Danville vs Menlo Park
Danville carries an effective property tax rate of 1.07% of assessed value and Menlo Park carries 1.13%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,713 and $9,790 — $77 apart, with Danville lower. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 55 min by car from Danville and 20 min by Caltrain from Menlo Park. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Danville (Contra Costa County) · Menlo Park (San Mateo County)
| Metric | Danville | Menlo Park | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $900 | $1,700 | −$800 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.07% | 1.13% | −0.058% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,713 | $9,790 | −$77 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 65 min | 60 min | +5 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 42 min | 85 min | −43 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 42 min | 50 min | −8 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 55 min | 20 min | +35 min |
Difference is Danville minus Menlo Park. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Danville is the cheaper foot by $800, 47% below Menlo Park. What that buys is a different house, not a different bill: at $1,600,000 the two are $77 apart a month at 1.07% and 1.13%.
Square footage per dollar
The Danville gates change both the dues and the insurance file, so the $2M tier is a different market. Menlo Park comps run $1,500-$1,800 per square foot in Allied Arts and West Menlo. The median foot costs $900 in Danville against $1,700 in Menlo Park; on a 2,000 sq ft house that is $1,600,000 of purchase price.
The monthly, matched
Holding the loan constant — $1,600,000, 20% down, 6.5% on a 30-year fixed, $2,400 of insurance, no HOA — Danville totals $9,713 a month at 1.07% and Menlo Park $9,790 at 1.13% — tax lines of $1,423 and $1,500. Greenbrook and Sycamore HOAs run $30-$100 a month; Blackhawk runs $300-$500 for the gate and commons. No Mello-Roos in Menlo Park. Neither figure includes dues or a district assessment, and both belong on the worksheet before an offer.
Commute, measured
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 55 minutes by driving from Danville, 20 by Caltrain from Menlo Park — a 35-minute edge to Menlo Park, or 5.8 hours across a ten-trip week. To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 42 minutes by BART from Danville, 50 by driving from Menlo Park — a 8-minute edge to Danville, or 1.3 hours across a ten-trip week. I-680 to 24 puts Danville 55 minutes from the Bay Bridge at 6 a.m. and 90 at 8. Driving 101 from Menlo Park to SoMa is 35 minutes at 6 a.m. and 65-80 at 8.
Hazard and insurance
West of I-680 along the Las Trampas ridge, Danville is mapped High fire hazard. Menlo Park FEMA zones trigger flood insurance at $800-$2,500 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
Danville works for a buyer whose office is Bishop Ranch, not downtown. Menlo Park fits a requirement to be within ten minutes of the Willow Road or Sand Hill cores. Write the requirement down before the search: these two answer different ones.
Sources. Rate and payment figures: Contra Costa TRA Book FY 2025-26; San Mateo County Tax Rate Book 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 | Danville | Menlo Park |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $900 | $1,700 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.07% | 1.13% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,713 | $9,790 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 60 min | 60 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 42 min | 50 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 55 min | 20 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.
Menlo Park detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.010% |
| School district measures | 0.115% |
| Effective rate | 1.13% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | None recorded |
Source: San Mateo County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26 (San Mateo 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 Menlo Park: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Danville or Menlo Park?
- Danville, at 1.07% of assessed value against 1.13% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.060%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Danville and Menlo Park?
- $77 per month on the identical reference loan: Danville $9,713, Menlo Park $9,790. Danville is lower. Principal and interest are held constant, so the difference is the tax line. Arithmetic only.
- Which has the shorter commute to Sunnyvale / Mountain View, Danville or Menlo Park?
- Menlo Park. Danville is 55 min by car; Menlo Park is 20 min by Caltrain. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Danville and Menlo Park?
- $800 per square foot: Danville $900, Menlo Park $1,700. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.