Los Angeles/Compare
Mar Vista vs Westwood
Mar Vista and Westwood are two official neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Westwood is the calmer Part I map (100 vs 90). Westwood 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.
| Axis | Mar Vista | Westwood |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 90 | 100 |
| Schools | 81 | 86 |
| Walk | 11 | 36 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 91 |
| Vibe | 12 | 43 |
| Median rent | $2,303 | $2,746 |
| Median home | $1,794,442 | $1,627,095 |
| Population | 36,713 | 55,668 |
| Commute to Downtown | 44 min | 42 min |
| Commute to Westside | 18 min | 6 min |
| Commute to Hollywood | 27 min | 16 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Mar Vista | Westwood |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 61% | 67% |
| Median age | 39.1 | 32.6 |
| Median income | $119K | $94K |
| Part I per 1k | 13.0 | 9.5 |
| Groceries / 800m | 13 | 20 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 48 | 118 |
| Parks / 800m | 18 | 46 |
| 311 last 14 days | 661 | 629 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Los Angeles city. Up 62% since 2014. Mar V is 19% above the 2024 city median. Wwood is 42% 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 Mar Vista if the rent gap is the point. ACS median rent is $2,303 vs $2,746. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Westwood if you want the cafes and the night and you want the errands on foot. Vibe is 43 vs 12. Walk is 36 vs 11. Safety is 100 vs 90. Read both pages before you decide.
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
Westwood
UCLA at the north edge, a village that still walks, and rentals that outnumber the houses. The westside that still has a bus.
$2,746 median rent · safety 100 · walk 36
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Mar Vista or Westwood?
Mar Vista is the lower ACS median: $2,303 vs $2,746. About 61% rent in Mar Vista vs 67% in Westwood. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Mar Vista more walkable than Westwood?
Westwood wins the errand count (walk 11 vs 36). Groceries inside 800 meters: 13 vs 20. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Mar Vista or Westwood?
Westwood is the calmer Part I read (100 vs 90). Combined rate 9.5 vs 13.0 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Mar Vista or Westwood?
Westwood leads the school axis (86 vs 81). Nearby rating is 8.2 / 10 vs 8.0 / 10. Median age 32.6 vs 39.1. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
44 minutes from Mar Vista to Downtown, 42 from Westwood. Westwood is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not Mar Vista or Westwood: Palms. Rentals, the Expo Line, and a westside zip that still has a grocery you can walk to. The practical neighbor of Mar Vista.
Scores are relative among official Los Angeles neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.