By Heidi Hope

December 15, 2025 (San Diego) -- Hunting for an affordable apartment in San Diego County is a recipe for aggravating stress. Rents and living expenses in the city of San Diego are among the highest in the nation. East County communities are also too expensive for a single person working a low-wage part-time job to afford.

Scam rental advertisements and inappropriate landlords worsen the struggle for renters and potential tenants, as I have learned in my own difficult apartment-hunting experiences.