City comparison
Daly City, CA is about 30 miles (40 km) from Union City, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 30 miles, or about 32 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Daly City, CA to Union City, CA takes about 3 min, covering roughly 30 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Daly City has a population of 103,648, vs 69,502 in Union City — about 1.5× larger by population. By land area, Union City covers about 19 sq mi vs 7.7 sq mi for Daly City.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Daly City | Union City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,554/mo | $2,593/mo | 1.5% higher in Union City |
| Median home value | $1,073,100 | $1,006,600 | 6.6% higher in Daly City |
| Median household income | $114,910 | $138,013 | 20.1% higher in Union City |
| Groceries index | 108.1 | 108.1 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 168.3 | 168.3 | ≈ equal |
| Transportation index | 106.1 | 106.1 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 106.0 | 106.0 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Daly City, you'd need $100,080 in Union City to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Daly City and Union City have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Daly City, you'd need about $80,064 in Union City to keep the same standard of living.