San Diego/Compare
Mission Beach vs Pacific Beach
Mission Beach and Pacific Beach are two official community planning areas in San Diego. Pacific Beach is the calmer Part I map (42 vs 0). Pacific Beach wins the errand count. 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 | Mission Beach | Pacific Beach |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 0 | 42 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 0 | 13 |
| Cost fit | 90 | 100 |
| Vibe | 1 | 13 |
| Median rent | $2,767 | $2,427 |
| Median home | $2,000,001 | $1,372,211 |
| Population | 1,774 | 42,671 |
| Commute to Downtown | 22 min | 24 min |
| Commute to UTC | 16 min | 14 min |
| Commute to Mission Valley | 16 min | 18 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Mission Beach | Pacific Beach |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 74% | 69% |
| Median age | 34.6 | 34.4 |
| Median income | $136K | $130K |
| Part I per 1k | 120.0 | 22.7 |
| Groceries / 800m | 1 | 15 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 13 | 47 |
| Parks / 800m | 11 | 18 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for San Diego city. Up 70% since 2014. Msn Beach is 20% 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 Mission Beach if you already want this pocket more than the table. Pacific Beach leads the numbered axes on this page.
Pick Pacific Beach if the quieter map matters more than the scene and you want the cafes and the night. Safety is 42 vs 0. Vibe is 13 vs 1. ACS median rent is $2,427 vs $2,767. Read both pages before you decide.
Mission Beach
One census tract and 1,774 residents. Belmont Park and the boardwalk sit on that small base, so violent Part I is 33.8 per 1,000 and property is 86.2 — the highest rates in this set, and not a score for every cottage. The ACS home figure is $2,000,001, the survey's top code, so it means at least $2 million rather than an exact price. Rent is $2,767.
$2,767 median rent · safety 0 · walk 0
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, Mission Beach or Pacific Beach?
Pacific Beach is the lower ACS median: $2,767 vs $2,427. About 69% rent in Pacific Beach vs 74% in Mission Beach. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Mission Beach more walkable than Pacific Beach?
Pacific Beach wins the errand count (walk 0 vs 13). Groceries inside 800 meters: 1 vs 15. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Mission Beach or Pacific Beach?
Pacific Beach is the calmer Part I read (42 vs 0). Combined rate 22.7 vs 120.0 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Mission Beach or Pacific Beach?
Mission Beach leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 34.6 vs 34.4. Pacific Beach has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
22 minutes from Mission Beach to Downtown, 24 from Pacific Beach. Mission Beach is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official community planning area that is not Mission Beach or Pacific Beach: Linda Vista. USD is a search on the west side of this plan. The official name is Linda Vista. Home median is $717,082. Property Part I is 25.7 per 1,000, high for a plan that is mostly houses — the commercial edge is inside the same line. Violent is 4.5.
Scores are relative among official San Diego community planning areas with the same editorial weights. Read the method.