The Real Cost of Moving to La Jolla
One of the most popular beachy areas in San Diego County is none other than La Jolla. With its hilly seaside and upscale shopping, La Jolla gives off the same ambiance of Beverly Hills but with ocean views and a village feel.
“Cities are too big and rural areas are too lonely. I like to walk to get coffee, know all my neighbors…La Jolla is a village, truly,” said Oscar-nominee Cori Shepherd Stern. “And I love that. I see the same people every day where I get coffee, I know the postwoman. I have literally borrowed a cup of sugar from the neighbor and taken them cake when I’m done.”
Local Attractions
La Jolla is bounded by the University of San Diego to the north, Interstate 5 to the east, and the Pacific Ocean shoreline to the west. La Jolla also has prestigious institutions as well, such as the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, and the La Jolla Playhouse.
While the community is both bike- and golfcart-friendly, it also offers a variety of buses and a few metro trains for public transport.
Homebuying
La Jolla offers a variety of neighborhoods with both modern homes and historic houses built back in the early 1900s. It also has a range of properties including single-family homes, apartments, condos, beach bungalows, and luxury estates.
Currently, there are many properties avalible under the $500K price point, including a beach condo in La Jolla Shores. Other neighborhoods include the upscale Bird Rock in southern La Jolla, the beachy La Jolla Cove, and University Towne Center on the east side with housing at a lower price point due to its student community.
La Jolla Cove has a median sale price of $1,645,000, La Jolla Shores has a median of $1,975,000, and La Jolla Cliffs is at $1,900,000.
Food and Groceries
When it comes to grocery shopping, La Jolla has its own Whole Foods, Ralphs, and Trader Joe’s. But the city also has its own local fish market, the El Pescador. In such an upscale neighborhood, there’s no shortage of gourmet restaurants, such as the famous fine dining restaurant George’s at the Cove which overlooks the ocean, Beaumont’s with its upscale comfort cuisine and live bands, and the Marine Room where waves hit the windows of the restaurant at high tide.
Cost of Living
The overall cost of living in San Diego is 44% higher than the national average, as reported by Pay Scale. Housing (135%), groceries (12%), transportation (28%), utilities (14%), and health care (7%) are all higher than the national average (though still average compared to other Californian major cities). However, when compared to other major U.S. cities, like New York, San Diego has a lower cost of living, 37% less.
The average rent in San Diego is $2,400, ranking in ninth place as the most expensive market nationally with a 4% vacancy rate. La Jolla’s average rent is $3,660, just ahead of Little Italy($2,853) and East Village($2,687) in the county.
According to Salary Expert, La Jolla is 73.6% higher than the national average for cost of living, scoring a 1 out of 10. This number is comprised of the cost of rent, utilities, transportation, food, health care, and miscellaneous. La Jolla comes in at number 19 as most expensive city in the state of California.