It comes down to price and the train. In August 2026, Danville’s median sale price was $1,817,797, San Ramon’s was $1,516,496 and Walnut Creek’s was $868,425, and Walnut Creek is the only one of the three with a BART station inside the city (Redfin housing market pages for each city, August 2026, checked September 24, 2026).
We won’t tell you which town is better. That depends on your budget, where you work and the home you need. Here are the numbers side by side so you can decide.
How do home prices compare?
Danville is the priciest of the three by a wide margin, and Walnut Creek costs less than half as much at the median. Same source, same month, all home types (Redfin, August 2026, checked September 24, 2026):
| Danville | San Ramon | Walnut Creek | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $1,817,797 | $1,516,496 | $868,425 |
| Change from a year earlier | +6.0% | +1.1% | -2.2% |
| Price per square foot | $771 | $694 | $549 |
| Homes sold in August | 139 | 164 | 317 |
| Median days on market | 26 | 22 | 28 |
| Sale price vs list price | 99.4% | 99.5% | 99.7% |
| Sold above list | 30.9% | 39.4% | 36.3% |
| Had a price drop | 30.4% | 35.1% | 32.1% |
Read the gap carefully. A median mixes condos, townhomes and detached houses, and each town sells a different mix. Some of the roughly $950,000 gap between Danville and Walnut Creek is home type, not town. Compare the same kind of home before you decide one place is a deal.
Which one is easiest for a BART commute?
Walnut Creek, because the station is in town. Walnut Creek BART sits at 200 Ygnacio Valley Road, and on a sample weekday, Tuesday, October 6, 2026, the 7:35 am train reaches Embarcadero at 8:11 am for $6.95 on Clipper (BART schedule and fare data, api.bart.gov, checked September 25, 2026).
Danville and San Ramon have no BART station. You ride a bus or drive to one:
- From Danville. The peak-hour 95X leaves the Danville Park and Ride at 7:09 am and reaches Walnut Creek BART at 7:23 am. Route 21 runs all day through downtown Danville to the same station (County Connection Route 95X and Route 21 timetables, checked September 25, 2026).
- From San Ramon. Route 21 leaves the San Ramon Transit Center at 6:44 am and reaches Walnut Creek BART at 7:29 am (same source). Dublin/Pleasanton BART is the other option to the south: 46 minutes to Embarcadero on the 7:30 am train, $8.10 on Clipper (BART, same date).
- Bus fare is $2.00 a ride on an adult Clipper card (County Connection Fares page, checked September 25, 2026).
All three towns sit on I-680, and its express lanes run through all of them on weekdays from 5 am to 8 pm (511.org, I-680 Contra Costa Express Lanes page, checked September 25, 2026). Drive times swing too much to quote. Time your own trip on a weekday at the hour you’d leave.
Which school districts serve each town?
Danville and San Ramon share one district. Walnut Creek is split. From each district’s own website (checked September 25, 2026):
- Danville: San Ramon Valley Unified School District.
- San Ramon: San Ramon Valley Unified School District.
- Walnut Creek: depends on the address. Some homes are in the Walnut Creek School District for kindergarten through 8th grade and the Acalanes Union High School District for high school (Las Lomas High). Others are in Mt. Diablo Unified, whose Northgate High sits at 425 Castle Rock Road in Walnut Creek.
A town name doesn’t pick your school. San Ramon Valley Unified says many schools and grade levels are impacted by growth and students may not be able to attend their resident school (SRVUSD, Find Your School page, checked September 25, 2026). Look up the exact address with each district and call to confirm before you write an offer. SRVUSD’s Educational Services line is (925) 552-5071.
How do the fire hazard maps compare?
Only Danville has any very high acreage, and only a sliver. The State Fire Marshal issued a Local Responsibility Area fire hazard map for each city, all dated February 24, 2025, with an acreage table for each city:
| Acres inside city limits | Danville | San Ramon | Walnut Creek |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very high | 29 | 0 | 0 |
| High | 1,403 | 1,493 | 3,542 |
| Moderate | 4,561 | 4,029 | 1,956 |
Sources: CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal, Local Responsibility Area Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps for Danville, San Ramon and Walnut Creek, February 24, 2025, and the State Fire Marshal’s Phase 2 acreage table, “Recommended Fire Hazard Severity Zones February 2025,” both posted by the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (read September 25, 2026). Walnut Creek has the most high acreage of the three; Danville has the most moderate. Land outside each city, in the state responsibility area, is on a separate map. What matters is the parcel. Look up the address on the State Fire Marshal’s viewer, and call a licensed insurance agent for quotes before your inspection period ends.
What about taxes and fees?
The transfer tax is the same in all three. Each city’s rate is $0.55 per $1,000, credited inside Contra Costa County’s $1.10 per $1,000, so the total is $1.10 per $1,000 of the price (California City Finance, city documentary and property transfer tax rates, effective December 1, 2025, checked September 25, 2026). The purchase contract says who pays it, and escrow or a real estate attorney can explain that line.
The tax bill is where they differ:
- Danville and San Ramon homes pay San Ramon Valley Unified’s Measure Q parcel tax, $144 a year, starting July 1, 2025 for nine years (SRVUSD, Parcel Tax Information page, checked September 25, 2026).
- Part of San Ramon also pays the Dougherty Valley Geologic Hazard Abatement District assessment, proposed at $181.69 per residential unit for 2026/27, unchanged from the year before (Dougherty Valley GHAD, Notice of Public Hearing, May 11, 2026).
- Walnut Creek addresses fall in different school districts, so the school measures on the bill vary by street.
Any home can add HOA dues or special assessments. Ask for the most recent tax bill on every home you’re serious about, and take questions to a tax professional or the Contra Costa County Treasurer-Tax Collector.
So which one should I pick?
The one where the numbers work for your life. A few ways to narrow it:
- Your budget. At August’s medians, the same money buys very different homes in each town. Price the exact home type you need, not the town median.
- Your commute. If you’ll ride BART most days, walk or bike distance to Walnut Creek station is hard to beat. If you drive I-680 anyway, the gap shrinks.
- The address. School district, fire zone and tax bill all change by street. Check all three for each house.
Then tour on a weekday at commute time and again on a weekend. You’ll learn more in two drives than in two hours of listings.
Questions people also ask
Is Danville more expensive than Walnut Creek?
Yes, by a lot. Redfin’s August 2026 median was $1,817,797 in Danville and $868,425 in Walnut Creek, and price per square foot was $771 versus $549, per each city’s Redfin housing market page checked September 24, 2026. Each median mixes condos, townhomes and houses, so part of that gap is home type. Compare the same kind of home in both.
Does San Ramon or Danville have a BART station?
Neither does. Both towns connect to Walnut Creek BART by County Connection buses, Route 21 all day and the 95X at peak hours, and San Ramon drivers can also use Dublin/Pleasanton BART. Walnut Creek has its own station at 200 Ygnacio Valley Road, 36 minutes from Embarcadero on a sample October 2026 weekday, per BART’s schedule.
Are Danville and San Ramon in the same school district?
Yes. Both are in San Ramon Valley Unified School District, per the district’s website checked September 25, 2026. The district says many schools are impacted by growth and students may not be able to attend their resident school. Walnut Creek addresses fall in different districts, including the Walnut Creek and Acalanes districts and Mt. Diablo Unified, so check the exact address.
Is the transfer tax different in Danville, San Ramon and Walnut Creek?
No. All three levy $0.55 per $1,000, credited inside the county’s $1.10 per $1,000, so the total is $1.10 per $1,000 of the sale price, per California City Finance’s rate table effective December 1, 2025. On a $1,000,000 sale, that’s $1,100. Who pays it is set in the purchase contract, and escrow can confirm the figure.
Your next step
Send us your budget, your work address and the kind of home you need. We’ll pull recent sales of that home type in all three towns and map the commute from each, so you’re comparing like with like. Talk to an agent on our team or call (510) 949-5525.
More on the area: Is Danville a good place to live? · How much does a house cost in Danville? · Living in San Ramon · Living in Walnut Creek · What’s my home worth?
By Bill Davis, DRE #01880656, The Davis Team at eXp Realty, Danville, CA. Updated September 25, 2026.
Sources
- Redfin housing market pages for Danville (redfin.com/city/4658), San Ramon (redfin.com/city/17519) and Walnut Creek (redfin.com/city/20635), August 2026 data, checked September 24, 2026
- BART schedule and fare data (api.bart.gov): Walnut Creek and Dublin/Pleasanton to Embarcadero, Tuesday, October 6, 2026 (checked September 25, 2026)
- County Connection, Route 21, Route 95X and Fares pages: countyconnection.com (checked September 25, 2026)
- 511.org, I-680 Contra Costa Express Lanes (checked September 25, 2026)
- San Ramon Valley Unified School District, Find Your School and Parcel Tax Information pages: srvusd.net (checked September 25, 2026)
- Walnut Creek School District (walnutcreeksd.org), Acalanes Union High School District (acalanes.k12.ca.us) and Northgate High School, Mt. Diablo Unified (northgate.mdusd.org) (checked September 25, 2026)
- CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal, Local Responsibility Area Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps for Danville, San Ramon and Walnut Creek, February 24, 2025, posted at cccfpd.org (read September 25, 2026)
- CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal, “Recommended Fire Hazard Severity Zones February 2025: Phase 2” acreage table: cccfpd.org/DocumentCenter/View/179/Phase-II-LRA-Acres-PDF (read September 25, 2026)
- California City Finance, “California City Documentary and Property Transfer Tax Rates,” effective December 1, 2025: californiacityfinance.com/PropTransfTaxRates.pdf (checked September 25, 2026)
- Dougherty Valley Geologic Hazard Abatement District, Notice of Public Hearing for FY 2026/27, May 11, 2026: sanramon.ca.gov/DVGHAD