Danville vs Rockridge, Oakland
Danville 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 Danville lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 42 min by BART from Danville and 12 min by BART from Rockridge, Oakland. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Danville (Contra Costa County) · Rockridge, Oakland (Alameda County)
| Metric | Danville | Rockridge, Oakland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $900 | $1,000 | −$100 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.07% | 1.36% | −0.293% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,713 | $10,104 | −$391 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 60 min | 25 min | +35 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 65 min | 35 min | +30 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 42 min | 12 min | +30 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 42 min | 15 min | +27 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 55 min | 70 min | −15 min |
Difference is Danville minus Rockridge, Oakland. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Financed identically, Rockridge costs $391 a month more than Danville — $4,688 a year, all of it tax. Danville is modelled at 1.07% and Rockridge at 1.36%, which is the whole of the difference before either HOA or a district assessment is counted.
What the same money buys
Rockridge comps run $900-$1,000 per square foot; Upper Rockridge runs $1,000-$1,150. Against that, greenbrook, Sycamore and Diablo West hold Danville's $1.4M inventory. Posted medians are $900 per square foot in Danville and $1,000 in Rockridge, a $100 spread.
Carrying $1,600,000 in each
Against an identical $1,600,000 note at 6.5% with 20% down and $2,400 a year of coverage, Danville totals $9,713 a month at 1.07% and Rockridge $10,104 at 1.36% — tax lines of $1,423 and $1,813. Greenbrook and Sycamore HOAs run $30-$100 a month; Blackhawk runs $300-$500 for the gate and commons. 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.
Getting to work
To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 60 minutes by BART from Danville, 25 by BART from Rockridge — a 35-minute edge to Rockridge, or 5.8 hours across a ten-trip week. To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 42 minutes by BART from Danville, 12 by BART from Rockridge — a 30-minute edge to Rockridge, or 5.0 hours across a ten-trip week. Door to door from Danville to FiDi is 60-75 minutes. Highway 24 puts Rockridge 15 minutes from the Bay Bridge at 6 a.m. and 35-50 at 8.
Fire, flood and the premium
Insurance is priced off mapping, not off price per foot. West of I-680 along the Las Trampas ridge, Danville is mapped High fire hazard. Upper Rockridge non-renewals are routine; FAIR Plan plus a wrap runs $5K-$9K. Lower Rockridge below Broadway is not WUI. Verify any parcel against the CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zone map, the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and the California Geological Survey seismic hazard zones before removing contingencies.
Choosing between them
Danville fits a four-bedroom-with-yard-and-pool requirement. Rockridge fits a need for a walkable sub-30-minute rail commute to San Francisco. The decision is which requirement is load-bearing, because neither submarket satisfies both lists.
Sources. Effective rates and carrying costs: Contra Costa TRA Book FY 2025-26; Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA FY 2025-26, composited in build/assets/metrics.json; TRA-level verification pending, so confirm the rate on the parcel's own bill. Commute times: door-to-door AM-peak estimates, 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 | Danville | Rockridge, Oakland |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $900 | $1,000 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.07% | 1.36% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,713 | $10,104 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 60 min | 25 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 42 min | 12 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 55 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.
Danville 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.
Danville vs Rockridge, Oakland: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Danville or Rockridge, Oakland?
- Danville, 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 Danville and Rockridge, Oakland?
- $391 per month on the identical reference loan: Danville $9,713, Rockridge, Oakland $10,104. Danville 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, Danville or Rockridge, Oakland?
- Rockridge, Oakland. Danville is 42 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 Danville and Rockridge, Oakland?
- $100 per square foot: Danville $900, Rockridge, Oakland $1,000. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.