housing by UCSD

Someone who grew up/went to school in the San Diego area: do you know how lucky I'll have to be to find an apartment for $1200/month? I want to live alone, off campus, and need A/C. What sort of quality should I expect? I have a car, but would prefer a shuttle to campus to save on gas.

It can be found, but won't be the prettiest arrangement. You're talking $1200 including utilities or just for the apartment? Also, not quite sure how good the public transportation is in SD. I remember it being way slower than driving, although with driving you have to find parking and walk so in the end it may be a zero sum game.

Just the apartment. You can talk in general though, I have a notion to attach this to the UCSD school profile page.

Yeah it's gonna be tight, but NOT impossible. I remember when I lived there, a one bedroom in La Mesa was $1,000 sans utilities. Your commute to UCSD will be about 30 minutes from that location if you drive (longer if you take public transportation). As you move towards the beaches (Pacific Beach, La Jolla, Downtown), the price will increase, and the commute will remain pretty much the same unless you live in La Jolla. Most people I know who live there have roommates or make $100k+ a year. As you know, there is a huge price discrepancy between one and two-bedroom apartments (e.g. a two bedroom doesn't cost "twice" that of a one bedroom unit). My suggestion is to find people to split the housing cost with. This way you can afford to live in a more fun and vibrant neighborhood (my opinion of course) and have some disposable income to support the beer and wine industry in San Diego.

Areas to avoid: Lemon Grove, Spring Valley, Bario Logan, and these areas as well http://tinyurl.com/687axd6 .

Anyway, back to your question. I believe you can find something that will satisfy most of your criteria. Do you have a neighborhood or "scene" you're interested in?

According to my friend who is a grad student at UCSD, the only affordable housing near campus is the grad student housing. Everything else was out his price range or a 30 minute drive away. That doesn't really solve your problem, but it's one perspective...

As a newsman at San Diego's #1 news station, I may be qualified to help.

I would recommend Mira Mesa. It is cheap and reasonably nice and about 30 minutes from UCSD by the 921 bus, or 15 by car. I would highly recommend softening your stance on roommates. With a roommate, you can get a decent two-bedroom in La Jolla for $700-900 depending on the quality.

I actually have a roommate (GF) so I'm paying half of the 1br. But thanks, keep the info coming, it'll be useful to loads of people since SD's main drawback is price.

EDIT: Checked out Mira Mesa. Definitely good advice. A bit far from the Whale's Vagina, but I'm not much of a pub-goer, and can probably swing grad student housing until my courses are done (after which the commute isn't much of a big deal).

For those who are looking at this thread later on, Mira Mesa to UCSD is 20 minutes by car (not 30 minutes), and an hour by bus. Costs in La Mesa run $900 for a 1-BR, 1200-1500 for a 2 BR, and around $2k/month for a mortgage (3 BR/2 Bath, with minimal work).

I concur. Mira Mesa is a nice place. Kinda far away from the PB scene or the Gaslamp (downtown). I think a taxi from Mira Mesa to either of those locations will run you $40-$50. I personally enjoyed the beach areas immensely whilst residing there.

I was looking at the area of La Mesa. It seems like a really good deal (nicer than Mira Mesa, and as cheap or cheaper), though pretty far out. If someone from around wants to comment...

It's funny. When I lived in La Mesa, I was jealous of my friends who lived in Mira Mesa because I thought they lived in a better location (more recently built apartments, etc.). Either way, you're far from the beaches. I know a lot people aren't into that, but I feel the beach scene and the weather are the things that make San Diego "America's Finest City". Almost everything else it has to offer can be found in other cities as well.

Good to note. Personally, the only thing I'm interested in SD for is the UC located there, so I'm not too concerned (if I choose for social/environment reasons, I'm choosing Davis).

At some schools, the scene right around campus can be very appealing. For other schools not so much. That being said, how far from campus would you recommend living? Will a 30 minute commute (1 hour total daily) significantly cut into one's productivity?