San Diego/Compare
Carmel Valley vs Pacific Beach
Carmel Valley and Pacific Beach are two official community planning areas in San Diego. Carmel Valley is the calmer Part I map (100 vs 42). Walk is a wash (13 vs 13). Pacific Beach has the lower ACS median ($2,427).
Data period. ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · SDPD Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 · OSM Oct 2026. ACS and SDPD retrieved 2026-10-14; OSM retrieved 2026-10-14. Editorial copy last revised Sep 2026.
Scores
Fit axes among official San Diego community planning areas.
| Axis | Carmel Valley | Pacific Beach |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 100 | 42 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 13 | 13 |
| Cost fit | 74 | 100 |
| Vibe | 19 | 13 |
| Median rent | $3,374 | $2,427 |
| Median home | $1,556,207 | $1,372,211 |
| Population | 31,288 | 42,671 |
| Commute to Downtown | 32 min | 24 min |
| Commute to UTC | 10 min | 14 min |
| Commute to Mission Valley | 22 min | 18 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Carmel Valley | Pacific Beach |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 39% | 69% |
| Median age | 40.2 | 34.4 |
| Median income | $200K | $130K |
| Part I per 1k | 6.1 | 22.7 |
| Groceries / 800m | 8 | 15 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 4 | 47 |
| Parks / 800m | 104 | 18 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for San Diego city. Up 70% since 2014. Carmel V. is 46% above the 2024 city median. Pac. Beach is 5% 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 Carmel Valley if the quieter map matters more than the scene and you want the quieter, family-leaning read. Safety is 100 vs 42. Carmel Valley is tagged family on this map; Pacific Beach is not. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Pacific Beach if the rent gap is the point and you want the cafes and the night. ACS median rent is $2,427 vs $3,374. Vibe is 13 vs 19. 24 vs 32 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Carmel Valley
Highest income in this set, $199,791, and the highest rent, $3,374. Violent Part I is 0.4 per 1,000, the lowest here. Property is 5.7, also the lowest. Bachelor's share is 83%. OSM transit stops in or near the plan: 4. Houses and a drive. This is not the coast village.
$3,374 median rent · safety 100 · walk 13
Pacific Beach
Garnet Avenue is the search. The official plan is Pacific Beach. Rent is $2,427 and the home median is $1,372,211. Violent Part I is 4.5 per 1,000. Property is 18.2. Garnet is the night. The bay side of the same plan is quieter.
$2,427 median rent · safety 42 · walk 13
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Carmel Valley or Pacific Beach?
Pacific Beach is the lower ACS median: $3,374 vs $2,427. About 69% rent in Pacific Beach vs 39% in Carmel Valley. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Carmel Valley more walkable than Pacific Beach?
Walk is basically a tie (13 vs 13). Count groceries if you care: 8 in Carmel Valley vs 15 in Pacific Beach, inside 800 meters.
Which is safer on this map, Carmel Valley or Pacific Beach?
Carmel Valley is the calmer Part I read (100 vs 42). Combined rate 6.1 vs 22.7 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Carmel Valley or Pacific Beach?
Carmel Valley leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 40.2 vs 34.4. Pacific Beach has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
32 minutes from Carmel Valley to Downtown, 24 from Pacific Beach. Pacific Beach is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official community planning area that is not Carmel Valley or Pacific Beach: La Jolla. Prospect and the coves. Oldest median age in this set, 52.2, and only 29% of households rent. The home median is $1,908,428. Violent Part I is 1.6 per 1,000. Property is 16.9, which is the shops as much as the side streets. The inland campus is a different plan.
Scores are relative among official San Diego community planning areas with the same editorial weights. Read the method.