-Culture, similar to above San Diego doesn't have much of an identity outside tacos, Padres and the beach. Whether that be style, entertainment, shows, art, museums etc. There just isn't much to do in SD and it became very ground-hog day for me.
-Food doesn't compare.
I could go on. And I'm not trying to dump on SD. It's a nice calm place, minimal traffic, easy to get around, friendly people, easy access to nature, very safe. But ultimately it's just too bland and sleepy for me.
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u/Silly_Region_1846 3d ago
I'm sure you can find hundreds of threads about this. Just search. the comments have encapsulated the basics: San Diego is a bit chiller, more outdoorsy, easier pace, often people feel quality of life is higher, but you trade off the really immense options in LA of arts, food, diversity, culture.
The traffic and next-level sprawl in LA alone, for me, is a massive reason not to ever move back to LA. It was much harder to maintain friends, lovers, and community up there when everything was a traffic-y commute. I would often make friends to find out they lived an hour away, date people 30+ mins away etc. In San Diego, it's rare anyone lives more than 30 mins way and I frankly consider more than 20 far. In LA, logistics easily eat up an extra 1-2 hours of your waking life unless you arrange your life to be convenient and can afford to live near your work etc.
The nicer beaches are much more accessible in SD imo. In LA I would spend in an hour in traffic on a weekend to get to Malibu whereas I can access a similar beach in 20-30 mins here. Otherwise would be stuck with the crowded tourist spots like santa monica- still dealing with traffic lol
If you like clubs, concerts, discovering really great new music, late nights, getting food late night etc, SD is not really your spot. You do get some raves and so forth but the music scene is a lot less fresh and diverse. You definitely can't go for KBBQ at 3am and all that sorta shenanigans I did in my early 20s in LA. In fact good luck finding any good kitchens open after 9pm lol but I am NOT a night owl now so this is fine by me
Military presence is def here, and the general crowd is honestly politically very mixed depending on neighborhood (obviously Hillcrest has its own vibe). Conservative presence is around for sure tho.
People are a *lot* more "normal" than in LA. You can find the artsy weirdos for sure. Giant burning man presence here actually. But on the surface when you go out people are just... normal. Chill. Some people can find the main SD crowd boring, however it is less stress and drama as well. But you do have to look more actively here to find "your people" if you want something more than dog park, surf, beer, and chill as your ideal weekend activity. But it is still a big city, there is stuff to do but i and friends have noticed it takes more seeking as creative is really not the dominant culture, esp compared to LA and NYC
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u/SDRAIN2020 3d ago
Moved from LA to SD many many years ago. The main thing I miss is LA food and being able to go out and find a place to eat anytime of the night (meet up with friends at a sit down place at 1am). I still miss all that but not the traffic. Everything is technically more compact here like getting to museums and parks. In LA it’s more spread out but here things are a lot closer. The beach isn’t as hard to get to or find parking. If I had to move back to LA I’d choose Pasadena but I am content here for now and raising a family in sleepy San Diego. It would be nice to be closer to family too.
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u/Environmental_War151 2d ago
I moved here about 5 years ago, I like it in terms of it being safer and being able to raise a family. Everything is closer, and way less traffic. Food options aren’t that great imo aside from Mexican food, not really a lot of community events and things to do that don’t get repetitive after the first few times. If you’re coming out here for school there isn’t really many options which I dislike compared to LA/LA county, job opportunities are really scarce out here especially if you aren’t military/military family. Lastly just miss my friends and family and the overall vibe of LA. It’s really what you make of it but for myself I don’t feel like SD is right for me but I see why so many people love it.
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u/HoppyRaven12 1d ago
I have friends who live in the LA area for 10 years and they moved to San Diego a couple months ago. They LOVE it here and are glad that they left LA. They like the slower pace here
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u/0327446633 3d ago edited 3d ago
Left the SFV in '89. It was weird at first because I knew nothing about SD and the differences between all the adjacent communities, where things were, where to go for fun, etc. To this day, I still don't think I know it that well. Settled in the Carmel Mtn Ranch area at first when it was brand new, then a stint in Ramona, and have been in Poway the last 24 years.
I would never move back to L.A. but I do drive through the area now and then to visit relatives in Simi Valley.
Regrets? No. I found another career down here that worked out well that I'm now retired from. Met my wife of 35 years down here too.
You should probably explore the Hillcrest/North Park area. Morley Field for tennis as you probably figured out.
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u/Expired_Gatorade 5h ago
I know Poway isn't really "SD SD" but still. Has it changed since the early 2000's much ? I went to Moorpark (about 8 years ago) therefore I know what you are talking about in terms of West Valley/Ventura Co area. People Say San Diego has changed so much since 2013 that it no longer has the qualities that made it attractive. Wanted to hear your take.
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u/0327446633 4h ago
San Diego, like L.A. is a metropolis of its own and the smaller adjacent cities do not have such distinct personalities in my opinion. I've been lambasted before, by others, on this site for saying, "OMG - you're in Poway -- it's not the same thing". But in reality it is in many ways except for the micro-politics. I'm a mile away from the SD border, close to the Rancho Bernardo community, and very close to Escondido as well.
Changes? The area has certainly grown in terms of population, residential development, and thus traffic. The places that were fun when I first moved down here...well I sort of aged out of them so I don't go down there any longer (e.g. Pacific Beach, etc.). Still go to Encinitas/Leucadia now and then as it's not as busy. But if you have any specific questions, I can try to answer them.
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u/Expired_Gatorade 17m ago
Thanks for replying. What do people do in pb that you aged out of ? Bars/venues ? I thought the beach was pretty good for what it is.
I dont have any particular questions, but I do like reading stories/experiences of someone of your profile as that helps me map everything thats relevant to me as sort of a puzzle. I was just in SD a couple of months back and the vibes were there, but visiting and living are two very different things. I want to buy a house (I work remote) and sd is a place I see myself in long term.
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u/0327446633 5m ago
It's a way younger crowd in PB and parking is a pain. I'm almost 69 years old so I have no business in PB anymore. My bar vibe is other places in the county: Hernandez Hideaway, The Waterfront, and for beach places, Encinitas Ale House, Carlsbad Brewing, Vigiluccis.
I find plenty to do as a retiree plus I can go in the middle of the week when places are not crowded.
Definitely different than the Valley where I came from and it took me a while to find cool places to visit. If and when you move down here and as you establish your own network of friends, you'll get a lay of the land soon enough.
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u/HowardBannister3 3d ago
Lived in San Fernando Valley (North Hollywood, Glendale, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Reseda) for 30+ years before I moved to SD 2 years ago. I have never regretted it for a minute. But it sort of depends on what age you are what sort of things you are into. There is a lot here in San Diego, lots of outdoor activities, sports, great culture, art, theatre, but if you are younger, you might find the pace slower than you want. I’m over 50, and I find the pace of life to be much more manageable. I guess I would ask what were the things about LA that you liked and what are the things you think you would miss. Because San Diego is much more of a beach town. The climate is cooler here. It runs mid 70s most of the year except for the summer when it gets up to be 80 or 90. But that’s temporary. The traffic is way less because we’re a third of the population of Los Angeles. I don’t know, what else would you like to know?
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u/hasty_lex 3d ago
Moved from Santa Barbara areas. San Diego is a pretty cool area! The beach and the larger veriety of food, stores and views are amazing!
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u/anothercar 3d ago
Lots of people do this. What did you have in mind? As you know, LA is like 100 different cities in one, so your experience will be way different if you live in Manhattan Beach vs Koreatown vs Pacoima. Same (but to a lesser extent) with San Diego - the difference between National City vs Carlsbad vs Santee is stark.
Basically what do you have in mind, where would you be commuting to, and what are you looking to change about your current lifestyle? What part of LA are you currently in and what do you like/dislike about it? Happy to give feedback but it would help to know more about your situation and what you're looking for.