San Francisco/Compare
North Beach vs Russian Hill
North Beach and Russian Hill are two official analysis neighborhoods in San Francisco. Russian Hill is the calmer Part I map (53 vs 42). North Beach wins the errand count. North Beach has the lower ACS median ($2,356).
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 | North Beach | Russian Hill |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 42 | 53 |
| Schools | 33 | 67 |
| Walk | 23 | 11 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 90 |
| Vibe | 31 | 18 |
| Median rent | $2,356 | $2,788 |
| Median home | $1,512,678 | $1,422,991 |
| Population | 11,136 | 15,524 |
| Commute to FiDi | 16 min | 20 min |
| Commute to SoMa | 27 min | 29 min |
| Commute to Mission Bay | 35 min | 38 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | North Beach | Russian Hill |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 81% | 79% |
| Median age | 40 | 38.3 |
| Median income | $125K | $156K |
| Part I per 1k | 35.7 | 31.3 |
| Groceries / 800m | 15 | 10 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 120 | 97 |
| Parks / 800m | 48 | 50 |
| 311 last 14 days | 501 | 556 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for San Francisco city. Up 62% since 2014. N Bch is 5% below the 2024 city median. R Hill is 13% 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 North Beach if you want the cafes and the night and the rent gap is the point. Vibe is 31 vs 18. ACS median rent is $2,356 vs $2,788. Walk is 23 vs 11. 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 33. Safety is 53 vs 42. Read both pages before you decide.
North Beach
Caffe Trieste, Columbus Avenue, and Telegraph Hill stairs. Nightlife with a church bell still in earshot.
$2,356 median rent · safety 42 · walk 23
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, North Beach or Russian Hill?
North Beach is the lower ACS median: $2,356 vs $2,788. About 81% rent in North Beach vs 79% in Russian Hill. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is North Beach more walkable than Russian Hill?
North Beach wins the errand count (walk 23 vs 11). Groceries inside 800 meters: 15 vs 10. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, North Beach or Russian Hill?
Russian Hill is the calmer Part I read (53 vs 42). Combined rate 31.3 vs 35.7 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, North Beach or Russian Hill?
Russian Hill leads the school axis (67 vs 33). Nearby rating is 7.8 / 10 vs 6.8 / 10. Median age 38.3 vs 40. North Beach has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to FiDi?
16 minutes from North Beach to FiDi, 20 from Russian Hill. North Beach is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official analysis neighborhood that is not North Beach or Russian Hill: Nob Hill. Cable cars, hotel bars, and a ridge between Chinatown and Pac Heights. Dense without SoMa's warehouse scale.
Scores are relative among official San Francisco analysis neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.