Moving to San Diego on a vet’s salary. Is it fantasy or feasible?

For those making around $130,000–$150,000/year, is it really as bad as people say?

We’re from the DEEP South, and moving to San Diego has been a lifelong dream—despite all the Californians moving here telling us it’s the worst place ever (which is why they left, apparently 😂). We heard them loud and clear and have been out to SD to see for ourselves and- we actually love it.

My husband is a new grad GP veterinarian actively applying in areas like Encinitas, La Mesa, North Park, Mission Hills, Carlsbad, and similar spots. We love these general areas when we visit and can see ourselves settling there. We want to be close to downtown and Balboa Park—but not right in the middle of it. Based on our research, starting salaries for vets seem to be in the $130,000–$150,000 range in SoCal.

A little about us: • Married, no kids, but we have 3 small (senior) dogs under 15 lbs. • We know CA is pricey, but we think the quality of life would be better for OUR lifestyle—we love hiking, the beach, warm weather, and cooking at home most nights. • We own both our cars, have minimal debt, and I want to go back to school for a bachelor’s while my husband works. • We’re working with a lender for pre-approval and already have a real estate agent on hand—we’d love to buy rather than rent since we’ve been renting for a while.

Questions:

1️⃣ For vets (or anyone in this salary range), how’s the QOL on this income? Is it doable? We hear either: • “It’s insanely unaffordable, you’ll struggle.” • OR “It’s totally doable if you’re smart about it.” We like to think we’re the reasonable type, so we’re hoping the latter is true!

2️⃣ HOA & pet policies—we’ve noticed a lot of places have a 2-dog max, which would be an issue for us. Are we just inquiring about the wrong places? Any area recommendations that I haven’t already mentioned?

Would love to hear any thoughts or experiences!