Moraga vs Rockridge, Oakland
Moraga carries an effective property tax rate of 1.08% 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 $9,728 and $10,104 — $376 apart, with Moraga lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 30 min by car from Moraga and 12 min by BART from Rockridge, Oakland. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Moraga (Contra Costa County) · Rockridge, Oakland (Alameda County)
| Metric | Moraga | Rockridge, Oakland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,000 | $1,000 | $0 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.08% | 1.36% | −0.282% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,728 | $10,104 | −$376 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 50 min | 25 min | +25 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 50 min | 35 min | +15 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 32 min | 12 min | +20 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 30 min | 15 min | +15 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 70 min | 70 min | 0 min |
Difference is Moraga minus Rockridge, Oakland. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
On a matched $1,600,000 purchase the payment gap is $376, and it is entirely a tax gap: 1.08% in Moraga, 1.36% in Rockridge. Price per foot, $1,000 against $1,000, is the second question.
Square footage per dollar
Rockridge inventory sits within a 10-minute walk of College Avenue. Against that, moraga Country Club and the Rheem Valley area carry most of the town's mid-market inventory. At $1,000 and $1,000 per foot respectively, a fixed budget buys about 0% more floor area in Rockridge.
Carrying $1,600,000 in each
Modelled the same way in both ($1,600,000 purchase, 20% down, 6.5% fixed, $2,400 insurance, dues excluded), Moraga totals $9,728 a month at 1.08% and Rockridge $10,104 at 1.36% — tax lines of $1,437 and $1,813. Most of Moraga outside the country club carries no HOA at all. Oakland's sewer lateral and sidewalk compliance rules add $5K-$15K in seller-side or negotiated cost. Neither figure includes dues or a district assessment, and both belong on the worksheet before an offer.
The trip each morning
To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 50 minutes by BART from Moraga, 25 by BART from Rockridge — a 25-minute edge to Rockridge, or 4.2 hours across a ten-trip week. To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 30 minutes by driving from Moraga, 12 by BART from Rockridge — a 18-minute edge to Rockridge, or 3.0 hours across a ten-trip week. Door to door from Moraga to FiDi is 55-65 minutes on the two-step rail route. UC Berkeley is 10 minutes from Rockridge and Kaiser Oakland 8.
What the disclosure stack holds
The two carry different disclosure files, and the premium follows the file. Almost all of Moraga is mapped High or Very High fire hazard. The Hayward Fault runs along the Rockridge hill base, and the bungalows carry brick foundation and knob-and-tube disclosures. 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.
Which search this actually is
Moraga fits a need for Lamorinda square footage at the lowest price per foot. Rockridge fits a need for a walkable sub-30-minute rail commute to San Francisco. Write the requirement down before the search: these two answer different ones.
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. The per-foot medians are trailing and carry no appraisal weight; the neighborhood detail is first-hand broker observation.
Compare any two submarkets
| Metric | Moraga | Rockridge, Oakland |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.08% | 1.36% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,728 | $10,104 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 50 min | 25 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 30 min | 12 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 70 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.
Moraga detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.012% |
| School district measures | 0.066% |
| Effective rate | 1.08% |
| 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.
Moraga vs Rockridge, Oakland: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Moraga or Rockridge, Oakland?
- Moraga, at 1.08% of assessed value against 1.36% 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 Moraga and Rockridge, Oakland?
- $376 per month on the identical reference loan: Moraga $9,728, Rockridge, Oakland $10,104. Moraga 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, Moraga or Rockridge, Oakland?
- Rockridge, Oakland. Moraga is 30 min by car; 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 Moraga and Rockridge, Oakland?
- $0 per square foot: Moraga $1,000, Rockridge, Oakland $1,000. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.