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Compare towns

Sausalito vs Del Mar

448 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (2.5× in Del Mar) and average commute (8 min in Del Mar).

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Sausalito, CAHomes around $1.53MCalifornia · 7,141 people
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Del Mar, CAHomes around $3.84MCalifornia · 3,903 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

SausalitoHomes around $1.53M
Housing$1.53M typical home101% above the CA typical home Work4,316 jobsbased in Sausalito, a regional job hub SchoolsBetter than 90%of CA districts All about Sausalito →
Del MarHomes around $3.84M
Housing$3.84M typical home402% above the CA typical home Outdoors#4 most trails in CA12 miles of trails across 4 parks and preserves SchoolsBetter than 77%of CA districts All about Del Mar →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Trails2.5×
Del Mar has more miles of trail
Del Mar 12.3 miSausalito 4.9 mi
Average commute8 min
Del Mar has the shorter commute
Sausalito 30 minDel Mar 22 min
Growth since 2010+7.9 pts
Sausalito has grown faster since 2010
Sausalito +2.9%Del Mar -5%
Kids under 18+6.3 pts
Del Mar has more kids
Del Mar 12.9%Sausalito 6.6%
Seasonal homes+11.3 pts
Del Mar has more second homes
Del Mar 16.8%Sausalito 5.5%
Bachelor’s degree++9.9 pts
More adults in Del Mar have a degree
Del Mar 86.4%Sausalito 76.5%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $12,980 more a month in Del Mar

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.

Sausalito$8,720/mo
Typical home $1.53M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.53%+ · or rent about $3,501/mo · Housing →
Del Mar$21,710/mo
Typical home $3.84M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.50% · or rent about $3,501/mo · Housing →

The difference: $12,980 a month, about $155,800 a year, between Del Mar and Sausalito.

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; “+” means the Census top-codes that town’s bill at $10,000, so its real rate is higher.

Report cards

Del Mar places higher on 13 of 20 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−SausalitoSafer than 47% of U.S. towns B−Del MarSafer than 53% of U.S. towns
Schools
ASausalitoBetter than 90% of districts in the state A−Del MarBetter than 77% of districts in the state
Health
A+SausalitoHealthier than 98% of U.S. towns A+Del MarHealthier than 99% of U.S. towns
5Sausalito
13Del Mar

Lists won, of 20 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most new homesHousing · 438 towns #312#91 Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #536#127 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #503#756 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #335#151 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #142#4 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #136#235 Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #288#184 Lowest property taxCost of living · 835 towns #810#745

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Sausalito’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
SausalitoDel Mar
Snow a year0″0″
January low—49°F
July high—74°F
Growing season (days)—365d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)84th73rd
Outdoors & history
SausalitoDel Mar
Trails5 mi12 mi
Conserved land18.1%10.7%
Settled—1882
National Register places51
Archive photos1215
Famous people born here—8
Community
SausalitoDel Mar
Library hours a week49 hrs37 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

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

448 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

SausalitoCADel MarCA
Sausalito ↔ Del Mar448 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.

SausalitoDel Mar
People
Population 7,141Highest 3,903Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2.9%Highest CA: +6.1% -5%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 55.6±2.8Highest 47% above CA 55.5±2Lowest 46% above CA
Sausalito and Del Mar are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 6.6%±1.8Lowest CA: 22% 12.9%±3.4Highest CA: 22%
Age 65+ 33.7%±4.9Highest CA: 15.7% 31.8%±6.7Lowest CA: 15.7%
Sausalito and Del Mar are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 76.5%Lowest CA: 37.1% 86.4%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.2%±3.4Highest CA: 7.6% 3.5%±2Lowest CA: 7.6%
Sausalito and Del Mar are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $182,357±$14kLowest 84% above CA $199,152±$30kHighest 101% above CA
Del Mar and Sausalito are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,894,600±$418kLowest 158% above CA $2,000,001Highest 172% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $3,501 72% above CA $3,501 72% above CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $10,000+Highest at least 95% above CA $9,929Lowest 94% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 44.5%±10.4Lowest CA: 55.3% 45.5%±16.2Highest CA: 55.3%
Del Mar and Sausalito are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 8%Highest CA: 12% 2.7%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 59.6%Highest CA: 55.9% 53.2%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1964Lowest 12 yrs older than CA 1971Highest 5 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 30 minHighest 5% above CA 22 minLowest 24% below CA
Work from home 45.5%±6.5Lowest CA: 17.2% 49%±20.2Highest CA: 17.2%
Del Mar and Sausalito are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 10.1%Highest 9.3%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 7.8 miLowest 10.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.56Lowest 2.01Highest
Top workplaceoutside town San Francisco (38%)San Diego (50%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Del MarFew work in Sausalito
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 18.1%Highest 10.7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 4.9 miLowest 12.3 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.2 miLowest 6.8 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 6Highest 4Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 84.2Lowest 119Highest
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.

Sausalito neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sausalito’s Town Square.

Del Mar neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Del Mar’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Sausalito

T
+ Compare
Tamalpais-Homestead Valley12,085 people · $1.86M homes

Towns like Sausalito

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Solana Beach12,823 people · $2M homes
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Mill Valley14,012 people · $2M homes
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Tiburon9,012 people · $2M homes
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Malibu10,421 people · $2M homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks California towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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.

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