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%

Seaside$4,470/mo

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

Marina$4,990/mo

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

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

Schools

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

Health

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

6Seaside

16Marina

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

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

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

Where they are

Seaside and Marina share a border

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

SeasideMarina

Seaside ↔ Marina4.2 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

SeasideMarina

Snow a year0″0″

January low43°F 43°F

July high66°F 66°F

Growing season (days)365d 365d

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

Outdoors & history

SeasideMarina

Trails19 mi 4 mi

Conserved land10.4%16.7%

Settled1954 1975

National Register places—2

Archive photos12 —

Famous people born here6 2

Community

SeasideMarina

Library hours a week46 hrs 36 hrs

Colleges in town1 —

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 1

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

SeasideMarina

People

Population 31,814Highest 22,563Lowest

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

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

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

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

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

Age 65+ 12.8%±1.4Lowest CA: 15.7% 15.5%±1.6Highest 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+ 29.6%Lowest CA: 37.1% 37.9%Highest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 12.7%±1.4Lowest CA: 7.6% 13.5%±2.2Highest 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 $85,311±$6kLowest 14% below CA $95,955±$10kHighest 3% 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 $787,100±$33kLowest 7% above CA $818,700±$26kHighest 11% 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 $2,409±$116Highest 18% above CA $2,101±$117Lowest 3% above CA

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

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

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

Housing

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

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

Getting to work

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

Work from home 8.3%±1.5Lowest CA: 17.2% 11.7%±2.3Highest 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 9.5%Highest 8.3%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 6.8 miLowest 9.3 miHighest

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

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

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in Marina7% work in Seaside

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 10.4%Lowest 16.7%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 18.9 miHighest 3.8 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.1 miHighest 0.4 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 23Highest 6Lowest

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

Schools

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

School district International School of Monterey District · Monterey Peninsula UnifiedMonterey Peninsula Unified

High school in town Seaside HighMarina High

Students per teacherat that high school 20.3Lowest 20.9Highest

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.

Seaside neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Seaside’s Town Square.

Marina neighborsTown Square →

T Weaver · 1w

Marina's Property Taxes

1 neighbor in Marina can answer.

Add a town

Set another town beside Seaside and Marina

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

Bordering Seaside

+ Compare

Monterey29,613 people · $1.08M homes

+ Compare

Sand City404 people · $1.08M homes

+ Compare

Del Rey Oaks1,570 people · $836K homes

Towns like Seaside

+ Compare

Imperial Beach25,764 people · $857K homes

+ Compare

Lawndale30,781 people · $782K homes

+ Compare

San Pablo31,720 people · $552K homes

+ Compare

Rohnert Park44,575 people · $666K 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.

Seaside vs Marina

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

Seaside and Marina 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 Seaside and Marina

Bordering Seaside

Towns like Seaside

Post to Seaside

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