What California city is best for me?

i think san diego would e great for you its population is full of people exactly like you, you would make great friends and the cost of living is great and some wonderful beaches. pacific beach, this should sell it to you

good luck, the beach is some of the most prime real estate, you will probably need to share a place with others as a waitress. NorCal is cooler on avg. than SoCal if that makes a difference to you. But it will probably be expensive, ALL of CA is expensive nowadays,

The good news is that unlike other areas of the country, in California servers get minimum wage ($8) PLUS tips. The bad news is that California is still expensive to live in, especially for renters. It would help to know some more details - how close to the beach do you want to be? Do you want to be able to walk there from your home, or do you want to be close enough to be able to drive there in less than an hour? Do you want a warm beach a la Baywatch? Beaches in Northern California are beautiful but usually too cold to be wearing bikinis all year long. Also, how big is a big city to you? Do you mean the two "big" cities of California, SF and LA? Or would a nearby city of 100,000 people be big enough for you? With no other details, I would suggest that you live NEAR a popular tourist destination with expensive restaurants. You will make a lot more tip money at, say, an upscale tapas bar in Napa than at an Applebee's in Stockton. At any rate, you will make more serving a table where an average person spends $50 than one where an average customer spends $20. With no other guidelines from you, here are some suggestions from me: Napa - lots of expensive restaurants. Live in the town of Napa, or maybe a close town like Santa Rosa. The more expensive housing is in the tiny towns or rural areas. San Francisco - again, lots of expensive restaurants. Live in one of the more far-flung cities along BART, like Concord, where rent will be cheaper than in the city. Then you can easily get to the city without having to drive. Carmel - Along the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel (and Pebble Beach) has the most upscale eating. It is expensive to live there, but you might be able to find more affordable housing in Marina, Seaside, or even Castroville. Avoid Salinas, which has pretty bad crime all over. For all of these places, check Craigslist to see what rent is actually like. I don't have any specific recommendations for Southern California because I have never lived there. I think that if you are willing to share a place, you should be able to get by anywhere, although you may not have much disposable income for fun purchases.

Ocean Beach in SF

Well, I'd suggest waiting a bit...maybe surveying California before you move here... Where ever you live in California, you can't be more than a 3 hour drive from the beach. The big cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles are going to be extremely expensive for a waitress. You'll need savings to start off with. I can guarantee you you won't be able to afford living too close to the beach on a waitress salary. Plus, there are different cultures in California so you should figure out which area is best for you. San Francisco and the majority of northern california is highly liberal and democratic...while Los Angeles and Southern California is highly conservative and republican. The Bay Area (San Francisco) is a bit cheaper than Southern California...the best real-estate would most likely be found in cities like Sacramento, Fresno, Stockton, Modesto...which are located in California's central Valley in the middle of the state. From these cities the beach is about an hour to 2 hour drive, but you'd be able to go there more often since you wouldn't be working your day away trying to keep a roof over your head. Also, weather is different. Northern California gets a significant amount more of rain...and Southern California is basically an irrogated desert...with just a bit more moisture than cities like Phoenix and Las Vegas.... Northern California is also cooler than Southern California with more fog. The temperatures of the water in southern California are warmer but still barely in the 60s...Northern California has pretty cold beaches even during the summer months.