That depends on the trip you make most and the budget you’re working with, not on a ranking. Redfin’s August 2026 median sale price was $822,456 in Benicia, $813,462 in Martinez and $509,663 in Vallejo (Redfin, housing market page for each city, August 2026, checked September 24, 2026). Martinez has the train, Vallejo has the ferry, and Benicia sits between the two bridges.
Below is each difference with a named source and a date. Use it to pick the addresses worth a Saturday drive.
How do prices compare in the three cities?
In Redfin’s August 2026 data, the Benicia and Martinez medians landed within about $9,000 of each other. Vallejo’s was roughly $300,000 lower.
| August 2026 | Benicia | Martinez | Vallejo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $822,456 | $813,462 | $509,663 |
| Change from a year earlier | up 10.0% | up 4.3% | down 3.1% |
| County | Solano | Contra Costa | Solano |
Source: Redfin, Benicia, Martinez and Vallejo housing market pages, August 2026, checked September 24, 2026. Redfin shows Benicia’s median over the three months ending August 2026, the same figure our Benicia market update uses.
Martinez’s page adds a bit more for that month: 102 homes sold, a median of 20 days on market, homes selling at 100.1% of list on average, and a median of $485 per square foot (Redfin, Martinez housing market page, August 2026, checked September 24, 2026).
A city median blends condos, townhomes and houses, big and small. A 10% jump or a 3% dip tells you more about which homes closed that month than about the house you want. Line up recent sales of the same type and size of home in each city before you compare.
Which bridges and tolls come with each city?
Two toll bridges cross the strait here, and both charge northbound only. The Benicia-Martinez Bridge on I-680 and the Carquinez Bridge on I-80 collect all tolls electronically in the northbound direction (511.org, Bridges page, checked October 21, 2026). The toll for a two-axle car is $8.50 (Bay Area FasTrak, Benicia-Martinez Bridge page, checked October 21, 2026), and FasTrak tolls are approved to climb to $9.00 in 2027 and $10.50 by 2030 (MTC, “Toll Authority Approves 2026 Toll Hike, Carpool Policy Changes,” December 18, 2024, checked October 21, 2026).
What that means from each town:
- Benicia. South into Contra Costa is I-680 over the Benicia-Martinez Bridge, or I-780 to I-80 and the Carquinez Bridge. Either way the toll hits on the drive back north.
- Vallejo. I-80 south crosses the Carquinez Bridge. The return trip pays.
- Martinez. You start on the Contra Costa side, so a drive toward Oakland crosses no toll bridge. Heading north to Benicia, Solano County or Sacramento on I-680 is the direction that pays.
Our Benicia or Martinez commute page walks through the Oakland drive, the carpool rate and the yearly toll steps in detail.
Which city has a train, a ferry or a BART bus?
Each one has a different piece of transit, so match it to where you work.
- Martinez: Capitol Corridor trains. The station is at 601 Marina Vista Avenue, with trains south toward Richmond, Berkeley, Oakland and San Jose and north toward Davis and Sacramento. The main lot has 136 regular spaces and usually fills around 8 a.m. (Capitol Corridor, Martinez station page, checked October 21, 2026).
- Vallejo: San Francisco Bay Ferry. Boats run daily to Downtown San Francisco, about 60 minutes each way. On weekdays the first boat leaves Vallejo at 5:30 a.m., and the schedule effective March 9, 2026 lists 13 southbound weekday departures from Vallejo. The adult one-way fare is $10.00 (San Francisco Bay Ferry, Vallejo route page, fares effective July 1, 2026, checked October 21, 2026). Our Vallejo ferry page covers parking and the terminal.
- Benicia: SolTrans bus to BART. Route 70 runs from the Vallejo Transit Center through the Curtola Park and Ride to Military West and First Street at Benicia City Park, then to BART Concord. The first weekday bus leaves Vallejo at 5:00 a.m., stops in Benicia at 5:15 a.m. and reaches BART Concord at 5:42 a.m., with 16 eastbound weekday trips (SolTrans, Route 70 timetable effective September 1, 2026, checked October 21, 2026).
Route 70 serves Vallejo too, so both Solano towns share that bus to Concord. SolTrans lists an adult day pass at $4.50 for local routes, and riders ages 6 to 18 ride free (SolTrans, Route 70 page, checked October 21, 2026).
Nobody publishes a typical drive time for these trips, so we won’t make one up. Set 511.org or a map app to the hour you’d really leave, check both directions, then drive it once before you write an offer.
Does the transfer tax differ between them?
Yes. Vallejo adds a city tax on top of the county’s. Benicia and Martinez do not today. Per $1,000 of value (California City Finance, “California City Documentary and Property Transfer Tax Rates,” effective December 1, 2025, checked October 21, 2026):
| City | City rate | County rate | Total per $1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benicia (general law city) | $0.55 | $0.55 | $1.10 |
| Martinez (general law city) | $0.55 | $0.55 | $1.10 |
| Vallejo (charter city) | $3.30 | $1.10 | $4.40 |
In Benicia and Martinez, the city’s share is credited inside the $1.10, so nothing is added on top. On an $800,000 sale that works out to $880 in Benicia or Martinez and $3,520 in Vallejo. Who pays which part is negotiated in the purchase contract, so confirm the numbers on your escrow estimate.
Benicia voters decide Measures Y and Z on November 3, 2026. Measure Z would add a city transfer tax of $4 per $1,000 on sales of $2 million or less, with higher rates above that. It exempts residential homes built before January 1, 2027 that sell for $2 million or less, and it takes effect only if both Y and Z pass (City of Benicia, City Attorney’s Impartial Analysis of Measure Z, submitted August 11, 2026, checked October 21, 2026). We don’t take a side. For how any tax affects you, talk to a tax professional or your escrow officer.
Where are the refineries?
One in Benicia and one in Martinez. Neither is in Vallejo. The two are in very different states right now.
- Valero Benicia Refinery, 3400 East 2nd Street, Benicia. Valero lists its throughput capacity as 170,000 barrels a day. The company says it began idling units in the first quarter of 2026, stopped the fuel production units, and finished idling all processing units in April 2026. It plans to keep its operating permits, keep the site idled, and weigh redevelopment options for the property (Valero, Benicia Refinery page, checked October 21, 2026).
- Martinez Refining Company, 3485 Pacheco Boulevard, Martinez. Owned by PBF Energy, which lists it as a 157,000 barrel-per-day refinery on an 860-acre site (PBF Energy, Refineries page, checked October 21, 2026). The company’s own site says the refinery was built in 1915 (Martinez Refining Company website, checked October 21, 2026).
Our separate answers cover each one in detail: the Valero closing in Benicia and buying near the Martinez refinery. For any address, look up its census tract on the state’s CalEnviroScreen map at oehha.ca.gov. We don’t give health advice; take health questions to your doctor or the county health department.
Which school districts serve each city?
Each city maps to a different district, and the school for a home depends on the exact address.
- Benicia: Benicia Unified School District, with its board room at 350 East K Street (Benicia Unified, district website, checked October 21, 2026).
- Martinez: Two districts. Martinez Unified School District, with its board room at 921 Susana Street, runs Alhambra High, Martinez Junior High and several elementary schools (Martinez Unified, district website, checked October 21, 2026). Mt. Diablo Unified lists “portions of Martinez” among the areas it serves (Mt. Diablo Unified, About Our District page, checked October 21, 2026).
- Vallejo: Vallejo City Unified School District, with its governing boardroom at 665 Walnut Avenue (Vallejo City Unified, district website, checked October 21, 2026).
Verify the school assignment with the district before you write an offer. Each school’s state results are on the California School Dashboard at caschooldashboard.org.
How do I compare homes across the three cities?
Put two or three real homes next to each other, not three city names.
- Same type and size. Detached against detached, similar square footage and age.
- Monthly cost. The current property tax bill, any HOA dues and any special assessments for that parcel.
- Closing cost. Add Vallejo’s higher transfer tax, and watch Benicia’s November 3 vote.
- Your real trip. Time the drive, train, ferry or bus from that street at your hour, and add tolls for your weekly count.
- The address details. School assignment from the district, and the refinery and hazard record for the street.
Questions people also ask
Is Vallejo cheaper than Benicia and Martinez?
By median sale price, yes. Redfin’s August 2026 medians were $509,663 in Vallejo, $822,456 in Benicia and $813,462 in Martinez, checked September 24, 2026. A median mixes every home type and size, so it doesn’t tell you what a similar house costs in each. Compare recent sales of the same kind of home before drawing a conclusion.
Do I pay a bridge toll living in Benicia, Martinez or Vallejo?
It depends on your direction. The Benicia-Martinez and Carquinez bridges collect tolls northbound only, per 511.org, checked October 21, 2026. The toll is $8.50 for a two-axle car. From Benicia or Vallejo you pay coming home from Contra Costa. From Martinez you pay heading north across the Benicia-Martinez Bridge, not on the way to Oakland.
Which city has a train to Oakland or a ferry to San Francisco?
Martinez has the Capitol Corridor station at 601 Marina Vista Avenue, with trains toward Richmond, Berkeley and Oakland. Vallejo has the San Francisco Bay Ferry, about 60 minutes to Downtown San Francisco for a $10.00 adult fare. Benicia has neither, but SolTrans Route 70 runs from Benicia to BART Concord, per sources checked October 21, 2026.
Is the transfer tax higher in Vallejo?
Yes. The California City Finance table effective December 1, 2025 shows Vallejo at $4.40 per $1,000 in total, a $3.30 city tax plus the $1.10 county tax. Benicia and Martinez are at $1.10 per $1,000 total, with the city share credited inside it. Who pays is negotiated in the contract, so confirm it with escrow.
Your next step
Send us the homes you’re weighing in Benicia, Martinez or Vallejo. We’ll set recent sales of similar homes, the tax bills, the transfer tax and your commute with tolls side by side for each address. Talk to a Benicia agent on our team or call (510) 949-5525.
More on the area: Living in Benicia, CA · Living in Martinez, CA · Living in Vallejo, CA · What’s my home worth?
By Bill Davis, DRE #01880656, The Davis Team at eXp Realty, Benicia, CA. Updated October 21, 2026.
Sources
- Redfin, Benicia housing market page, August 2026: redfin.com/city/1415/CA/Benicia/housing-market (checked September 24, 2026)
- Redfin, Martinez housing market page, August 2026: redfin.com/city/11767/CA/Martinez/housing-market (checked September 24, 2026)
- Redfin, Vallejo housing market page, August 2026: redfin.com/city/20371/CA/Vallejo/housing-market (checked September 24, 2026)
- 511.org, Bridges page (toll direction): 511.org/travel/bridges (checked October 21, 2026)
- Bay Area FasTrak, Benicia-Martinez Bridge toll page: bayareafastrak.org/en/toll-locations/benicia-martinez-bridge.shtml (checked October 21, 2026)
- MTC for the Bay Area Toll Authority, “Toll Authority Approves 2026 Toll Hike, Carpool Policy Changes,” December 18, 2024: mtc.ca.gov/news/toll-authority-approves-2026-toll-hike-carpool-policy-changes (checked October 21, 2026)
- Capitol Corridor, Martinez station page: capitolcorridor.org/stations/martinez (checked October 21, 2026)
- San Francisco Bay Ferry, Vallejo route page, schedule effective March 9, 2026, fares effective July 1, 2026: sfbayferry.com/routes-schedules/vallejo (checked October 21, 2026)
- SolTrans, Route 70 page and Route 70 timetable effective September 1, 2026: soltrans.org/routes/70 (checked October 21, 2026)
- California City Finance, “California City Documentary and Property Transfer Tax Rates,” effective December 1, 2025: californiacityfinance.com/PropTransfTaxRates.pdf (checked October 21, 2026)
- City of Benicia, City Attorney’s Impartial Analysis of Measure Z, submitted August 11, 2026, on the elections page: ci.benicia.ca.us/elections (checked October 21, 2026)
- Valero, Benicia Refinery page: valero.com/about/locations/benicia-refinery (checked October 21, 2026)
- PBF Energy, Refineries page: pbfenergy.com/refineries (checked October 21, 2026)
- Martinez Refining Company website: martinezrefiningcompany.com (checked October 21, 2026)
- California OEHHA, CalEnviroScreen: oehha.ca.gov/calenviroscreen
- Benicia Unified School District: beniciaunified.org (checked October 21, 2026)
- Martinez Unified School District: martinezusd.net (checked October 21, 2026)
- Mt. Diablo Unified School District, About Our District: mdusd.org/about (checked October 21, 2026)
- Vallejo City Unified School District: vcusd.org (checked October 21, 2026)
- California School Dashboard: caschooldashboard.org