For a growing slice of San Diego’s workforce, making rent now means leaving the country every night. Instead of studio apartments or shared houses north of the border, some workers are renting small places in Tijuana for a few hundred dollars a month, then hauling themselves back across the border for early-morning shifts. The savings can be significant, but they come with punishing pre-dawn alarms, hours in transit and a daily international crossing that feels less like a lifestyle choice and more like a last resort.
In interviews with the New York Post, commuters laid out the math and the trade-offs. Zachary Gabriel said he often starts his day at 2 a.m. so he can make it to work in San Diego by 6 a.m. Another commuter, Amy McAfee, told the outlet she used to pay about $1,200 for a single room in San Diego, but now shells out roughly $400 for a one-bedroom in Tijuana. Vered Familiar said she once paid $2,100 for a one-bedroom in the city and now shares a five-bedroom place in Tijuana for around $550.
Those kinds of moves make more sense when you look at the broader market. The San Diego metro’s median asking rent has hovered around $3,100 a month, according to Realtor.com, and the region recently ranked as the ninth most expensive on a national cost-of-living list. That combination has put a tight squeeze on service-sector and lower-wage workers, nudging some to accept a binational daily routine in exchange for a shot at staying financially afloat…