San Francisco/Compare
Bernal Heights vs Pacific Heights
Bernal Heights and Pacific Heights are two official analysis neighborhoods in San Francisco. Bernal Heights is the calmer Part I map (79 vs 47). Walk is a wash (6 vs 5). Bernal Heights has the lower ACS median ($2,833).
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · SFPD Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 · OSM Sep 2026 · updated Sep 2026
Scores
Fit axes among official San Francisco analysis neighborhoods.
| Axis | Bernal Heights | Pacific Heights |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 79 | 47 |
| Schools | 67 | 87 |
| Walk | 6 | 5 |
| Cost fit | 88 | 82 |
| Vibe | 7 | 8 |
| Median rent | $2,833 | $3,040 |
| Median home | $1,534,862 | $1,787,490 |
| Population | 24,099 | 22,821 |
| Commute to FiDi | 33 min | 22 min |
| Commute to SoMa | 23 min | 28 min |
| Commute to Mission Bay | 15 min | 35 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Bernal Heights | Pacific Heights |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 38% | 70% |
| Median age | 42.3 | 38.4 |
| Median income | $183K | $183K |
| Part I per 1k | 20.9 | 33.8 |
| Groceries / 800m | 15 | 13 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 97 | 101 |
| Parks / 800m | 30 | 17 |
| 311 last 14 days | 1,010 | 634 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for San Francisco city. Up 62% since 2014. Bernal is 14% above the 2024 city median. Pac Hts is 23% 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 Bernal Heights if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the rent gap is the point. Safety is 79 vs 47. ACS median rent is $2,833 vs $3,040. Vibe is 7 vs 8. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Pacific Heights if the school rating nearby is the point and the shorter ride to FiDi is the point. Schools score 87 vs 67. 22 vs 33 minutes to FiDi. Read both pages before you decide.
Bernal Heights
A hill with a park on top and Cortland at the base. South of the Mission without Mission prices — relatively.
$2,833 median rent · safety 79 · walk 6
Pacific Heights
Victorians on the hill and Fillmore shops at the bottom. The view is the product; the stairs are the tax.
$3,040 median rent · safety 47 · walk 5
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Bernal Heights or Pacific Heights?
Bernal Heights is the lower ACS median: $2,833 vs $3,040. About 38% rent in Bernal Heights vs 70% in Pacific Heights. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Bernal Heights more walkable than Pacific Heights?
Walk is basically a tie (6 vs 5). Count groceries if you care: 15 in Bernal Heights vs 13 in Pacific Heights, inside 800 meters.
Which is safer on this map, Bernal Heights or Pacific Heights?
Bernal Heights is the calmer Part I read (79 vs 47). Combined rate 20.9 vs 33.8 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Bernal Heights or Pacific Heights?
Pacific Heights leads the school axis (87 vs 67). Nearby rating is 8.4 / 10 vs 7.8 / 10. Median age 38.4 vs 42.3. Bernal Heights has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to FiDi?
33 minutes from Bernal Heights to FiDi, 22 from Pacific Heights. Pacific Heights is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official analysis neighborhood that is not Bernal Heights or Pacific Heights: Haight-Ashbury. The Haight is the brand; the Panhandle is the commute. Still walkable, still loud on weekends, still next to the park.
Bernal Heights vs Haight-AshburyPacific Heights vs Haight-Ashbury
Scores are relative among official San Francisco analysis neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.