Over the past 12 months, a single-family home in Newark sold for a median of $1.41 million, about $300,000 less than in Fremont and almost the same as in Union City. Fremont homes sell fastest, Fremont and Union City both have BART stations, and Newark's condos and townhomes cost the least per square foot.
Prices at a glance
These figures cover homes that closed between October 21, 2025 and October 21, 2026.Single-family homes- Newark: 253 sales. Median sold price $1,411,288, or $825 per square foot. Median 14 days on market, and 51% sold above the list price.
- Fremont: 863 sales. Median sold price $1,715,000, or $1,045 per square foot. Median 10 days on market, and 64% sold above the list price.
- Union City: 238 sales. Median sold price $1,400,000, or $796 per square foot. Median 13 days on market, and 60% sold above the list price.
- Newark: 109 sales. Median sold price $820,000, or $570 per square foot. Median 18 days on market, 41% sold above the list price, and median HOA dues of $513 a month.
- Fremont: 393 sales. Median sold price $835,000, or $661 per square foot. Median 25 days on market, 31% sold above the list price, and median HOA dues of $450 a month.
- Union City: 63 sales. Median sold price $650,000, or $600 per square foot. Median 23 days on market, 37% sold above the list price, and median HOA dues of $370 a month.
What the numbers say
Single-family homes: Newark and Union City cost about the same, Fremont costs more.- Price. Newark's median of $1,411,288 is $303,712 (18%) below Fremont's $1,715,000. Per square foot the gap is bigger: $825 in Newark against $1,045 in Fremont, about 21% less. Union City's median of $1,400,000 is within about 1% of Newark's.
- Speed. Fremont's typical home sold in 10 days, Union City's in 13 and Newark's in 14. About 64% of Fremont homes sold above the list price, against 60% in Union City and 51% in Newark. Newark buyers face a little less pressure, but half of homes still sold over asking, so plan your offer with that in mind.
- Budget. Single-family homes under $1 million are rare in all three cities. Only 1% of Fremont sales, 9% of Newark sales and 11% of Union City sales closed below that mark.
- Price and size. Newark's median of $820,000 is close to Fremont's $835,000, but the typical Newark sale was larger: 1,456 square feet and 3 bedrooms, against 1,248 square feet and 2 bedrooms in Fremont. That works out to $570 per square foot in Newark, $600 in Union City and $661 in Fremont.
- Entry price. Union City is the lowest at a $650,000 median, and 89% of its attached homes sold under $1 million, compared with 75% in Newark and 63% in Fremont.
- Monthly costs. Median HOA dues were about $513 in Newark, $450 in Fremont and $370 in Union City. Dues change what you can borrow, so compare the payment, not just the price.
- Speed. Attached homes took longer to sell than houses: 25 days in Fremont, 23 in Union City and 18 in Newark.
Getting around
Your commute may matter more than the price gap, so it is worth checking before you fall for a house.- Newark has no BART station of its own. Riders drive or take a bus to the Fremont or Union City stations. The city sits between I-880 and the Dumbarton Bridge, which suits drivers heading to Menlo Park, Palo Alto and the rest of the Peninsula.
- Fremont has two BART stations: Fremont), which opened in 1972, and Warm Springs/South Fremont, which opened March 25, 2017. A third, Irvington, is planned. The City's project page lists a late 2031 opening, so do not count on it. Fremont is also home to the Fremont-Centerville station (37260 Fremont Boulevard), served by Capitol Corridor and ACE trains.
- Union City has a BART station on the Green and Orange lines, and the Dumbarton Express weekday bus runs from it to Menlo Park, Palo Alto and Stanford.
What a typical home looks like
The typical house is almost the same size in all three cities, so Fremont's higher price does not come from a bigger house. It reflects location and demand. These are the medians for houses that sold:- Newark: 1,707 square feet, 4 bedrooms, a 6,168 square foot lot, built in 1971.
- Fremont: 1,685 square feet, 4 bedrooms, a 6,371 square foot lot, built in 1966.
- Union City: 1,671 square feet, 4 bedrooms, a 6,000 square foot lot, built in 1975.
Which city fits your needs?
No city wins on everything. Match the city to your budget, your commute and the kind of home you want.- You want a house and can spend $1.7 million or more. Fremont has by far the most houses to choose from (863 sold in a year, more than Newark and Union City combined) and the widest range of prices. Expect to move quickly.
- You want a house and are closer to $1.4 million. Newark and Union City price almost the same. Newark's houses took 14 days and Union City's 13, so the better choice often comes down to your commute and which streets you prefer.
- You drive to the Peninsula. Newark and Fremont both sit near the Dumbarton Bridge, and Newark's houses cost less per square foot.
- You ride BART. Fremont and Union City both have BART stations in the city. Union City is the lowest-priced of the three for an attached home, at a $650,000 median.
- You want the most space for an attached home. Newark's condos and townhomes are the largest of the three and the cheapest per square foot, though HOA dues run higher.
- Your budget is under $1 million. Look at attached homes. Houses under $1 million made up only 1% to 11% of sales in these cities.