Barrio Logan, Logan Heights, Sherman Heights, Grant Hill, Encanto, Oak Park..there are more but look before you leap. Cheap and liveable are not necessarily mutually exclusive in San Diego but very often that is the case. There may be neighborhoods like Barrio Logan that are relatively cheap compared to other areas of the city that look about the same but I wouldn’t want to live there because of the gang activity. City Heights and Normal Heights are two of the less expensive areas that are reasonable but kind of patchy. You can go through four streets in a row of houses that look well maintained and things seem to be quiet but then one block over you might find three trashy 12–16 until apartment buildings in a row packed full of noisy obnoxious people. The type who regularly leave broken appliances in the spray painted alleys or in front of the bulding and stand around in groups on the street drinking..not so good. It’s not really fair to label the whole neighborhood as bad because it has a few dodgy patches so you just have to judge the specific parts of it when you see it. Then there are places like Azelia Park that used to be bad but are emerging out of it because property prices have increased so much in the older inner city areas that they are slowly becoming gentrified and more vibrant. If you are willing to give something a coat of paint and some tlc you can still find a gem here and there.