The Real Reason we left Encinitas for Carlsbad

[@DanPBestLifeSD]

Trying to figure out the best coastal community to live in is one of the more common requests I get. If that’s you, reach out and I’m happy to chat. Or drop a comment below! If you're thinking about relocating within San Diego County and need guidance or have questions, I'm here to support you. Feel free to reach out at [e-mail] or call 619-719-1122

[@kylesprague8364]

I’ve lived in downtown Oceanside by the pier for years and loved it! I lived in Carlsbad for a month or two and that situation was mediocre, though Carlsbad is great. I have lived in Encinitas for the last 7 years and it too is superb. Personally, I loved Oceanside the most by far, there is always some action going on, the surf is better, sometimes there are huge concerts right by the pier, the restaurants are better and more cost efficient, Oside is by far the best bang for the buck. Encinitas has the nicest beaches for walking; I have walked from Moonlight beach to dog beach in Del Mar, but it is a wide open beach from Cardiff to Del Mar. Carlsbad has 2 massive malls, Legoland, much larger and nicer hotels, significantly more business infrastructure. I think Carslbad is superior for business and resort like amenities and theme parks. I find Encinitas to be boring, especially compared to Oceanside and Carlsbad which have far more activities. Encinitas is safe and peaceful. Carlsbad is a lot louder with way more tourism and business. Oceanside has a huge military presence, but it also attracts a lot more of the inland (Temecula area) crowd because it;s the easiest beach to get to for those folks. Ah, cost of living…In all cases I’ve been lucky to find thrifty deals most people don’t. Oside 2013-2017 = $1650 for a 3/1 (it was a steal then, too and most places were much more $, that house would easily be double that today). Carlsbad October ‘18 = $900 for a room. Encinitas ‘19-‘21 = $750 private room/private bath (yeah, it was like half the average price then). Encinitas ‘21-now: $1,000 private room/shared bath (also well below average).. point is, deals are out there if you look hard enough. What I get annoyed by are the people trying to get $3,000 for a 600 sq ft studio in Escondido or Fallbrook; do not pay that much or every landlord will think they can charge it. Ah yeah, and I just had two roommates move into a massive 2/2 in Encinitas for $3,000 - that’s also a reasonable deal for Encinitas. Ownership costs triple rent, like don’t bother if you’re not making $300k+ annually, unless you’re okay with a condo or mobile home, and those usually have crazy high HOAs and/or space rent too.

[@nickmartinez7674]

Encinitas, Carlsbad is considered a rich, affluent area. You can get a much more inexpensive home further east of the beach and it's only a twenty minute drive and closer to Snapdragon and downtown. An average home in SD is $899K for a tiny old house 3/2. You need to have two jobs of $150K yearly to live in a house. I bought my condo, yes tiny 670 sq ft for $207K 8 years ago, next door sold for $450K for the exact same model at the beginning of the year. If you're wealthy, no problem, you can move to SD. 😂

[@jackgreenstalk777]

Love Encinitas. Beautiful city. Oceanside imho is really not comparable to encinitas or most of carlsbad. From safety to modern businesses etc and culture. Both cbad and enci are very high end

[@mrsteveinsandiego]

Carlsbad is great. Lived here i dunno how many years. This is our retirement home. City is well-run imo. Good shopping, good eats, yadda yadda. One dissatisfaction: dont care for the public schools, considering some of the weird curricula, so we homeschool our 2 gboys every M-F morning.

[@cortical1]

What's an example of the weird curriculum, just curious? And what school was it at?

[@warrencooksey5603]

You left Encinitas because you can’t afford it 😂. Get a Cyber Truck bro!

[@lanbernas]

Very little diversity in the beach communities, unfortunately

[@davidbaker8196]

Lots of diversity, what are you talking about?!?!

[@SeanMorgan280]

I agree with your comparison between Encinitas and Carlsbad, Dan. But you really need to compare Oceanside with Carlsbad. I live in Oceanside. Downtown Carlsbad can get extremely crowded in the Summertime. I live slightly east of the I-5 in O-side and am fairly happy here. But bottom line is that the traffic throughout this whole are is insane! I-5 and the 78 have waaaayyy too many accidents. There's a lower educated population here than what I'm used to. But I'm afraid(Not) that south OC is my ultimate destination. Laguna beach, Laguna Niguel or Ladera Ranch. No I don't need to live near the beach. In fact- I prefer to be at least a mile away from it. Tsunami's are a Bear when there's an Earthquake!