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Residential comparison · 13 facts

Castro Valley, CA vs Oakland, CA

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Castro Valley needs about $82,500 in Oakland to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Oakland, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $87,500 in Castro Valley.

A few differences

Castro Valley vs Oakland · facet by facet
FacetCastro Valley, CAOakland, CA
Median home price$1,104,600$929,900
2-bedroom rent$2,671/mo$2,218/mo
Property tax rate0.75%0.75%
State & local income tax2.09%2.09%
Sales tax8.8%8.8%
Cost of living index167151
Groceries index112112
Utilities$245/mo$245/mo
Median household income$142,779$101,600
Unemployment rate5.2%5.2%
Crime index52/10052/100
School rating5.5/105.5/10
Sunny days / year260 days260 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Castro Valley, CA · Oakland, CA
Questions & answers
Is Castro Valley cheaper than Oakland?
Oakland has the lower day-to-day cost index (151 vs 167 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Oakland equals $85,000 in Castro Valley?
A household earning $85,000 in Castro Valley needs about $82,500 in Oakland to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Oakland lifestyle costs about $87,500 in Castro Valley.