Alameda vs Newport Beach
The short version
- Newport Beach is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 2% lower than in the Alameda area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $1,235,700 in Alameda and $2,000,001 in Newport Beach.
- Households earn more in Newport Beach ($156,867 vs $137,697 median).
- Newport Beach has the warmer winter: January highs of 65°F vs 58°F.
- Commutes are shorter in Newport Beach (23 vs 32 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Alameda, CA | Newport Beach, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 76,876 | 81,977 |
| Growth since 2020 | -1.8% | -3.8% |
| People per square mile | 7,393 | 3,445 |
| Median age | 41.0 | 45.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 62% | 70% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $137,697 | $156,867 |
| Median home value | $1,235,700 | $2,000,001 |
| Home value to income | 9.0× | 12.7× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,474 | $3,316 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 115.6 | 113.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 194.7 | 170.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $86,700 | $85,200 |
| Homeowners | 51% | 52% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 31.6 | 22.9 |
| Work from home | 33% | 29% |
| Take public transit | 10% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.7% | 4.3% |
| Poverty rate | 7.2% | 6.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 58° / 42° | 65° / 50° |
| July high / low | 72° / 56° | 72° / 65° |
| Precipitation per year | 19 in | 9 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 6 | 1 |
| Nights below freezing | 2 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 9 | 12 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.8 | 99.8 |
| Good air days, 2025 | n/a | 11% |
| Home prices, past year | -4.8% | +3.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +8.2% | +45.5% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Alameda: March to November. Newport Beach: January to December.
Full monthly tables: Alameda weather by month and Newport Beach weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $86,700 in Alameda and $85,200 in Newport Beach. Moving from Alameda to Newport Beach, you would need about $73,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Alameda and Newport Beach
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Alameda and Newport Beach.
Which would you pick?
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