Living in San Diego

The UC San Diego Internal Medicine Residency Program is blessed not only with superb academic qualifications but also with a truly stunning location. Situated in Southern California, San Diego is well known for its great weather and beautiful beaches. Sailing, surfing, diving, water-skiing, swimming, tennis, volleyball, and biking are quite popular year-round activities.

Mexico is less than an hour's drive to the south, and the desert community of Palm Springs are two hours to the east. For snow enthusiasts, the Big Bear ski resort is only a few hours away by car.

San Diego Scenes

Museums

Ranging from the eclectic to the sublime, San Diego's array of museums is filled with wonders that appeal to just about any taste for art, machinery, sports, classic cars, and scientific discovery. Many museums are clustered in Balboa Park within walking distance of each other, while others are tucked in outlying neighborhoods.

Performing Arts

San Diego is well known for its sun, surf, and sand, but when the sun goes down, the curtain goes up on stages all over the county. From the California Center for the Arts, Escondido to historic theaters built at the turn of the century, from ballet to traditional folk dance, from symphony performances to dramatic opera and outdoor calliopes, San Diego offers the best performing arts all year round.

Photo by Kevin Yang Med/Peds Class of 2021

Beaches

San Diego's 70 miles of beaches are like a family of people; each has a distinct personality. Some are havens for surfers and divers, others are remote getaways, and many are perfect for any activity.

Photo by Gary Ma Class of 2019

Parks

The outdoor fun doesn't just lie at the water's edge. San Diego is also home to several parks and open space preserves including the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve (pictured at left), Mission Bay Park, and several preserves with miles of trails and camping facilities.

Animals

San Diego is home to several world-renowned wildlife centers. The San Diego Zoo is located within Balboa Park and is a great place to spend an hour or an entire day observing the various exhibits.

The San Diego Zoo's Safari Park is a unique place where you are the one behind the fence. The animals are free to roam about in large areas in which various coindigenous species live. You can watch giraffes and gazelles follow the rhinos around.

Photo by Jenny Zhou Class of 2021

Residents Testimonials

Charlotte Ellberg, Chief Resident

Neighborhood: North Park, lives alone
What do you love about SD?
The beach, endless outdoor activities, great breweries, and amazing weather! I’ve gotten to stop by the beach on the way home after a long day on the wards and go for a swim even at 6 PM!
How do you afford to live in SD?
You don’t think about the rent as much when you are enjoying the amazing weather and beach (and training at an excellent program). The housing stipend helps and it feels like the salary and stipend balance things out when comparing the cost of living for other programs.

Emma Mulligan, Chief Resident

Neighborhood:  San Marcos, lives with partner
What do you love about SD?
Japanese Friendship Garden and Balboa park, always beautiful weather, ocean and mountains right next to one another, Torrey Pines, variety of environments and landscapes
How do you afford to live in SD? Living outside of the city is definitely doable as an intern and much cheaper.

Briana Frink, PGY3

Neighborhood: Ocean Beach, lives with two girl dogs

What do you love about SD?  

San Diego is my version of the happiest place on earth: surfing year-round at my local break in Ocean Beach, open-water swimming with dolphins and leopard sharks at La Jolla Shores, cycling from work up the coast to Encinitas, trail running at Torrey Pines or the Cleveland National Forest, and ending each day walking my dogs along Sunset Cliffs. It never gets old.

How do you afford to live in SD? 

Thanks to our union’s advocacy, resident pay has increased and made living in San Diego much more doable. I’m grateful to all the residents and fellows who contribute through their dues and continue working hard every day to secure fair and improved compensation for all of us. 

Jonathan Hong, PGY2

Neighborhood: North Park, lives alone


What do you love about SD? 

Where else can you get off work at 7pm and squeeze in some beach volleyball against the background of award-winning sunsets?? I’ll wait. Beyond the allure of the golden beaches and aquatic sports galore, SD’s got many hidden tricks up its sleeves. To name a few,  a sneaky yummy bakery scene (Wayfarer, Izola), hikes at snow-capped peaks within a 1-2 hr drives away (Idyllwild, Mt Laguna), LOTS of concert venues, and one of the nation’s highest dog-to-human ratios. 

How do you afford to live in SD? 

Our union has made big strides over the last few years to ensure that our compensation reflects the true living costs of SD. It’s not a cheap city, but not the most expensive one either. It helps when you can get delish tacos for cheap at SD’s many taco stands and our yearly meal stipends and lunches during noon conferences help offset costs too!

Matthew Moldenhaeur & Armon Azizi, PGY2s

Matthew Moldenhauer (PGY2, left) & Armon Azizi (PGY2, right)

Neighborhood: University Heights, lives with co-resident 

What do you love about SD?

We live for the beach and doing post-work surf sessions. The weather is amazing throughout the entire year and everything is pretty accessible. There are a ton of great food spots to explore and weekend activities to do!

How do you afford to live in SD? 

We live together. 

Sim Bajwa, PGY1

Sim Bidwani, PGY1 (center) with co-interns Jordan Pace, Pat Zimmerman, Samuel Woldeyohannes

Neighborhood: North Park/University Heights, live with boyfriend

What do you love about SD?

It has all the fun things that other big cities have (sports games, concerts, great bars and restaurants) but has a more laid back feel with walkable neighborhoods, access to nature, and very reasonable traffic (plus the best weather in the country!!)