A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Marina$4,990/mo

Typical home $859K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.68% · or rent about $2,101/mo · Housing →

Seaside$4,470/mo

Typical home $789K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.51% · or rent about $2,409/mo · Housing →

The difference: $520 a month, about $6,200 a year, between Marina and Seaside.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Marina places higher on 16 of 22 CA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every California ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

CMarinaSafer than 33% of U.S. towns CSeasideSafer than 33% of U.S. towns

Schools

B−MarinaBetter than 53% of districts in the state B+SeasideBetter than 68% of districts in the state

Health

B+MarinaHealthier than 67% of U.S. towns B−SeasideHealthier than 51% of U.S. towns

16Marina

6Seaside

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 422 towns #74#397 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #120#704 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #581#154 Most new homesHousing · 438 towns #18#291 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 844 towns #397#602 Fewest smokersHealth · 844 towns #329#530 Lowest property taxCost of living · 835 towns #536#360 Best schoolsSchools · 574 towns #410#514

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Marina’s rankings →

Where they are

Marina and Seaside share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

MarinaSeaside

Marina ↔ Seaside4.2 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

534 Marina residents work in Seaside (6.5% of its workers)

242 Seaside residents work in Marina (2% of its workers)

Work & commute in Marina →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

MarinaSeaside

Snow a year0″0″

January low43°F 43°F

July high66°F 66°F

Growing season (days)365d 365d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)85th 86th

Outdoors & history

MarinaSeaside

Trails4 mi 19 mi

Conserved land16.7%10.4%

Settled1975 1954

National Register places2 —

Archive photos—6

Famous people born here2 6

Community

MarinaSeaside

Library hours a week36 hrs 46 hrs

Colleges in town—1

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined1 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs California average

MarinaSeaside

People

Population 22,563Lowest 31,814Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +13.4%Highest CA: +6.1% -2%Lowest CA: +6.1%

Median age 36.9±2.2Highest about the CA average 34±1.5Lowest 10% below CA

Marina and Seaside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 20.6%±2.2Lowest CA: 22% 21.8%±1.9Highest CA: 22%

Seaside and Marina are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 15.5%±1.6Highest CA: 15.7% 12.8%±1.4Lowest CA: 15.7%

Marina and Seaside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 37.9%Highest CA: 37.1% 29.6%Lowest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 13.5%±2.2Highest CA: 7.6% 12.7%±1.4Lowest CA: 7.6%

Marina and Seaside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $95,955±$10kHighest 3% below CA $85,311±$6kLowest 14% below CA

Marina and Seaside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $818,700±$26kHighest 11% above CA $787,100±$33kLowest 7% above CA

Marina and Seaside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,101±$117Lowest 3% above CA $2,409±$116Highest 18% above CA

Property taxmedian, yearly $5,568Highest 9% above CA $4,012Lowest 22% below CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 49.1%±5.4Lowest CA: 55.3% 65.3%±6.4Highest CA: 55.3%

Below poverty line 12.2%Lowest CA: 12% 16%Highest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 42.9%Highest CA: 55.9% 35.4%Lowest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1981Highest 5 yrs newer than CA 1968Lowest 8 yrs older than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 24 minHighest 16% below CA 21 minLowest 27% below CA

Work from home 11.7%±2.3Highest CA: 17.2% 8.3%±1.5Lowest CA: 17.2%

Marina and Seaside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 8.3%Lowest 9.5%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miHighest 6.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.46Lowest 0.56Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Monterey (21%)Monterey (25%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 7% work in Seaside2% work in Marina

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 16.7%Highest 10.4%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 3.8 miLowest 18.9 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miLowest 2.1 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 6Lowest 23Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 86.7Lowest 93.9Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #410 of 574 in CA #514 of 574 in CA

School district Monterey Peninsula UnifiedInternational School of Monterey District · Monterey Peninsula Unified

High school in town Marina HighSeaside High

Students per teacherat that high school 20.9Highest 20.3Lowest

California average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Marina neighborsTown Square →

T Weaver · 1w

Marina's Property Taxes

1 neighbor in Marina can answer.

Seaside neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Seaside’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Marina and Seaside

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Towns like Marina

+ Compare

Lomita20,225 people · $832K homes

+ Compare

Monrovia37,571 people · $909K homes

+ Compare

South Lake Tahoe21,269 people · $682K homes

+ Compare

Los Alamitos11,794 people · $1.06M homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Marina vs Seaside

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $520 more a month in Marina

Marina places higher on 16 of 22 CA lists

Marina and Seaside share a border

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Marina's Property Taxes

Set another town beside Marina and Seaside

Towns like Marina

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