Los Angeles/Compare
Fairfax vs Mar Vista
Fairfax and Mar Vista are two official neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Mar Vista is the calmer Part I map (90 vs 5). Walk is a wash (8 vs 11). 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.
| Axis | Fairfax | Mar Vista |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 5 | 90 |
| Schools | 43 | 81 |
| Walk | 8 | 11 |
| Cost fit | 86 | 100 |
| Vibe | 15 | 12 |
| Median rent | $2,896 | $2,303 |
| Median home | $1,838,776 | $1,794,442 |
| Population | 15,570 | 36,713 |
| Commute to Downtown | 28 min | 44 min |
| Commute to Westside | 19 min | 18 min |
| Commute to Hollywood | 14 min | 27 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Fairfax | Mar Vista |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 75% | 61% |
| Median age | 38.2 | 39.1 |
| Median income | $119K | $119K |
| Part I per 1k | 46.1 | 13.0 |
| Groceries / 800m | 8 | 13 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 52 | 48 |
| Parks / 800m | 5 | 18 |
| 311 last 14 days | 282 | 661 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Los Angeles city. Up 62% since 2014. Fairfax is 50% above the 2024 city median. Mar V is 19% above the 2024 city median.
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 Fairfax if the shorter ride to Downtown is the point. 28 vs 44 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Mar Vista if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the school rating nearby is the point. Safety is 90 vs 5. Schools score 81 vs 43. ACS median rent is $2,303 vs $2,896. Read both pages before you decide.
Fairfax
Melrose, Canter’s, and a district that still has a nightlife strip. Compact, central, and not cheap.
$2,896 median rent · safety 5 · walk 8
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, Fairfax or Mar Vista?
Mar Vista is the lower ACS median: $2,896 vs $2,303. About 61% rent in Mar Vista vs 75% in Fairfax. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Fairfax more walkable than Mar Vista?
Walk is basically a tie (8 vs 11). Count groceries if you care: 8 in Fairfax vs 13 in Mar Vista, inside 800 meters.
Which is safer on this map, Fairfax or Mar Vista?
Mar Vista is the calmer Part I read (90 vs 5). Combined rate 13.0 vs 46.1 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Fairfax or Mar Vista?
Mar Vista leads the school axis (81 vs 43). Nearby rating is 8.0 / 10 vs 6.4 / 10. Median age 39.1 vs 38.2. Fairfax has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
28 minutes from Fairfax to Downtown, 44 from Mar Vista. Fairfax is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not Fairfax or Mar Vista: Hancock Park. Windsor Square houses, Larchmont Village, and a median that prices like the westside. Central, quiet, and not trying to be a scene.
Scores are relative among official Los Angeles neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.