Best Places93401, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 93401, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
93401 ranks 3,413th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 93401
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.
93401's strengths and weaknesses
Where 93401 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 208 pleasant days a year, better than 98% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Short commute17.3 minutes each way, better than 93% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 93% of zip codes
Where 93401 ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,391 a month, better than only 10% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 23% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 93401
A household needs to earn about $252,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 93401 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $98,634, 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 93401's effective rate of 0.60%, 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 93401
93401 runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 93401.
Who works in 93401, and how
Work in 93401 centers on education and professional & technical. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 69%
- Work from home 20%
- Transit, walk, or bike 11%
Life in 93401
93401 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 91% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 94% of zip codes. The coast is about 9 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 93401 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 93401, month by month
93401 sees roughly 208 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 81 degrees. January highs sit near 68, with lows near 42. The comfortable stretch runs March through November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 68° | 54° | 42° |
| April | 72° | 57° | 47° |
| July | 81° | 64° | 54° |
| October | 82° | 63° | 51° |
Flying in and out of 93401
The nearest airport, San Luis Obispo County Regional, is about 2 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Bob Hope, about 149 miles away.
The best schools in and around 93401
Schools across 93401 average a B+, better than 80% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Sinsheimer ElementaryA− · 57% proficient
- Los Ranchos ElementaryB+ · 55% proficient
- Hawthorne ElementaryC+ · 36% proficient
Top middle schools
- Teach ElementaryA+ · 80% proficient
Top high schools
- San Luis Obispo HighB+ · 52% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 93401 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
93401 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 93401 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 93401 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 20% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 93401
Is 93401 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 93401 ranks 3,413th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, biking, and clean air, 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 93401 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $992,722. The overall cost of living runs about 27% above the national average. Set against a $98,634 median income, cost of living beats 48% of zip codes.
Is 93401 safe?
93401 is safer than 36% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $421 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 93401?
July highs average about 81 degrees, and January highs near 68 with lows near 42. That works out to about 208 pleasant days a year, more than 98% of zip codes.
Is 93401 good for families?
Schools beat 80% of zip codes, crime safety beats 36%, and childcare runs $1,391 a month.
Compare 93401 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 93401. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 93401 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.
93401 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 93401: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 93401: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 93401: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 93401: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
93401 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.