Galvez knows these figures very well. In San Diego, he rented a country house with his wife in the North Park neighborhood for $2,300 a month. Now, they pay $1,450 a month for a 1,500-square-foot home in a gated community a 10-minute drive from the San Ysidro border crossing. This proximity is important because Galvez, a commercial insurance broker for a US company, crosses the border five days a week to visit his office in San Diego.
Life in Tijuana, Galvez said, is more stressful for him and his family. There is more noise and the air is not as clean. Despite Tijuana’s publicized problems with drug cartels, he said he is not concerned about crime, as violence between people involved in drug trafficking and concentrated in specific neighborhoods is high. Many residents share the belief that crime statistics do not fully reflect reality, and some studies have even shown that despite the high percentage of homicides in Tijuana, most crime occurs in the three most hostile areas of the city. are focused.
Galvez said he misses the green areas of San Diego and is fed up with potholes on every street in Tijuana. But he has his eyes set on his long-term goal.
“Living here allows me to save up to build a legacy,” he said.
For Jodie Silly, living in Tijuana has been a balm for her nerves.
Silly, 44, teaches at San Diego City College and is president of the Film Consortium San Diego. When he moved from San Diego to Tijuana in 2018, he returned to a city he knew well; He had already lived there from 2004 to 2010. He explained that the cost savings not only in paying monthly rent, but also in utilities, as well as medical consultations and even eating out, allow him to work in an area that you can pay a higher salary. The providers are passionate about it rather than adopting any other profession.
“It’s a lot less stressful because now I know I can pay my rent every month and still have money left over,” she said. “I can eat wherever I want, and go to the coolest restaurants and bars in town. Plus, I can keep a job I love instead of looking for another job that pays me more to survive.”
