ROFL at those comparing houston or orlando to san diego.
those places have cheap housing because they are miserable swampy buttholes and not many people actually desire to live in such places.
san diego has expensive housing because so many people want to go live there, and so many people want to go live there because it is such a great place to be.
in houston or orlando you will never want to go outside, you will be beat down by sweaty humidity and lackluster ugly cities and landscapes...in san diego you will just want to be outside all the time, feel great and be surrounded by uplifting beautiful landscapes and comfortable climates...and you cant put a price tag on that