The headline captured the central argument: “My wife and I are doctors. We can’t afford life in San Diego.” 

The Union-Tribune piece says the authors matched into competitive residency programs at UC San Diego and argues that affordability has become untenable for at least some doctors-in-training in San Diego. The story is more than a personal-finance complaint. It raises a question about whether high-cost regions can support the physicians they are trying to train. 

Residents occupy a difficult place in medicine. They are physicians, but they are also trainees working on fixed salaries while completing demanding clinical programs. In a high-cost market, housing pressure can shape where residents live, how far they commute, how much recovery time they have after shifts, and whether trainees with families, debt, or limited outside financial support can realistically train in the region.

San Diego’s housing market intensifies that pressure. Axios reported that five San Diego County cities had typical starter-home values above $1 million as of April 2026, based on Zillow data. Axios also reported that nearly half of San Diego County home listings were priced above $1 million, while the typical national starter-home value was $198,649. In a separate report, Axios cited a Bankrate analysis finding that only 1.6% of San Diego homes were affordable for the typical household.

Those homeownership numbers do not capture UC San Diego residents’ rent burdens or household budgets, but they do show broader housing market pressures affecting trainees. Even if residents rent rather than buy, the same market pressures can affect housing choices, commuting burdens, family budgets, and long-term plans to remain in the region.

For physicians, the issue reaches beyond individual hardship. Affordability may affect who applies to train in San Diego, who can stay, and who can absorb the financial stress of residency. High-cost training markets may favor residents with family wealth, partner income, lower debt, or fewer dependents. That raises equity questions for the San Diego physician pipeline.