Where can I find excellent cheap home rentals in around San Diego areas in the best areas and how much, help?

I am thinking of moving to California, preferrably San Diego because I hear the weather is great year around there, but I also heard that it is too expensive to live in San Diego. I have never been to California so I don't know any of the areas there but again I have heard all my life that San Diego has the best weather. You see right now I live in Phoenix Arizona where 6 months of the year it is blazing hot and I hate it. I am originally from New York where the weather was terrible but everything was conveniently located and you didn't even need a car to get around. In Arizona you need a car to get around to anywhere. Everything isn't within walking distance and you can't walk in Arizona. It is just too hot. Anyways that is why I was thinking of moving to San Diego. I prefer where all the shopping and stores are within walking distance. Is it possible to live without a car in San Diego or any other part around San Diego or is a car absolutely necessary in San Diego. You see I don't drive. I hate driving. How is the public transportation in San Diego? Now if San Diego is expensive, what other areas in or around San Diego is cheaper but have the same weather as San Diego. I love states where it is mostly sunny all the time but not in Arizona where the Sun is too hot. Which areas of San Diego are the best and safest areas with the cheapest rents and how much would that be and for how many bedrooms. Also I prefer spacious houses and also I prefer newer build homes or apartments. I hate houses or homes with stairs because in Arizona most of the houses are one level. Are there areas in San Diego where lets say the supermarkets and shops are within walking distance to one's home? Which areas would that be? I am not so much into being close to the oceans as in Arizona there are no oceans and I don't mind, but it is very important that the areas in San Diego be crime free safe and loaded with shops close by. Another bad thing about Arizona is that everything closes by 9 pm. That is too early. Are there areas in San Diego where the shops stay open longer. That is what I love about Vegas but Vegas is hot in the summer too. Let me know all the details. ThanksWhere can I find excellent cheap home rentals in around San Diego areas in the best areas and how much, help?
University Heights. West of Park, North of Madison are prime.





Pros:





--Inexpensive. A 2br is only about $1100. A house would be $1600-1700 to start. UH is probably the best bargain for what you get in San Diego.





-----Note: There are quite a few places that rent for under $1000 here. My experience is that in San Diego $1000 is a magic number. If you are looking at a place for $995, just skip it because its probably in a not so great part of town. But anything over $1000, even $1050 is usually in a much nicer part of town. I guess its that way because the bargain hunters just enter ';under $1000'; when they search for apts.





--Safe. Very low crime rates. Great sense of community. Homes sell for about $800,000.


--Walkable. Its like a little village. Restaurants, grocery store, library all nearby.


--Easy access. If you do drive, the freeway is pretty close.


--Very close to beautiful Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo.


--Plenty of first floor apartments.





Cons (for you):


--Just about all apartments are older. Mostly 70's-80's design. Don't let this be a dealbreaker. This is the oldest neighborhood in San Diego. Many of the houses are beautiful and historic.








Pacific Beach isn't bad but the rent is very high for San Diego and there are huge problems with traffic, noise, homeless, etc.





You can walk a bit there but if you need to drive, its like being on an island with only one way out. Forget about it in the summer.





University Heights is the perfect mix, I think. It's got everything one needs but its easy to go someplace else to get it. Its also great for bike riding.





I've used the SDPD crime statistics to develop a report card of crime on each neighborhood in SD. I've weighted the violent crime since that is usually more severe than property crime.





A+





Sabre Springs


Rancho Penasquitos








A





Miramar Ranch North


Islenair


Carmel Valley


Paradise Hills


Tierrasanta


Torrey Pines


Clairemont Mesa West








B+





Black Mountain


Bay Ho


Rancho Bernardo


Mira Mesa








B





Altavista


San Carlos


Bay Terraces


Allied Gardens


Emerald Hills


Del Mar Heights


Linda Vista


North Clairemont


Skyline


Carmel Mountain


University Heights








B-





Otay Mesa West


Broadway Heights


Encanto


Lake Murray








C+





Valencia Park


Miramar


Serra Mesa





Shelltown


University City


College West


Roseville/Fleet Ridge


Del Cerro


South Park


Clairemont Mesa East


Castle











C





Fairmount Park


La Playa


Sherman Heights


North City


Barrio Logan


Swan Canyon


Nestor


Southcrest


Adams\North


Bay Park


Kensington


Morena


Egger Highlands


Sunset Cliffs


Golden Hill


Loma Portal


Marina


Oak Park


La Jolla Village


Point Loma Height


Fairmount Village


Ocean Crest


Little Italy


Park West


La Jolla


Chollas View


Lincoln Park


Mountain View


Normal Heights


Palm City


College East


Torrey Highlands


Colina Del Sol


Cherokee Point


Rolando


Burlingame








C-





Stockton


North Park


Logan Heights


Chollas Creek


Mission Hills


Grant Hill


Azalea/Hollywood


Darnall


Teralta East (City Heights)


Fox Canyon


Midtown


Birdland


Pacific Beach








D+





Teralta West (City Heights)


Mt. Hope


Ridgeview/Webster


Corridor








D





Hillcrest


Talmadge


Midway District


Ocean Beach


San Ysidro


El Cerrito


Cortez


East Village


Grantville


Horton Plaza


Core-Columbia








D-





Mission Beach


Rancho Encantada


Sorrento Valley


Harborview





F





Mission Valley East


Balboa Park


San Pasqual


Tijuana River Val


Old Town


Kearny Mesa


Otay Mesa


Mission Bay Park


Gaslamp


Mission Valley WestWhere can I find excellent cheap home rentals in around San Diego areas in the best areas and how much, help?
I know that the closer to the beach, the more expensive it will be, so i know you wanna look in SD but try Temecula, good weather and very cheap, new homes right now.
';cheap'; and ';best'; never go together when talking about real estate. I really can't think of anywhere in San Diego that matches your requirements (and I've lived here more than 30 years).
You are asking a lot. A room in the cheapest part of town that isn't the pitts will be about $500 plus your share of the utilities. Public transportation isn't that great but is do able. You could always craiglist the words ';near trolley'; when looking for a place.
Here are the crime stats for most of the communities that makeup San Diego.


http://www.sandiego.gov/police/pdf/20090鈥?/a>





The ones with the higher crime rates will be where you will find cheap home rentals as a general rule. There's a reason the rents are cheap.





San Diego has a defined downtown area with stores and restaurants, Petco Park and City/Federal offices. The suburbs mainly have shopping centers with limited restaurants, hair %26amp; nail places and an anchor like Vons.





The best place to live if you can afford it is Pacific Beach. PB has that walkability aura to it. Lots of small shops, restaurants, clothing stores and markets. The cost of a two bedroom apartment will run around $1600 per month +/- $200. Check zip code 92109 for more details and housing rental costs at yahoo's real estate site.





In the 92117 zip code you will find a lot of decent duplex rentals near the Clairemont Square shopping center.





Do you need a car? Yes and No. If you like riding buses for several hours to get from one side of town to the other, then you don't need a car.





San Diego is Soooo spreadout. Since you are currently in Phoenix think of San Diego as being the area from Scottsdale to Buckeye and Chandler to Surprise. That should give you a good visual.





You like spacious houses like Phoenix? Well you better have a wad of money for that in San Diego. A four year old 2,200 sf house in Arizona is about $850-$1200 per month. In San Diego be prepared to pay $3,000-5,000 depending on location.





In the family suburbs it's usually lights out for businesses at 9pm. In the more active areas, like Pacific Beach and the Gaslamp, bars and restaurants will be open later.





TOM'S RULE:


Close to the ocean costs more.


Close to the ocean and safe costs much more.


Away from the ocean with stores close by costs less.


Away from the ocean with no stores close by costs much less
so far i've found real good deals in la mesa and santee....i didn't do that much shopping around before hand though....i currently live in santee and i pay 950 a month for a 3 bedroom 2 bath....
Yeah, I live in a place like that.





Decent place to rent 2200 a month (decent not great)





Nice place 3000 plus a month





Its called pacific beach.





I have a nice place but its costing me 4800 a month.