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FiDi / South Beach vs Russian Hill

FiDi / South Beach and Russian Hill are two official analysis neighborhoods in San Francisco. Russian Hill is the calmer Part I map (53 vs 5). FiDi / South Beach wins the errand count. Russian Hill has the lower ACS median ($2,788).

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.

AxisFiDi / South BeachRussian Hill
Safety553
Schools1367
Walk10011
Cost fit7990
Vibe10018
Median rent$3,160$2,788
Median home$1,409,680$1,422,991
Population21,00915,524
Commute to FiDi6 min20 min
Commute to SoMa15 min29 min
Commute to Mission Bay24 min38 min

Living numbers

Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.

FactFiDi / South BeachRussian Hill
Renters68%79%
Median age36.638.3
Median income$184K$156K
Part I per 1k67.331.3
Groceries / 800m1810
Transit stops / 800m26797
Parks / 800m12150
311 last 14 days970556

Rent

Rent since 2014

ACS 5-year median gross rent for San Francisco city. Up 62% since 2014. FiDi is 28% above the 2024 city median. R Hill is 13% above the 2024 city median.

$1.8kFiDi $3,160R Hill $2,788201420162018202020222024

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 FiDi / South Beach if you want the errands on foot and you want the cafes and the night. Walk is 100 vs 11. Vibe is 100 vs 18. 6 vs 20 minutes to FiDi. Read both pages before you decide.

Pick Russian Hill if the school rating nearby is the point and the quieter map matters more than the scene. Schools score 67 vs 13. Safety is 53 vs 5. ACS median rent is $2,788 vs $3,160. Read both pages before you decide.

FiDi / South Beach

Towers, the Embarcadero, and a ballpark on the south edge. Official name is Financial District/South Beach — search FiDi.

$3,160 median rent · safety 5 · walk 100

Russian Hill

The crooked street is the postcard. The rest is steep walks, bay windows, and a quieter read of the north waterfront.

$2,788 median rent · safety 53 · walk 11

Common questions

Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.

Which is cheaper, FiDi / South Beach or Russian Hill?

Russian Hill is the lower ACS median: $3,160 vs $2,788. About 79% rent in Russian Hill vs 68% in FiDi / South Beach. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.

Is FiDi / South Beach more walkable than Russian Hill?

FiDi / South Beach wins the errand count (walk 100 vs 11). Groceries inside 800 meters: 18 vs 10. Not a Walk Score license.

Which is safer on this map, FiDi / South Beach or Russian Hill?

Russian Hill is the calmer Part I read (53 vs 5). Combined rate 31.3 vs 67.3 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.

Which scores higher for families, FiDi / South Beach or Russian Hill?

Russian Hill leads the school axis (67 vs 13). Nearby rating is 7.8 / 10 vs 6.2 / 10. Median age 38.3 vs 36.6. FiDi / South Beach has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.

Which has the shorter commute to FiDi?

6 minutes from FiDi / South Beach to FiDi, 20 from Russian Hill. FiDi / South Beach is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.

If you drop both

Closest official analysis neighborhood that is not FiDi / South Beach or Russian Hill: Nob Hill. Cable cars, hotel bars, and a ridge between Chinatown and Pac Heights. Dense without SoMa's warehouse scale.

FiDi / South Beach vs Nob HillRussian Hill vs Nob Hill

Scores are relative among official San Francisco analysis neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.