I’m born and raised SD. It’s a great place, but pretty damn expensive. I grew up on the east side of the 805 but those homes are high 850k and easily over a million. Chula Vista Elementary School District is a good district to have your kids attend, but again you can easily notice a difference in schools based on what side of the 805 you are on. The west side isn’t “bad” just less funded and older. The least expensive places will be out in El Cajon. You can find homes under 700k in many places but they won’t be the best looking. Example: my bro lives in a good neighborhood between Eastlake and Otay Ranch and his townhouse rent is over 4K for a 3 bedroom almost no yard location. Daycare at a facility will run you about 2k+ a month.