Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Union City's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Union City?
Your $100,000 in Union City has the same purchasing power as $80,263 in the average US city. You'd need $19,737 more here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Union City's cost index of 125, sorted by closest match.
Wondering whether you should move to Union City? It depends on what you're optimizing for, but the city has real arguments in its favor: safer than the typical us city and genuinely walkable, not just walkable-on-paper, plus 1 more things worth knowing. The data behind each is below.
Union City reports about 2,077 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — a step below the US average of around 3,500. The citywide number averages over neighborhoods that can vary a lot, but the headline number is friendlier than most American cities of comparable size.
Union City's Walk Score is 97/100 — top-tier walkability by US standards. Groceries, coffee, work, social life: most of it lands within reasonable foot range of wherever you live. A lot of residents skip car ownership entirely, which is its own form of savings on top of the lifestyle change. Transit Score comes in at 89/100 too, so even the trips that are too far to walk are usually doable on a bus or train.
Union City's air quality index averages about 42 — comfortably in the EPA's "good" range. No daily ritual of checking the AQI before going for a run, no smoky-day plans, no surprise asthma flare-ups for the kids. The kind of background condition you notice mostly by its absence.
Reasons are pulled from Union City's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Union City gets a handful of meaningful snow days each year. Winters average about 28°F — cold enough for several inches at a time, warm enough for everything to melt between storms.
Cold but workable. Winter in Union City averages about 28°F — colder than the national norm, mild compared to the upper Midwest. A solid coat handles most days; the genuine cold snaps are short.
Hot, but not desert-hot. Summer in Union City runs about 84°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Union City falls in roughly USDA Zone 8. The zone classification is based on average annual minimum temperatures, so it's the right lookup for whether perennials and trees will overwinter here. Note that this is approximate from our winter-temperature data — check the USDA map for the exact zone before betting an expensive plant on it.
Union City sits at about 207 feet (63 m) above sea level — low-lying, but with enough cushion that day-to-day life isn't affected by ocean levels.
Hurricane season covers June through November, with peak activity in late summer and early fall. For Union City, the practical advice is: have a few days of water and supplies on hand from August onward, know your evacuation route, and don't wait for the news to tell you a storm is "probably nothing" — track the cone yourself.
Average for an American city. Union City's reported crime rate of about 2,077 per 100,000 residents sits roughly in line with the US baseline of ~3,500. Like anywhere else, the citywide number masks real differences between neighborhoods — worth looking at specific areas before deciding.
Yes, noticeably. Union City's cost-of-living index runs 125, about 25% above the US baseline. Housing usually accounts for most of the markup; groceries and services run higher too but with less drama.
Genuinely so. Union City's Walk Score of 97 out of 100 puts it in "Walker's Paradise" territory — daily errands don't require a car at all. Transit Score is 89 out of 100. Many residents skip car ownership entirely.
Roughly $87,213 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Union City runs about $1,415/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.