Alamo vs Berkeley Hills, Berkeley
Alamo carries an effective property tax rate of 1.07% of assessed value and Berkeley Hills, Berkeley carries 1.21%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,713 and $9,904 — $191 apart, with Alamo lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 34 min by BART from Alamo and 20 min by car from Berkeley Hills, Berkeley. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Alamo (Contra Costa County) · Berkeley Hills, Berkeley (Alameda County)
| Metric | Alamo | Berkeley Hills, Berkeley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,000 | $1,050 | −$50 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.07% | 1.21% | −0.143% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,713 | $9,904 | −$191 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 52 min | 35 min | +17 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 58 min | 40 min | +18 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 34 min | 22 min | +12 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 35 min | 20 min | +15 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 62 min | 75 min | −13 min |
Difference is Alamo minus Berkeley Hills, Berkeley. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
On a matched $1,600,000 purchase the payment gap is $191, and it is entirely a tax gap: 1.07% in Alamo, 1.21% in Berkeley Hills. Price per foot, $1,000 against $1,050, is the second question.
Square footage per dollar
Single-story ranches with room for a workshop or ADU are Alamo's characteristic stock. The Berkeley Hills garage may not take a modern SUV, which is a real constraint on the 1920s stock. Posted medians are $1,000 per square foot in Alamo and $1,050 in Berkeley Hills, a $50 spread.
What the bill looks like
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 Berkeley Hills $9,904 at 1.21% — tax lines of $1,423 and $1,613. No Mello-Roos in Alamo. No Mello-Roos in Berkeley, and no HOA outside a handful of shared driveways. 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): 52 minutes by BART from Alamo, 35 by BART from Berkeley Hills — a 17-minute edge to Berkeley Hills, or 2.8 hours across a ten-trip week. To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 34 minutes by BART from Alamo, 20 by driving from Berkeley Hills — a 14-minute edge to Berkeley Hills, or 2.3 hours across a ten-trip week. I-680 to 24 puts Alamo 50 minutes from the Bay Bridge at 6 a.m. and 80-90 at 8. Downtown Berkeley BART is 15-20 minutes down the hill by car or the 65/67 bus, then 25 minutes to Embarcadero.
Hazard and insurance
Everything up Alamo's west slope and along Las Trampas is mapped WUI. Berkeley's Zone 0 rules require five feet of ember-resistant clearance from the structure. Pull the parcel's own mapping — CAL FIRE severity zone, FEMA flood panel, CGS liquefaction zone — and get a written quote before the contingency date.
Choosing between them
Alamo is the answer when an acreage-scale lot matters more than walkability. The Berkeley Hills assume higher insurance and parcel costs in exchange for a view. Rank the requirements first; the pair rarely splits on anything except the one that is non-negotiable.
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. 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 | Berkeley Hills, Berkeley |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,000 | $1,050 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.07% | 1.21% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,713 | $9,904 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 52 min | 35 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 34 min | 20 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 62 min | 75 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.
Berkeley Hills, Berkeley detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.042% |
| School district measures | 0.168% |
| Effective rate | 1.21% |
| 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 Berkeley Hills, Berkeley: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Alamo or Berkeley Hills, Berkeley?
- Alamo, at 1.07% of assessed value against 1.21% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.140%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Alamo and Berkeley Hills, Berkeley?
- $191 per month on the identical reference loan: Alamo $9,713, Berkeley Hills, Berkeley $9,904. 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 Berkeley Hills, Berkeley?
- Berkeley Hills, Berkeley. Alamo is 34 min by BART; Berkeley Hills, Berkeley is 20 min by car. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Alamo and Berkeley Hills, Berkeley?
- $50 per square foot: Alamo $1,000, Berkeley Hills, Berkeley $1,050. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.