Best Places92131, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 92131, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
92131 ranks 313th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on high incomes by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 92131
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
92131's strengths and weaknesses
Where 92131 ranks high
- Household income$186,667 median, better than 99% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 226 pleasant days a year, better than 98% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 94% of zip codes
Where 92131 ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,432 a month, better than only 9% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 24% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 92131
A household needs to earn about $312,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 92131 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $186,667, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 92131's effective rate of 0.75%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 92131
92131 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 92131.
Who works in 92131, and how
Work in 92131 centers on professional & technical and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 71%
- Work from home 27%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 92131
92131 has more parkland per resident than 73% of zip codes. The coast is about 14 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 92131 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 92131, month by month
92131 sees roughly 226 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 70, with lows near 45. Every month averages in that range.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 70° | 56° | 45° |
| April | 74° | 61° | 50° |
| July | 84° | 72° | 63° |
| October | 83° | 67° | 56° |
Flying in and out of 92131
San Diego International sits about 14 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 12.7 million passengers in 2025, with 121 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 92131
Schools across 92131 average an A−, better than 87% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Miramar Ranch ElementaryB · 50% proficient
- Carlton Oaks ElementaryB · 50% proficient
Top high schools
- Scripps Ranch HighA+ · 90% proficient
- West Hills HighB · 47% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 92131 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
92131 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 92131 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 92131 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 94% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 27% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 98% of zip codes and health care access beats 81%.
Common questions about living in 92131
Is 92131 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 92131 ranks 313th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on high incomes, population health, and an educated workforce, and lowest on an overheated housing market and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 92131 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $1,202,689. The overall cost of living runs about 42% above the national average. Set against a $186,667 median income, cost of living beats 94% of zip codes.
Is 92131 safe?
Yes, 92131 is safer than 79% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $253 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 92131?
July highs average about 84 degrees, and January highs near 70 with lows near 45. That works out to about 226 pleasant days a year, more than 98% of zip codes.
Is 92131 good for families?
Schools beat 87% of zip codes, crime safety beats 79%, and childcare runs $1,432 a month.
Compare 92131 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 92131. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 92131 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
92131 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 92131: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 92131: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 92131: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 92131: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
92131 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.