As is the case everywhere else the nicer it gets the more you are going to pay for it but you still can find deals amoung the high price rentals. I live in a large studio apartment in Golden Hill which is a very conveniently located just outside downtown and I pay $950 a month in a place where you can easily pay $1250 to $1300 for the same thing. It’s considered a really good deal for what and where it is but I don’t know how much longer it is going to last. I wouldn’t call $950 exactly cheap but everything is relative. Rental prices have been increasing steadily in San Diego over the last decade. You can expect to pay at least between $1,300 and $1,600 a month for a one bedroom and $1,800 to $2,000 for a two bedroom. You can find cheaper but with some major drawback like high crime or substandard dwellings. There is a housing shortage which makes the process of looking for something laborious and frustrating. It is a landlord’s market so often they are condescending, demanding or just plain rude. In many cases they won’t even show up for an appointment they made with you to see a place. Usually because they have already rented it but cannot be bothered to cancel and have no qualms about letting you wait outside for half an hour like a gormless twit before it dawns on you that they are not going to show. I set a 15 minute limit as policy. Patience is a necessity.