Alamo vs Rockridge, Oakland
Alamo carries an effective property tax rate of 1.07% of assessed value and Rockridge, Oakland carries 1.36%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,713 and $10,104 — $391 apart, with Alamo lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 34 min by BART from Alamo and 12 min by BART from Rockridge, Oakland. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Alamo (Contra Costa County) · Rockridge, Oakland (Alameda County)
| Metric | Alamo | Rockridge, Oakland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,000 | $1,000 | $0 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.07% | 1.36% | −0.293% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,713 | $10,104 | −$391 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 52 min | 25 min | +27 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 58 min | 35 min | +23 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 34 min | 12 min | +22 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 35 min | 15 min | +20 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 62 min | 70 min | −8 min |
Difference is Alamo minus Rockridge, Oakland. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
The levy is what separates these two. Alamo runs 1.07% and Rockridge 1.36%, so the same $1,600,000 note carries $391 apart each month — Rockridge on the heavy side.
The house at each price
Alamo is unincorporated Contra Costa, so the $1.4M tier is the floor rather than the middle. Rockridge inventory sits within a 10-minute walk of College Avenue. The median foot costs $1,000 in Alamo against $1,000 in Rockridge; on a 2,000 sq ft house that is $0 of purchase price.
The monthly, matched
Against an identical $1,600,000 note at 6.5% with 20% down and $2,400 a year of coverage, Alamo totals $9,713 a month at 1.07% and Rockridge $10,104 at 1.36% — tax lines of $1,423 and $1,813. Round Hill and a few gated Alamo pockets carry $100-$300 a month; most of the flats have none. No Mello-Roos and no HOA on the Rockridge bungalows. Neither figure includes dues or a district assessment, and both belong on the worksheet before an offer.
Commute, measured
To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 52 minutes by BART from Alamo, 25 by BART from Rockridge — a 27-minute edge to Rockridge, or 4.5 hours across a ten-trip week. To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 34 minutes by BART from Alamo, 12 by BART from Rockridge — a 22-minute edge to Rockridge, or 3.7 hours across a ten-trip week. Door to door from Alamo to FiDi is 55-70 minutes on a good day. Rockridge BART is 15 minutes to Embarcadero and 12 to Montgomery.
Fire, flood and the premium
The two carry different disclosure files, and the premium follows the file. The Alamo east flats sit outside the fire hazard severity zones. The Hayward Fault runs along the Rockridge hill base, and the bungalows carry brick foundation and knob-and-tube disclosures. Alamo west-slope non-renewals run to FAIR Plan placements of $4K-$8K a year. None of this substitutes for the parcel: check CAL FIRE zoning, the FEMA flood panel and CGS seismic hazard mapping, then price the policy in writing.
Which search this actually is
Alamo fits a large-lot, single-story requirement with room for a workshop or ADU. Rockridge suits a buyer who prefers a 1920s house to new construction. Write the requirement down before the search: these two answer different ones.
Sources. Rate and payment figures: Contra Costa TRA Book FY 2025-26; Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA FY 2025-26, as composited in build/assets/metrics.json — unverified at tax-rate-area level, so read the bill. Minutes shown are AM-peak and door to door, from data/commute/static.csv. The per-foot medians are trailing and carry no appraisal weight; the neighborhood detail is first-hand broker observation.
Compare any two submarkets
| Metric | Alamo | Rockridge, Oakland |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.07% | 1.36% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,713 | $10,104 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 52 min | 25 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 34 min | 12 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 62 min | 70 min |
Same reference loan on both sides; the tax line is the only variable. Commute figures are door-to-door AM-peak estimates. Sources are listed on each submarket page.
Alamo detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.012% |
| School district measures | 0.055% |
| Effective rate | 1.07% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | None recorded |
Source: Contra Costa TRA Book FY 2025-26 (Contra Costa County), composited in
build/assets/metrics.json.
Tax Rate Area not yet verified parcel-by-parcel — confirm the rate on the parcel’s own tax bill.
Rockridge, Oakland detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.152% |
| School district measures | 0.208% |
| Effective rate | 1.36% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | None recorded |
Source: Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA FY 2025-26 (Alameda County), composited in
build/assets/metrics.json.
Tax Rate Area not yet verified parcel-by-parcel — confirm the rate on the parcel’s own tax bill.
Alamo vs Rockridge, Oakland: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Alamo or Rockridge, Oakland?
- Alamo, at 1.07% of assessed value against 1.36% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.290%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Alamo and Rockridge, Oakland?
- $391 per month on the identical reference loan: Alamo $9,713, Rockridge, Oakland $10,104. Alamo is lower. Principal and interest are held constant, so the difference is the tax line. Arithmetic only.
- Which has the shorter commute to Oakland City Center, Alamo or Rockridge, Oakland?
- Rockridge, Oakland. Alamo is 34 min by BART; Rockridge, Oakland is 12 min by BART. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Alamo and Rockridge, Oakland?
- $0 per square foot: Alamo $1,000, Rockridge, Oakland $1,000. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.