Best PlacesDel Mar Heights, Del Mar, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Del Mar Heights, Del Mar, 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.
Del Mar Heights, Del Mar ranks 932nd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on health care access by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Del Mar Heights, Del Mar
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.
Del Mar Heights, Del Mar's strengths and weaknesses
Where Del Mar Heights, Del Mar ranks high
- Healthcare accessBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Household income$172,588 median, better than 95% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 253 pleasant days a year, better than 95% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
Where Del Mar Heights, Del Mar ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 9% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 20% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 23% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$1,432 a month, better than only 25% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Del Mar Heights, Del Mar
A household needs to earn about $454,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Del Mar Heights, Del Mar home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $172,588, 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 Del Mar Heights, Del Mar's effective rate of 0.52%, 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 Del Mar Heights, Del Mar
Del Mar Heights, Del Mar runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Del Mar Heights, Del Mar.
Who works in Del Mar Heights, Del Mar, and how
Work in Del Mar Heights, Del Mar centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 61%
- Work from home 36%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in Del Mar Heights, Del Mar
Del Mar Heights, Del Mar has more restaurants and bars per resident than 68% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 96% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 2 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Del Mar Heights, Del Mar and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Del Mar Heights, Del Mar, month by month
Del Mar Heights, Del Mar sees roughly 253 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 Del Mar Heights, Del Mar
The nearest airport, McClellan-Palomar, is about 12 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is San Diego International, about 15 miles away.
The best schools in and around Del Mar Heights, Del Mar
Schools across Del Mar Heights, Del Mar average an A−, better than 86% of neighborhoods.
Top middle schools
- Earl Warren MiddleB+ · 50% proficient
Top high schools
- Canyon Crest AcademyA · 68% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Del Mar Heights, Del Mar school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Del Mar Heights, Del Mar 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 Del Mar Heights, Del Mar against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Del Mar Heights, Del Mar
Is Del Mar Heights, Del Mar a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Del Mar Heights, Del Mar ranks 932nd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on health care access, high incomes, and an educated workforce, and lowest on cell coverage and an overheated housing market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Del Mar Heights, Del Mar expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $1,806,502. The overall cost of living runs about 116% above the national average. Set against a $172,588 median income, cost of living beats 53% of neighborhoods.
Is Del Mar Heights, Del Mar safe?
Del Mar Heights, Del Mar is safer than 51% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $478 per resident a year.
Compare Del Mar Heights, Del Mar with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Del Mar Heights, Del Mar. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Del Mar Heights, Del Mar 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.
Del Mar Heights, Del Mar detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Del Mar Heights, Del Mar: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Del Mar Heights, Del Mar: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Del Mar Heights, Del Mar: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Del Mar Heights, Del Mar: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Del Mar Heights, Del Mar 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.