?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

East Palo Alto, CA vs Union City, 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 East Palo Alto needs about $96,500 in Union City to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Union City, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $74,000 in East Palo Alto.

A few differences

East Palo Alto vs Union City · facet by facet
FacetEast Palo Alto, CAUnion City, CA
Median home price$1,102,600$1,104,900
2-bedroom rent$2,446/mo$2,614/mo
Property tax rate0.75%0.75%
State & local income tax2.09%2.09%
Sales tax8.8%8.8%
Cost of living index163166
Groceries index112112
Utilities$245/mo$245/mo
Median household income$113,493$133,715
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: East Palo Alto, CA · Union City, CA
Questions & answers
Is East Palo Alto cheaper than Union City?
East Palo Alto has the lower day-to-day cost index (163 vs 166 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Union City equals $85,000 in East Palo Alto?
A household earning $85,000 in East Palo Alto needs about $96,500 in Union City to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Union City lifestyle costs about $74,000 in East Palo Alto.