Photo above: Aerial view of Moraga, California, showing the town center, a pear orchard and the surrounding hills, May 2025. Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

For a lot of buyers, yes, as long as the price, the fire map and the drive to BART all work for you. Moraga gives you a paved regional trail through town, schools that score far above the state average on state tests, and a bus to two BART stations, but the median home sold for $1,750,092 in August 2026, there is no BART station in town, and parts of town sit in mapped fire hazard zones.

Here’s the list with sources, so you can weigh it for your own life.

What are the biggest pros of living in Moraga?

Open space you can reach on foot, strong state school data, and a small town center with a weekly market. Check each one yourself.

  • The Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail. It’s a 7.65-mile paved trail along St. Mary’s Road that links Saint Mary’s College, Moraga Commons and downtown Moraga, then runs on to EBMUD’s Valle Vista Staging Area on Canyon Road. Moraga Commons has restrooms and drinking water on the route (East Bay Regional Park District, Lafayette-Moraga Trail page, checked September 25, 2026).
  • A Sunday farmers’ market. The Moraga Farmers’ Market runs every Sunday, 9 am to 1 pm, at Moraga Center, with more than 40 farmers and food makers (California Farmers’ Markets Association, Moraga market page, checked September 25, 2026).
  • School data well above the state. In the 2025 California School Dashboard, Moraga School District scored 73.6 points above standard in English and 56.6 above in math. Statewide, students scored 8.1 below and 42.4 below. Campolindo High, at 300 Moraga Road, posted a 98.5% graduation rate (California School Dashboard, 2025 data, read September 25, 2026). Numbers are one slice of a school, and the assigned school depends on the address.

What are the biggest cons?

Price, the BART trip, fire risk and a stack of parcel taxes. None of these rule Moraga out. All of them are real.

  • No BART station. You drive or ride the bus to Orinda or Lafayette. More on the trip below.
  • High prices. A Moraga median of $1,750,092 in August 2026 puts most homes out of reach for a lot of first-time buyers.
  • Fire hazard zones. The Moraga-Orinda Fire District adopted the 2025 Fire Hazard Severity Zones on May 21, 2025 (MOFD Ordinance 25-03). Ask a licensed insurance agent about coverage for the address before you commit.
  • Three school parcel taxes. The county’s analysis of Measure I puts the total at $836 a parcel a year now that it has passed (details below).
  • Two main roads out. SAFE Moraga, a residents’ group, points to Moraga Way and Moraga Road as the town’s two main routes out in a wildfire (SAFE Moraga release, News24-680, February 17, 2025). Drive both at rush hour before you buy.

How much does a home in Moraga cost right now?

The median sale price was $1,750,092 in August 2026, up 19.9% from a year earlier (Redfin, Moraga housing market page, August 2026, checked September 24, 2026). Redfin counts 45 homes sold that month, a median of 14 days on market, a 101.1% sale-to-list ratio and $790 per square foot.

Don’t read too much into that 19.9%. Our read: with 45 sales in a month, a few bigger houses in the mix can push the median up fast. It doesn’t mean every Moraga home gained 20% in a year. Price one house against recent sales of similar homes on nearby streets. Our Moraga market update has the full August numbers.

How do I get from Moraga to BART?

Take County Connection Route 6, or drive to the Orinda or Lafayette station.

  • The bus. Route 6 runs between Lafayette BART and Orinda BART through Saint Mary’s College and central Moraga. Weekdays it runs 6:15 am to 8:00 pm, every 30 to 60 minutes. Weekends it runs 10:00 am to 5:30 pm, every 80 minutes. On the weekday timetable, the stop at Moraga Road and Moraga Way reaches Orinda BART in 14 minutes (County Connection, Route 6 page, checked September 25, 2026).
  • The stations. Orinda BART is at 11 Camino Pablo. Lafayette BART is at 3601 Deer Hill Road. Both charge $3.40 a day to park, $6 a day for a reserved space and $105 a month for monthly reserved (BART station pages, checked September 25, 2026).
  • The train. On a sample weekday morning (Tuesday, October 6, 2026), Orinda to Embarcadero in San Francisco takes 26 minutes for $5.95 on Clipper. Lafayette to Embarcadero takes 31 minutes for $6.50 (BART schedule and fare data, checked September 25, 2026).

Drive times from your street to either station change with traffic, so time it yourself on a weekday morning.

What should I know about fire zones in Moraga?

Look up the exact address before you fall for the house. MOFD, not the Town, is the fire agency. Its Zone Zero and Fire Hazard Severity Zone page has an address lookup and a 2025 map drawn for Moraga (MOFD, checked September 25, 2026). Zones run moderate, high and very high depending on the parcel.

Two things follow a Moraga sale. MOFD requires an in-person inspection and a Certificate of Compliance for every property transfer, and a seller in a high or very high zone owes the buyer vegetation compliance paperwork under California Civil Code 1102.19. For coverage, ask a licensed insurance agent with the street address, and do it during escrow. Our separate answer on Moraga fire hazard zones and insurance walks through each step.

What taxes come with a Moraga home besides property tax?

School parcel taxes, and a small transfer tax when a home sells.

  • Moraga School District parcel taxes. Voters approved Measure K ($325 a parcel) in 2004 and Measure M ($192 a parcel at approval, adjusted up to 3% a year) in 2020 (Moraga School District, Parcel Tax Measures K, M, and I page, checked September 25, 2026). Measure I adds $295 a parcel a year for seven years starting July 1, 2026. The county’s impartial analysis says the existing two are now $325 and $216, for a total of $836 a parcel (Contra Costa Elections, Measure I page, checked September 25, 2026). Measure I passed with 70.44% yes, above the two-thirds it needed, per the county’s official final results for the June 2, 2026 election (Contra Costa County Elections, Official Results, Final, June 25, 2026, read September 25, 2026).
  • Acalanes Union High School District, Measure W. A proposed $168 a parcel for eight years is on the November 3, 2026 ballot (Acalanes Union High, Measure W page, checked September 25, 2026).
  • Transfer tax. Moraga is a General Law town, so the documentary transfer tax is $1.10 per $1,000 of value in total, with the Town’s $0.55 share credited inside the county’s $1.10 (California City Finance, transfer tax rates effective December 1, 2025, checked September 25, 2026).

Read the current tax bill for any house you’re serious about. For what these mean for your budget or deductions, ask a tax professional or the Contra Costa County Treasurer-Tax Collector.

What is changing in Moraga?

The Rheem Valley shopping center and the School Street area near Moraga Center.

  • Rheem Valley Shopping Center. The Planning Commission approved rebuilding part of the center at 536 Moraga Road into a 17,404 square foot grocery store plus two new pad buildings along Moraga Road (Town of Moraga, Rheem Valley Shopping Center Partial Redevelopment page, checked September 25, 2026). Lamorinda Weekly reports the Grocery Outlet grand opening is projected for early 2027 (July 8, 2026).
  • School Street Townhomes. The Planning Commission approved 49 townhouse condominiums, five of them below market rate, at 1600 to 1660 School Street on July 7, 2026 (Town of Moraga, project page, checked September 25, 2026). The same block also holds a January 2025 approval for 66 apartments; the Town’s July 7, 2026 staff report says only one of the two can be built.
  • The Hacienda de las Flores. The Town Council voted 3 to 1, with the Mayor recused, to start demolition planning for the La Sala building at the Town-owned Hacienda, with a preliminary estimate of $150,000 to $250,000 (Lamorinda Weekly, August 12, 2026).

If you’re looking near Rheem or School Street, expect construction nearby for a while.

What schools serve Moraga?

Moraga School District runs TK to 8th grade: Camino Pablo, Donald Rheem and Los Perales elementary schools, and Joaquin Moraga Intermediate. High school is Acalanes Union High School District, which assigns students by street address. Check both for the exact address before you write an offer. Our separate answer on which schools serve a Moraga address has the full 2025 state data.

Questions people also ask

Does Moraga have a BART station?

No. The closest stations are Orinda BART at 11 Camino Pablo and Lafayette BART at 3601 Deer Hill Road. County Connection Route 6 links both through Saint Mary’s College and central Moraga, weekdays from 6:15 am to 8:00 pm, per County Connection’s Route 6 page, checked September 25, 2026. Parking at either station is $3.40 a day.

How long is the commute from Moraga to San Francisco?

It depends on how you reach BART. On a sample weekday morning, the train from Orinda to Embarcadero took 26 minutes and cost $5.95 on Clipper, per BART, checked September 25, 2026. Add the Route 6 bus, about 14 minutes by timetable from Moraga Road and Moraga Way to Orinda BART, or your own drive and parking.

Are Moraga home prices going up?

The Moraga median sale price was $1,750,092 in August 2026, up 19.9% from a year earlier, per Redfin, checked September 24, 2026. That month had only 45 sales, so a few larger homes can swing the median a lot. Compare recent sales of homes like the one you want before you decide what the market is doing.

Is Moraga a city or a town?

Moraga is a town. The official name is the Town of Moraga, with a Town Council and Town staff. Fire service comes from a separate agency, the Moraga-Orinda Fire District, and schools come from Moraga School District and Acalanes Union High School District. Each one has its own website and phone number.

Your next step

Pick two or three Moraga streets you like. We’ll pull recent sales, the MOFD fire zone, the tax bill lines and the drive to Orinda and Lafayette BART for each one, side by side. Talk to a Moraga agent on our team or call (510) 949-5525.

More on Moraga: Moraga market update · Selling a home in Moraga · Search Moraga homes · What’s my home worth?

By Bill Davis, DRE #01880656, The Davis Team at eXp Realty, Moraga, CA. Updated September 25, 2026.

Sources

  • Redfin, Moraga housing market page, August 2026: redfin.com/city/12596/CA/Moraga/housing-market (checked September 24, 2026)
  • East Bay Regional Park District, Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail: ebparks.org/trails/interpark/lafayette-moraga (checked September 25, 2026)
  • California Farmers’ Markets Association, Moraga Farmers’ Market: cafarmersmkts.com/moraga-farmers-market (checked September 25, 2026)
  • California School Dashboard, 2025 data for Moraga Elementary (district) and Campolindo High: caschooldashboard.org (read September 25, 2026)
  • County Connection, Route 6: countyconnection.com/routes/6 (checked September 25, 2026)
  • BART, Orinda and Lafayette station pages and schedule and fare data: bart.gov (checked September 25, 2026)
  • Moraga-Orinda Fire District, Zone Zero and Fire Hazard Severity Zone page, Ordinances and Resolutions page, and Certificate of Compliance page: mofd.org (checked September 25, 2026)
  • California Civil Code 1102.19: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (checked September 25, 2026)
  • Moraga School District, Parcel Tax Measures K, M, and I: moraga.k12.ca.us (checked September 25, 2026)
  • Contra Costa Elections, Measure I (June 2, 2026): contracostavote.gov/m9012-en (checked September 25, 2026)
  • Contra Costa County Elections, Statewide Direct Primary Election Official Results, Final, June 25, 2026: contracosta.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/91835 (read September 25, 2026)
  • Acalanes Union High School District, Measure W: acalanes.k12.ca.us/about-auhsd/measure-w (checked 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)
  • Town of Moraga, Rheem Valley Shopping Center Partial Redevelopment and School Street Townhomes project pages: moraga.ca.us/576 and moraga.ca.us/641 (checked September 25, 2026)
  • Lamorinda Weekly, “Notable improvements to Rheem Valley Shopping Center,” July 8, 2026, and “Hacienda’s La Sala building headed for demolition,” August 12, 2026: lamorindaweekly.com
  • News24-680, “Citizens Group Sues Town Of Moraga Over Fire Evacuation Concerns” (SAFE Moraga release), February 17, 2025: news24-680.com