San Francisco/Compare
Marina vs Pacific Heights
Marina and Pacific Heights are two official analysis neighborhoods in San Francisco. Pacific Heights is the calmer Part I map (47 vs 26). Walk is a wash (4 vs 5). Pacific Heights has the lower ACS median ($3,040).
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 | Marina | Pacific Heights |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 26 | 47 |
| Schools | 73 | 87 |
| Walk | 4 | 5 |
| Cost fit | 78 | 82 |
| Vibe | 8 | 8 |
| Median rent | $3,204 | $3,040 |
| Median home | $1,960,952 | $1,787,490 |
| Population | 20,244 | 22,821 |
| Commute to FiDi | 26 min | 22 min |
| Commute to SoMa | 33 min | 28 min |
| Commute to Mission Bay | 41 min | 35 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Marina | Pacific Heights |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 72% | 70% |
| Median age | 33.1 | 38.4 |
| Median income | $212K | $183K |
| Part I per 1k | 39.5 | 33.8 |
| Groceries / 800m | 15 | 13 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 86 | 101 |
| Parks / 800m | 14 | 17 |
| 311 last 14 days | 809 | 634 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for San Francisco city. Up 62% since 2014. Marina is 29% 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 Marina if you want the cafes and the night. Vibe is 8 vs 8. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Pacific Heights if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the school rating nearby is the point. Safety is 47 vs 26. Schools score 87 vs 73. Pacific Heights is tagged family on this map; Marina is not. Read both pages before you decide.
Marina
Chestnut Street, the Palace of Fine Arts, and a bay that sells the neighborhood. Fog in the morning, crowds on the weekend.
$3,204 median rent · safety 26 · walk 4
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, Marina or Pacific Heights?
Pacific Heights is the lower ACS median: $3,204 vs $3,040. About 70% rent in Pacific Heights vs 72% in Marina. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Marina more walkable than Pacific Heights?
Walk is basically a tie (4 vs 5). Count groceries if you care: 15 in Marina vs 13 in Pacific Heights, inside 800 meters.
Which is safer on this map, Marina or Pacific Heights?
Pacific Heights is the calmer Part I read (47 vs 26). Combined rate 33.8 vs 39.5 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Marina or Pacific Heights?
Pacific Heights leads the school axis (87 vs 73). Nearby rating is 8.4 / 10 vs 8.0 / 10. Median age 38.4 vs 33.1. Marina has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to FiDi?
26 minutes from Marina 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 Marina or Pacific Heights: Russian Hill. The crooked street is the postcard. The rest is steep walks, bay windows, and a quieter read of the north waterfront.
Scores are relative among official San Francisco analysis neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.