San Diego/Compare
Ocean Beach vs Uptown
Ocean Beach and Uptown are two official community planning areas in San Diego. Ocean Beach is the calmer Part I map (37 vs 26). Uptown wins the errand count. Uptown has the lower ACS median ($2,117).
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 | Ocean Beach | Uptown |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 37 | 26 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 5 | 22 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 6 | 13 |
| Median rent | $2,266 | $2,117 |
| Median home | $949,333 | $1,135,056 |
| Population | 15,467 | 41,741 |
| Commute to Downtown | 18 min | 10 min |
| Commute to UTC | 22 min | 26 min |
| Commute to Mission Valley | 18 min | 12 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Ocean Beach | Uptown |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 80% | 66% |
| Median age | 35.3 | 42.2 |
| Median income | $100K | $109K |
| Part I per 1k | 23.5 | 25.6 |
| Groceries / 800m | 5 | 17 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 22 | 118 |
| Parks / 800m | 14 | 22 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for San Diego city. Up 70% since 2014. Ocean B. is 2% below the 2024 city median. Uptown is 8% below 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 Ocean Beach if the quieter map matters more than the scene. Safety is 37 vs 26. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Uptown if you want the errands on foot and you want the cafes and the night. Walk is 22 vs 5. Vibe is 13 vs 6. 10 vs 18 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Ocean Beach
Newport Avenue and the pier. The official plan is Ocean Beach. 80% of households rent. Rent is $2,266. Violent Part I is 7.1 per 1,000, higher than the beach plan to the north, and property is 16.4. A small grid with a loud end.
$2,266 median rent · safety 37 · walk 5
Uptown
Hillcrest, Mission Hills, and Bankers Hill are searches inside one plan. The official name is Uptown. Hillcrest is the night; the west side is houses. Median age is 42.2 and the home median is $1,135,056. Violent Part I is 5.7 per 1,000. Property is 19.9.
$2,117 median rent · safety 26 · walk 22
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Ocean Beach or Uptown?
Uptown is the lower ACS median: $2,266 vs $2,117. About 66% rent in Uptown vs 80% in Ocean Beach. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Ocean Beach more walkable than Uptown?
Uptown wins the errand count (walk 5 vs 22). Groceries inside 800 meters: 5 vs 17. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Ocean Beach or Uptown?
Ocean Beach is the calmer Part I read (37 vs 26). Combined rate 23.5 vs 25.6 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Ocean Beach or Uptown?
Ocean Beach leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 35.3 vs 42.2. Uptown has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
18 minutes from Ocean Beach to Downtown, 10 from Uptown. Uptown is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official community planning area that is not Ocean Beach or Uptown: 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.
Scores are relative among official San Diego community planning areas with the same editorial weights. Read the method.