Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 76/100
B
Median home value$2,000,000+
San Francisco $1,140,700
Median rent$3,501/mo
San Francisco $2,474/mo
Cost-burdened households33%
San Francisco 38%
Alamo
Contra Costa County14,488 residentsSan Ramon Valley Unified
69
B−
Suburbgrade score
4th of 59 San Francisco suburbs. Strong on schools and housing & affordability, held back by amenities.
69
San Francisco median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Alamo yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 69 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Alamo is like to live in, by category
Bars show Alamo against San Francisco. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 76/100
B
Within-state proficiency96th pct
San Francisco median 73rd pct
Student–teacher ratio21.9
San Francisco median 21.7
Graduation rate97%
San Francisco median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 71/100
B−
Housing cost index105
San Francisco 100
Eff. tax rate0.70%
San Francisco 0.73%
Local sales tax8.75%
San Francisco median 9.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 62/100
C
Mean commute29.2 min
San Francisco 31.0 min
Under 30 minutes63%
San Francisco 52%
Transit stops / sq mi2.3
San Francisco median 8.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 54/100
C−
Restaurants & cafés20
San Francisco median 64 · within 2 miles
Groceries1
San Francisco median 7 · within 2 miles
Parks27
San Francisco median 59 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 71/100
B−
Median household income$250,000+
San Francisco $136,027
Unemployment3.6%
San Francisco 5.7%
Professional occupations67%
San Francisco 56%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Alamo yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Alamo on amenities
Alamo's weakest grade is C−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.
SuburbAmenitiesOverall
Berkeley16 mi from AlamoA+ 66 C+ Oakland13 mi from AlamoA+ 54 C− Albany17 mi from AlamoA 69 B− Pleasant Hill8 mi from AlamoA 60 C Emeryville16 mi from AlamoA 56 C− Livermore18 mi from AlamoA 63 C+ Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026
Common questions about living in Alamo
Is Alamo, CA a good place to live?
Alamo scores 69 out of 100, 4th of 59 San Francisco suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on amenities. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Alamo expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $2,000,000+, 75% above the San Francisco median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.70%. $3,501/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Alamo?
Schools grade B. The districts serving Alamo sit at the 96th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 97% graduation rate and a 21.9 student–teacher ratio. Alamo is served by San Ramon Valley Unified. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Alamo?
The mean commute is 29.2 min, with 63% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 31% working from home. Transit density is 2.3 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Alamo?
Within two miles there are 1 groceries, 20 restaurants and cafés and 27 parks, which grades C− on amenities.
Are the homes in Alamo old or new?
The median home in Alamo was built in 1978 — newer than the San Francisco median of 1968. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 97% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.
Six San Francisco lists
Best San Francisco suburbs for familiesMost affordable San Francisco suburbsBest San Francisco suburbs for schoolsShortest commutes to Downtown San FranciscoMost walkable San Francisco suburbsBest San Francisco suburbs for young professionalsCompare Alamo
Every San Francisco suburb, side by side