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Los Angeles/Compare

Brentwood vs Mar Vista

Brentwood and Mar Vista are two official neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Brentwood is the calmer Part I map (95 vs 90). Brentwood wins the errand count. Mar Vista has the lower ACS median ($2,303).

Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · LAPD Oct 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM Sep 2026 · updated Sep 2026

Scores

Fit axes among official Los Angeles neighborhoods.

AxisBrentwoodMar Vista
Safety9590
Schools10081
Walk1711
Cost fit85100
Vibe2712
Median rent$2,944$2,303
Median home$1,827,541$1,794,442
Population33,54936,713
Commute to Downtown51 min44 min
Commute to Westside15 min18 min
Commute to Hollywood23 min27 min

Living numbers

Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.

FactBrentwoodMar Vista
Renters48%61%
Median age41.639.1
Median income$179K$119K
Part I per 1k10.513.0
Groceries / 800m513
Transit stops / 800m6848
Parks / 800m6318
311 last 14 days495661

Rent

Rent since 2014

ACS 5-year median gross rent for Los Angeles city. Up 62% since 2014. Brent is 52% above the 2024 city median. Mar V is 19% above the 2024 city median.

$1.6kBrent $2,944Mar V $2,303201420162018202020222024

Overlapping 5-year ACS windows (B25064), not asking rent. Census does not publish a rent series for each official neighborhood, so the line is the city place. Dashed marks are each area’s ACS 2024 median.

Which to pick

The same numbers as the table, in sentences. Nobody wins the city.

Pick Brentwood if the school rating nearby is the point and you want the cafes and the night. Schools score 100 vs 81. Vibe is 27 vs 12. Read both pages before you decide.

Pick Mar Vista if the rent gap is the point and the shorter ride to Downtown is the point. ACS median rent is $2,303 vs $2,944. 44 vs 51 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.

Brentwood

San Vicente, school runs, and a median home that assumes you already made it. Quiet westside, on purpose.

$2,944 median rent · safety 95 · walk 17

Mar Vista

Bungalows, a farmers’ market, and the beach ten minutes south. Family westside that is not trying to be Santa Monica.

$2,303 median rent · safety 90 · walk 11

Common questions

Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.

Which is cheaper, Brentwood or Mar Vista?

Mar Vista is the lower ACS median: $2,944 vs $2,303. About 61% rent in Mar Vista vs 48% in Brentwood. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.

Is Brentwood more walkable than Mar Vista?

Brentwood wins the errand count (walk 17 vs 11). Groceries inside 800 meters: 5 vs 13. Not a Walk Score license.

Which is safer on this map, Brentwood or Mar Vista?

Brentwood is the calmer Part I read (95 vs 90). Combined rate 10.5 vs 13.0 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.

Which scores higher for families, Brentwood or Mar Vista?

Brentwood leads the school axis (100 vs 81). Nearby rating is 8.8 / 10 vs 8.0 / 10. Median age 41.6 vs 39.1. Neither number is a school assignment.

Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?

51 minutes from Brentwood to Downtown, 44 from Mar Vista. Mar Vista is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.

If you drop both

Closest official neighborhood that is not Brentwood or Mar Vista: Westwood. UCLA at the north edge, a village that still walks, and rentals that outnumber the houses. The westside that still has a bus.

Brentwood vs WestwoodMar Vista vs Westwood

Scores are relative among official Los Angeles neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.