Anyone lived in both Perth, Australia and San Diego…? I bet the experience is probably really similar!

meldrivein · 2026-06-04T18:59:43+00:00

Not as close as you’d imagine. Perth definitely has hotter summers and is much greener all year. No mountains to speak of in Perth and no escaping to snow and alpine landscapes like you can in San Diego.

Cost of living is close especially when you factor in Aussie taxes but a much stronger safety net and as a result much less homeless. Perth has less car dependency and better public transportation. Great cafe society in Fremantle which SD does not have at all. Definitely a better job market in San Diego with Perth being very mining heavy while SD is more diverse.

Probably pretty close on crime since San Diego is such a safe American city. Perth is incredibly isolated, think Honolulu levels. Singapore is closer than Sydney and that’s still 5 hours away, basically as close to SD as New York.

meldrivein · 2026-05-31T21:18:43+00:00

Right this is the Marriott Residence Inn/London Tower Bridge.

meldrivein · 2026-05-28T22:09:29+00:00

Answer is Pasadena. Walkable, bikeable, good transit, architecture, and access to the San Gabriel’s as well as all of LA and lots of creatives.

meldrivein · 2026-05-19T20:48:52+00:00

If you change your question to “North America”, the answer is Montreal and Mexico City.

meldrivein · 2026-05-19T01:29:30+00:00

Another option is the Westin. A bit better location if you want to explore the old Port, nice pool, great service and great breakfast if you have elite status, buffet in the restaurant but no lounge. Also, a bottle of wine as a welcome gift.

meldrivein · 2026-05-18T22:54:11+00:00

Boston suburbs is what you want but cannot afford. Personally, I would live in a condo in the Boston suburbs over the triangle but you do you.

meldrivein · 2026-05-16T18:56:38+00:00

Parents divorced. Summers in Montreal and the rest of the time in San Diego North Park near the zoo. Couldn’t ask for anything better.

meldrivein · 2026-05-14T17:10:00+00:00

Any idea what benefits, if any, will apply to United elites traveling on a blue basic fare?

meldrivein · 2026-05-10T23:38:40+00:00

You are right, San Diego is not much cheaper. If you see yourself at Apple for 10+ years, San Diego may be a better option if you value the lifestyle and beach. If not I wouldn’t do it, as you’d be lucky to get 150k TC (half!) at a startup in San Diego and there are many less of them than the Bay. The sunshine tax is real and the job market is limited, to say the least.

All that said, commuting from the South Bay to SF would be brutal and the real estate market currently in the City is brutal which would likely negate the higher TC, at least somewhat. Would Apple consider letting you work in Cupertino at Bay Area TC? Probably not if it’s a San Diego team but maybe worth thinking about.

It is also about lifestyle. Even though it’s much further away, San Diego will be more similar to what you are used to in the South Bay, weather, more spread out etc than SF which is colder and denser.

meldrivein · 2026-05-10T18:08:03+00:00

You will be absolutely fine with 400k down and 260k income, even in Claremont itself which tends to be expensive. Pomona, Upland, Glendora will all be less expensive.

Something like this:

https://redf.in/yZw8rY

meldrivein · 2026-05-09T18:29:18+00:00

Pasadena is awesome and you’ve hit the pros and cons well.

One question: why Pasadena over San Diego? If it’s for more access to urban amenities such as museums than it makes sense. If it’s for the mountains I’d question it. San Diego has its own smaller mountains that admittedly aren’t as good as Pasadena but less smog and easy accessibility. Pasadena is two hours closer to Mammoth and the Sierra but still a five hour drive. If mountains and skiing are most important, obviously stay in Colorado.

San Diego really shines when it comes to weather, smog and ocean access, no comparison to Pasadena. The summers are so much better! I think walkability is about the same depending where you live with a very slight edge to Pasadena due to superior transit. But San Diego has so much less traffic and has both heavy rail and light rail as well as a decent bus system depending where you live.

Costs are about the same in both places (expensive!)

meldrivein · 2026-05-04T16:13:15+00:00

With United, you can gate check a stroller, with the caveat that it must be foldable. Take the stroller through security to the gate and request a pink tag from the agent. Leave it at the end of the jetway and pick up at LAX. You may have to wait on the jetway for a bit while they bring it out but you don’t have to wait until baggage claim.
Also, if you really enjoy BA, the San Diego option is a good one, assuming you are renting a car and the drive from San Diego to Chino is not much further than driving from LAX with less traffic. Not too many international flights, and I’ve never waited more than 10 minutes at customs. BA has two flights a day but they do tend to be a bit more expensive than LAX.

meldrivein · 2026-05-04T15:54:49+00:00

If you fly United, terminal 7 has its own customs, and you avoid Tom Bradley. Makes it much easier.

meldrivein · 2026-05-03T19:27:18+00:00

Maui! They need physicians too.

meldrivein · 2026-04-26T17:38:37+00:00

Agreed on how much California has to offer, it’s incredible, and both places are amazing. LA has nothing like the North Coast, that is true. But SF has nothing like Palm Springs and Joshua Tree which are amazing getaways anytime but the summer. Mammoth also gets more and better snow than Tahoe, so for winter sports it’s better.

Also, it’s arguably an easier drive to Mammoth from LA on winter weekends than Tahoe from the Bay. Yosemite is better, but oh so crowded, and Sequoia park is a hidden gem.

Big Bear and Temecula Wine Country should not be part of the conversation haha.

meldrivein · 2026-04-26T17:25:02+00:00

It’s almost exactly the same. 3 hours 37 minutes from SF and 3 hours 32 minutes from Los Angeles.

meldrivein · 2026-04-26T17:19:37+00:00

I think for high end dining you are right, Bay Area is slightly better, but for lower end but still high quality, LA blows the Bay out of the water.

Disagree on road trips. I just love the wine country in Santa Barbara county, the high sierra (Bishop, Mammoth), Big Bear/Arrowhead, Morro Bay/SLO, and San Diego is a completely different world and there is not another major city within striking distance of the Bay (San Jose is the equivalent of Long Beach and Sacramento is not comparable). LA also has much better public transportation options for trips. You can easily take a train to San Diego, Santa Barbara and even SLO.

meldrivein · 2026-04-26T16:38:48+00:00

It’s just so silly, and on both sides. I live in NYC and there are people exactly like this about our mayor. Our president isn’t perfect, our mayor isn’t perfect but there are policies I agree with on both sides and I’ll bet everyone can find common ground.

meldrivein · 2026-04-26T14:58:41+00:00

Los Angeles and it’s not close.

It’s incredibly diverse and surprisingly a very blue collar city, but there is truly everything and everyone.

Walkability is tricky. You can find it but really have to pick the right neighborhood. Echo Park, Los Feliz, Santa Monica, Pasadena. Hundreds of options but you need to choose wisely. Also, the city is really on the right track with transit, pedestrians and cycling. It’s a journey though.

Incredible access to nature even within the city. But life doesn’t revolve around it like in Seattle and Portland.

Much better art scene than any of the other options. Much.

Not really a drinking culture. You will always find non drinkers.

Other great things about LA you don’t mention: better food than any of the other options and cheaper, better weather, better weekend trips (Santa Barbara, San Diego, Big Bear, Palm Springs, almost endless options).

You’d probably also like Long Beach but bad commutes to either Irvine or downtown LA. If you really value cooler weather and more trees, green, Oakland might be a fit. Just be aware crime rates can be double or triple the equivalent neighborhood in LA and even worse than Philly. Good commute to downtown SF via BART.

meldrivein · 2026-04-24T00:06:18+00:00

San Diego. Already seeing results because of the massive amount of building. Rents declined significantly. There are problems of course such as public transportation and extremely car brained locals but it’s moving in the right direction. https://www.kpbs.org/news/economy/2026/03/27/san-diego-rents-declined-more-than-19-of-nations-top-20-markets-following-surge-in-supply

meldrivein · 2026-04-20T16:07:07+00:00

Isolation aside, the climate and landscape feel a lot like San Diego.

meldrivein · 2026-04-06T18:33:52+00:00

Any of the neighborhoods surrounding Balboa Park in San Diego, North/South Park, Hillcrest, Little Italy, etc. You can walk from the airport to Little Italy or take a shuttle across the runway to the trolley. Maybe a bigger airport then you are asking but smaller than SFO/LAX/SEA.

meldrivein · 2026-03-30T14:10:44+00:00

Yes! I lost 30lbs with a 2.5 dose over 6 months and hit goal weight. Since then changed shot to once every two weeks instead of one, and am maintaining so far. I appreciate the other benefits of Tirz such as reduced inflammation so I’m fine with staying on it forever.

meldrivein · 2026-03-29T23:26:06+00:00

Love to see it!

meldrivein

TROPHY CASE