San Diego/Compare
Mira Mesa vs Mission Valley
Mira Mesa and Mission Valley are two official community planning areas in San Diego. Mira Mesa is the calmer Part I map (95 vs 5). Mira Mesa wins the errand count. Mira Mesa has the lower ACS median ($2,756).
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 | Mira Mesa | Mission Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 95 | 5 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 40 | 34 |
| Cost fit | 91 | 88 |
| Vibe | 30 | 24 |
| Median rent | $2,756 | $2,831 |
| Median home | $883,680 | $631,490 |
| Population | 77,845 | 24,121 |
| Commute to Downtown | 28 min | 14 min |
| Commute to UTC | 12 min | 16 min |
| Commute to Mission Valley | 18 min | 6 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Mira Mesa | Mission Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 46% | 72% |
| Median age | 37 | 33.8 |
| Median income | $133K | $98K |
| Part I per 1k | 11.3 | 88.0 |
| Groceries / 800m | 28 | 8 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 167 | 177 |
| Parks / 800m | 103 | 121 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for San Diego city. Up 70% since 2014. Mira Mesa is 19% above the 2024 city median. Msn Valley is 22% 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 Mira Mesa if the quieter map matters more than the scene and you want the quieter, family-leaning read. Safety is 95 vs 5. Mira Mesa is tagged family on this map; Mission Valley is not. Vibe is 30 vs 24. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Mission Valley if the shorter ride to Downtown is the point. 14 vs 28 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Mira Mesa
A north-inland plan of 77,845 people. Rent is $2,756. Violent Part I is 1.7 per 1,000 and property is 9.6. Income is $132,721. It is houses and errands, not a beach night. The coast is a drive.
$2,756 median rent · safety 95 · walk 40
Mission Valley
Fashion Valley and the stadium are searches inside Mission Valley. Rent is $2,831 and the home median is $631,490 — more condo than house. Property Part I is 77.0 per 1,000, second only to the beach spit, because the malls and the hotels are in the count. Violent is 11.0. Not a score for every new building.
$2,831 median rent · safety 5 · walk 34
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Mira Mesa or Mission Valley?
Mira Mesa is the lower ACS median: $2,756 vs $2,831. About 46% rent in Mira Mesa vs 72% in Mission Valley. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Mira Mesa more walkable than Mission Valley?
Mira Mesa wins the errand count (walk 40 vs 34). Groceries inside 800 meters: 28 vs 8. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Mira Mesa or Mission Valley?
Mira Mesa is the calmer Part I read (95 vs 5). Combined rate 11.3 vs 88.0 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Mira Mesa or Mission Valley?
Mira Mesa leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 37 vs 33.8. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
28 minutes from Mira Mesa to Downtown, 14 from Mission Valley. Mission Valley is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official community planning area that is not Mira Mesa or Mission Valley: Clairemont. The official plan is Clairemont Mesa. 78,255 people, houses and canyons, 42% renters. Rent is $2,312. Violent Part I is 2.1 per 1,000. It is a drive to the water and a shorter hop to the valley offices.
Scores are relative among official San Diego community planning areas with the same editorial weights. Read the method.