Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 57/100
C−
Median home value$1,249,800
San Francisco $1,140,700
Median rent$3,098/mo
San Francisco $2,474/mo
Cost-burdened households33%
San Francisco 38%
Pacifica
San Mateo County37,261 residents2 school districts
60
C
Suburbgrade score
29th of 59 San Francisco suburbs. Strongest on employment & income, held back by amenities.
60
San Francisco median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Pacifica yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 60 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Pacifica is like to live in, by category
Bars show Pacifica against San Francisco. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 63/100
C+
Within-state proficiency81st pct
San Francisco median 73rd pct
Student–teacher ratio21.3
San Francisco median 21.7
Graduation rate89%
San Francisco median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 65/100
C+
Housing cost index106
San Francisco 100
Eff. tax rate0.63%
San Francisco 0.73%
Local sales tax9.88%
San Francisco median 9.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 59/100
C
Mean commute27.2 min
San Francisco 31.0 min
Under 30 minutes54%
San Francisco 52%
Transit stops / sq mi4.3
San Francisco median 8.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 55/100
C−
Restaurants & cafés33
San Francisco median 64 · within 2 miles
Groceries5
San Francisco median 7 · within 2 miles
Parks24
San Francisco median 59 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 65/100
C+
Median household income$160,523
San Francisco $136,027
Unemployment3.9%
San Francisco 5.7%
Professional occupations55%
San Francisco 56%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Pacifica yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Pacifica on amenities
Pacifica's weakest grade is C−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.
SuburbAmenitiesOverall
Berkeley20 mi from PacificaA+ 66 C+ Oakland18 mi from PacificaA+ 54 C− North Fair Oaks18 mi from PacificaA+ 63 C+ Daly City7 mi from PacificaA 60 C Albany21 mi from PacificaA 69 B− San Mateo10 mi from PacificaA 68 B− Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026
Common questions about living in Pacifica
Is Pacifica, CA a good place to live?
Pacifica scores 60 out of 100, 29th of 59 San Francisco suburbs. It is strongest on employment & income and weakest on amenities. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Pacifica expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C+. The median home is $1,249,800, 10% above the San Francisco median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.63%. $3,098/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Pacifica?
Schools grade C+. The districts serving Pacifica sit at the 81st pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 89% graduation rate and a 21.3 student–teacher ratio. Pacifica is served by Jefferson Union High and Pacifica. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Pacifica?
The mean commute is 27.2 min, with 54% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 24% working from home. Transit density is 4.3 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Pacifica?
Within two miles there are 5 groceries, 33 restaurants and cafés and 24 parks, which grades C− on amenities.
Are the homes in Pacifica old or new?
The median home in Pacifica was built in 1966 — close to the San Francisco median of 1968. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 79% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.
Six San Francisco lists
Best San Francisco suburbs for familiesMost affordable San Francisco suburbsBest San Francisco suburbs for schoolsShortest commutes to Downtown San FranciscoMost walkable San Francisco suburbsBest San Francisco suburbs for young professionalsCompare Pacifica
Every San Francisco suburb, side by side