Alamo vs Gale Ranch, San Ramon
Alamo carries an effective property tax rate of 1.07% of assessed value and Gale Ranch, San Ramon carries 1.35%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,713 and $10,086 — $373 apart, with Alamo lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 34 min by BART from Alamo and 45 min by BART from Gale Ranch, San Ramon. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Alamo (Contra Costa County) · Gale Ranch, San Ramon (Contra Costa County)
| Metric | Alamo | Gale Ranch, San Ramon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,000 | $700 | +$300 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.07% | 1.35% | −0.280% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,713 | $10,086 | −$373 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 52 min | 65 min | −13 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 58 min | 70 min | −12 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 34 min | 45 min | −11 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 35 min | 45 min | −10 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 62 min | 50 min | +12 min |
Difference is Alamo minus Gale Ranch, San Ramon. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
San Ramon (Gale Ranch) is the cheaper foot by $300, 30% below Alamo. What that buys is a different house, not a different bill: at $1,600,000 the two are $373 apart a month at 1.07% and 1.35%.
Square footage per dollar
Windemere next door prices about the same as Gale Ranch. Against that, alamo comps run $750-$850 per square foot; Round Hill and the west-side hills run $2M to $5M. The median foot costs $1,000 in Alamo against $700 in San Ramon (Gale Ranch); on a 2,000 sq ft house that is $600,000 of purchase price.
Carrying $1,600,000 in each
Holding the loan constant — $1,600,000, 20% down, 6.5% on a 30-year fixed, $2,400 of insurance, no HOA — Alamo totals $9,713 a month at 1.07% and San Ramon (Gale Ranch) $10,086 at 1.35% — tax lines of $1,423 and $1,796. Septic on some older Alamo acre lots is a $20K-$40K inspection conversation. Gale Ranch HOA dues run $100-$220 a month depending on the village.
Commute, measured
To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 52 minutes by BART from Alamo, 65 by BART from San Ramon (Gale Ranch) — a 13-minute edge to Alamo, or 2.2 hours across a ten-trip week. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 62 minutes by driving from Alamo, 50 by driving from San Ramon (Gale Ranch) — a 12-minute edge to San Ramon (Gale Ranch), or 2.0 hours across a ten-trip week. Alamo has no BART; Walnut Creek station is 12-18 minutes north, then 30 minutes to Embarcadero. San Ramon has no BART; Dublin/Pleasanton is 12-15 minutes south, then 48-52 minutes to Embarcadero.
Hazard and insurance
Everything up Alamo's west slope and along Las Trampas is mapped WUI. Calaveras Fault distance is the other San Ramon disclosure item. Run the address through CAL FIRE's severity-zone viewer, the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and the CGS seismic hazard maps, and treat the premium quote as a contingency item.
The housing need each answers
Alamo assumes a car-first commute. Gale Ranch only works with a $3K-plus CFD priced into the monthly payment. Rank the requirements first; the pair rarely splits on anything except the one that is non-negotiable.
Sources. Tax figures come from Contra Costa TRA Book FY 2025-26; Contra Costa TRA Book FY 2025-26; City of San Ramon CFD annual special tax reports, composited in build/assets/metrics.json. They are county-level and not yet verified at the TRA, so the parcel's bill governs. Travel times are AM-peak door-to-door estimates from data/commute/static.csv. Median price per foot is a trailing figure, not a valuation, and the local detail comes from the broker's own transactions.
Compare any two submarkets
| Metric | Alamo | Gale Ranch, San Ramon |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,000 | $700 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.07% | 1.35% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,713 | $10,086 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 52 min | 65 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 34 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 62 min | 50 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.
Gale Ranch, San Ramon detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.012% |
| School district measures | 0.055% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD assessment | 0.280% |
| Effective rate | 1.35% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | Yes |
Source: Contra Costa TRA Book FY 2025-26; City of San Ramon CFD annual special tax reports (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.
Alamo vs Gale Ranch, San Ramon: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Alamo or Gale Ranch, San Ramon?
- Alamo, at 1.07% of assessed value against 1.35% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.280%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Alamo and Gale Ranch, San Ramon?
- $373 per month on the identical reference loan: Alamo $9,713, Gale Ranch, San Ramon $10,086. 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 Gale Ranch, San Ramon?
- Alamo. Alamo is 34 min by BART; Gale Ranch, San Ramon is 45 min by BART. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Alamo and Gale Ranch, San Ramon?
- $300 per square foot: Alamo $1,000, Gale Ranch, San Ramon $700. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.