25M Living in San Diego but prefers to live alone

Hey everyone, seeking advice for affordable places to live alone with rich culture and friendly communities to be apart of. Some context I’m a black 25M with introverted qualities but love meeting new people in new environments. I have a passion for community outreach involving environmental monitoring, management and education that stems from growing up in an area with a bunch of geographical and ecological diversity. So love having access to oceans, rivers, lakes, canyons, mountains, deserts, plains etc.

I’ve lived with roommates here in San Diego but it was not good at all for my mental health & I’m willing to pay more for housing on account for that. Currently living at home with parents and I have two work contracts ending this summer but I’m looking to get out sooner rather than later.

Freshly out of a relationship and had been planning on moving cross country to Philadelphia together so I have a decent amount saved up ($12,000). Still considering Philly but moving cross country alone is a daunting task.

I work in the GIS field so I’m confident I could find a remote job but the salaries really depend on the area and industry (CA has the best pay for GIS work & city government job is the target). Currently making at/around $50k but should have no trouble finding a higher paying position later this year.

San Diego is my hometown and I love it here but i long for a new experience elsewhere. I have ambition of settling here at some point but I’m sure that would change if I immerse myself in the right new environment. Looking for a metro area that has good access to public transit, better affordable housing than SD, and access to other metro areas and/or good paying city jobs, diverse food culture (more specifically Asian markets), and opportunities to get involved in community outreach programs.

Variables that could encourage me to stay in SD:

• acceptance into fully funded grad school program for this fall
• job offer from City of San Diego

Any advice is welcome thank you!