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04-01-2008 at 2:48 PM
soon2bsteffens
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Can a family of 4 live in

san diego on 90k per year? thoughts? tia
Cooper 1/24/06

Charlotte 11/16/07 
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04-01-2008 at 3:07 PM
Just_Ali
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That would depend on SO many factors.  Does this family have lots of cc debt?  Will any children need daycare?  How big of a home are they looking for?  How much are they willing to spend on rent?

Even without knowing those things I would so it is absolutely possible, I am sure there are families here that live on a lot LESS than 90k.  It would all depend on what you were looking to get out of the city.

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04-01-2008 at 3:12 PM
ses1199
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I don't have any kids (and I know they are expensive)but the biggest issue I would think you wold have here would be housing.  Like pp said it depends on if you going to buy, rent, what part of the city, etc.  San Diego is huge and the prices in Coronado are going to be a lot different than East Lake.  I don't have any kids but I think 90k is defintly doable as long as your morgage, rent, isnt out of hand for what you make. 
 
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04-01-2008 at 3:12 PM
soon2bsteffens
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Dh has an opportunity to move to several cities - one being sd but I don't know if we want to make the change since the col is so high.  I am a sahm and would continue to stay at home.  I think we could get by paying around 900-1,200 for rent - that is about our mortgage now.  We have no debt other than what we own on our home right now.  Does that help?  Just trying to decide if it would be worth it - he has the same opportunity in other cities - denver, minneapolis, miami , Houston- just not sure what the right decision is
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04-01-2008 at 3:25 PM
ses1199
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That is a hard one.  Houston and Denver are much more affordable cities.  DH is from Denver and my boss is from Houston and has a lot of family that live there.  I mean, I LOVE SD but it is expensive here.  We own an condo and when we start looking at houses I get so frusterated because they are so expensive.  Since you don't have to pay for daycare and make 90k on top of that it is doable.  You just have to decide what kind of lifestyle you want.  I love it here and don't want to move but I also like nice things so I have to compromise somewhere.  Untill I get my dream job and make tons and tons of money.  :)
 
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04-01-2008 at 3:27 PM
RichInLove
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Depends on the type of lifestyle you want.

 If you want an aparment that is only $1200 a month or less, you will most likely not be living in a nice area.
 
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04-01-2008 at 3:41 PM
MrsSDSU
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I agree with RichinLove...you can find nicer places in older areas for about 1200 per month. But that is low. What you consider a nice neighborhood is in the eye of the beholder. We pay 2300 a month for an apartment and love the neighborhood we live in. So...I think that 90k is doable....but my DH and I could barely survive on that income here. We like to eat out occasionally, drive nicer cars and have some "fun money"... we would have to cut a lot of that out on 90k and we have no kids, no pets and only student loan debt.
 
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04-01-2008 at 4:13 PM
Just_Ali
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If you want to get a glimpse at how much rent costs here you should check out craigslist.  $1200 won't get you very much and more than likely it will be way east or a not so nice neighborhood.

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04-01-2008 at 4:35 PM
sandiegobride07
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hi!  SAHM here and our rent is $1,200 a month (including a gardener/water & trash).  i think living here on 90k/year is doable, but it all depends on what kind of lifestyle you're used to having.  90k will absolutely get you more in Denver or Houston!

we make more than 90k, have 0 debt, and still can't afford a home.  okay, let me clarify that by saying that we could afford a home, but our lifestyle would change drastically.  we travel quite a bit (a lot of our family lives out of state) and live comfortably, but we've definitely had to make some sacrifices.  our home is adorable (2 bed/1 bath), and the area we live in isn't bad (we live in East County near SDSU).  if you don't mind living a bit further East (say Santee) you could probably rent a larger place for about what we're paying.

honestly, i love SD, and the people here are fantastic, but it's expensive.  i lived in Denver for 8 years before moving to SD and loved it there.  it's very family friendly & has some fantastic schools (depending on the area of course).  i don't know much about Houston, but a very good friend of mine moved there from SD in 95 because they couldn't afford to buy a home and raise their family here (they have 3 kids) and really liked it.  we sometimes talk about moving to a place where what we make could buy us so much more, but we love it here.  the weather, and the fact i can be at the beach in 10 minutes or skiing in 2 hours is a huge plus.

 
 
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04-01-2008 at 4:42 PM
sandiegobride07
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ps.  it wasn't easy finding a house where the rent is as low as ours is and includes what it does.  i searched for over a month and there were 5 other couples who wanted to rent our house but we beat them to it!  most of the homes in our area rent for at least $1,700/month (3bed/1bath), but you can find a place for $1,200 if you're patient and jump on it.  i found our house by driving around the neighborhood and the owner had just put up the "for rent" sign, but he also listed it on Craigslist.  i agree with pp about looking on Craigslist, that is a great place to start.

also, keep in mind that neighborhoods here can be hit or miss.  you can be in a nice neighborhood for a bit then it turns bad, fast!  if you have any questions on a specific location just let us know!
 
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04-01-2008 at 5:19 PM
LloydBraun
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You will be rich in Houston and poor here.
 
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04-01-2008 at 6:07 PM
Pil
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We're actually considering moving out of state because of the cost of living here.

My DH and I only have 2 dogs for now, and we live in a 1 bedroom apartment, our rent is $1375 a month in a good (safe) area.

We make more than the 90k like you said, but I just feel that we would be VERY limited if we buy a house here, our Mtg would probably be 2300 a month (at least), and just so that you get an idea pretty much everything is more expensive here, gas today is around $3.55, even the movies are almost 11 bucks (I've seen that in other places it's like 8).

At least you're a SAHM, because, for instance my SIL who has a 2 yr old is paying 13k a year in child care.

I would think very carefully about it. 

 
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04-01-2008 at 7:26 PM
kimarino13
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No.
 
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04-01-2008 at 10:17 PM
inluv4life
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I think it depends on your lifestyle choices. I think it would be very hard. I wish you all the best!





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04-01-2008 at 10:49 PM
sarahbear
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I've lived here all my life. So I'm telling you honestly, no. You would not have a very good quality of life living on 90k a year in San Diego for a family of 4. I wouldn't do it given the opportunity to move somewhere else.
Sarah 
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