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%

San Clemente$9,990/mo

Typical home $1.74M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.58% · or rent about $2,460/mo · Housing →

Pacifica$7,250/mo

Typical home $1.26M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.63% · or rent about $3,098/mo · Housing →

The difference: $2,750 a month, about $33,000 a year, between San Clemente and Pacifica.

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

Pacifica places higher on 15 of 23 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

B−San ClementeSafer than 52% of U.S. towns B−PacificaSafer than 53% of U.S. towns

Schools

ASan ClementeBetter than 87% of districts in the state A−PacificaBetter than 83% of districts in the state

Health

ASan ClementeHealthier than 88% of U.S. towns APacificaHealthier than 92% of U.S. towns

6San Clemente

15Pacifica

Lists won, of 23 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #400#27 Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #52#272 Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #420#184 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 422 towns #217#106 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #287#506 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 844 towns #433#259 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #583#441 Most new homesHousing · 438 towns #315#387

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

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

San ClementePacifica

Snow a year0″0″

January low44°F 45°F

July high80°F 69°F

Growing season (days)365d 365d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)68th 89th

Outdoors & history

San ClementePacifica

Trails45 mi 42 mi

Conserved land4.2%42.7%

National Register places6 2

Archive photos14 12

Famous people born here37 6

Community

San ClementePacifica

Library hours a week60 hrs 57 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 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.

Where they are

397 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

San ClementeCA PacificaCA

San Clemente ↔ Pacifica397 miles apart

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

San ClementePacifica

People

Population 63,273Highest 37,261Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +1.2%Lowest CA: +6.1% +3.8%Highest CA: +6.1%

Median age 45.6±1.6Highest 20% above CA 44.6±1.4Lowest 18% above CA

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

Kids under 18 20.8%±1.7Highest CA: 22% 18.2%±1.7Lowest CA: 22%

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

Age 65+ 21.4%±1.4Highest CA: 15.7% 20.4%±1.7Lowest CA: 15.7%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 53.8%Highest CA: 37.1% 48.9%Lowest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.6%±0.8Lowest CA: 7.6% 6.1%±1.2Highest CA: 7.6%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $140,062±$11kLowest 41% above CA $160,523±$13kHighest 62% above CA

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,398,400±$89kHighest 90% above CA $1,249,800±$36kLowest 70% above CA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,460±$118Lowest 21% above CA $3,098±$184Highest 52% above CA

Property taxmedian, yearly $8,160Highest 59% above CA $7,933Lowest 55% above CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 56%±5.1Highest CA: 55.3% 51.4%±7.1Lowest CA: 55.3%

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

Below poverty line 5.8% CA: 12% 5.8% CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 66.5%Lowest CA: 55.9% 67.7%Highest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1983Highest 7 yrs newer than CA 1966Lowest 10 yrs older than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 29 minHighest about the CA average 27 minLowest 5% below CA

Work from home 22.8%±2.1Lowest CA: 17.2% 23.6%±2.5Highest CA: 17.2%

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

Work in townworking residents 18.5%Highest 8.1%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 20.3 miHighest 12.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.81Highest 0.27Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Irvine (10%)San Francisco (33%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in PacificaFew work in San Clemente

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 4.2%Lowest 42.7%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 44.9 miHighest 42.1 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.5 miLowest 3.4 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 23Highest 17Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 91.7Highest 57.7Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #107 of 574 in CA #75 of 574 in CA

School district Capistrano UnifiedJefferson Union High · Pacifica

High school in town San Clemente HighTerra Nova High

Students per teacherat that high school 23.6Highest 20.0Lowest

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.

San Clemente neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to San Clemente’s Town Square.

Pacifica neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Pacifica’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside San Clemente and Pacifica

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

Bordering San Clemente

+ Compare

San Juan Capistrano35,095 people · $994K homes

+ Compare

Dana Point32,790 people · $1.32M homes

+ Compare

Rancho Mission Viejo11,971 people · $1.11M homes

Towns like San Clemente

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Laguna Niguel64,139 people · $1.19M homes

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Novato52,546 people · $1.03M homes

+ Compare

Fountain Valley56,258 people · $1.07M homes

+ Compare

Arcadia55,170 people · $1.44M 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.

San Clemente vs Pacifica

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $2,750 more a month in San Clemente

Pacifica places higher on 15 of 23 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

397 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside San Clemente and Pacifica

Bordering San Clemente

Towns like San Clemente

Post to San Clemente

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