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Moraga vs Los Altos

33 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (8.6× in Moraga) and street grid (3.5× in Los Altos).

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Moraga, CAHomes around $1.61MCalifornia · 16,769 people
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Los Altos, CAHomes around $4.53MCalifornia · 30,698 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $16,420 more a month in Los Altos

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Moraga$9,220/mo
Typical home $1.61M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.60%+ · or rent about $2,895/mo · Housing →
Los Altos$25,650/mo
Typical home $4.53M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.50%+ · or rent about $3,501/mo · Housing →

The difference: $16,420 a month, about $197,100 a year, between Los Altos and Moraga.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value; “+” means the Census top-codes that town’s bill at $10,000, so its real rate is higher.

Report cards

Los Altos places higher on 14 of 21 CA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every California ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
MoragaLos Altos
Snow a year1″—
January low42°F—
July high83°F—
Growing season (days)282d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)86th91st
Outdoors & history
MoragaLos Altos
Trails15 mi2 mi
Conserved land4.5%0.7%
Settled—1952
National Register places—1
Archive photos114
Famous people born here8—
Community
MoragaLos Altos
Library hours a week40 hrs68 hrs
Colleges in town1—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

33 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Moraga ↔ Los Altos33 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

MoragaLos Altos
People
Population 16,769Lowest 30,698Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +5.3%Lowest CA: +6.1% +9.1%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 40.1±2.3Lowest 6% above CA 45.9±1.4Highest 21% above CA
Kids under 18 22.7%±2.5Lowest CA: 22% 24.2%±1.9Highest CA: 22%
Los Altos and Moraga are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 19.8%±2.2Lowest CA: 15.7% 20.8%±1.4Highest CA: 15.7%
Los Altos and Moraga are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 81.8%Lowest CA: 37.1% 88.1%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 16.1%±3.4Highest CA: 7.6% 6.8%±1.4Lowest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $216,193±$21kLowest 118% above CA $250,001Highest 152% above CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,663,200±$89kLowest 126% above CA $2,000,001Highest 172% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,895±$593Lowest 42% above CA $3,501Highest 72% above CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $10,000+ at least 95% above CA $10,000+ at least 95% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 60%±16.4Highest CA: 55.3% 39.7%±7.8Lowest CA: 55.3%
Moraga and Los Altos are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 7.3%Highest CA: 12% 3.2%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 83.1%Highest CA: 55.9% 81.7%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1972Highest 4 yrs older than CA 1964Lowest 12 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 31 minHighest 7% above CA 22 minLowest 22% below CA
Work from home 39.8%±3.9Highest CA: 17.2% 39.4%±3.4Lowest CA: 17.2%
Moraga and Los Altos are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 6.3%Highest 4.9%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.8 miHighest 8.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.59Lowest 0.87Highest
Top workplaceoutside town San Francisco (19%)San Jose (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Los AltosFew work in Moraga
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 4.5%Highest 0.7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 14.7 miHighest 1.7 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.6 miHighest 0.3 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 6Lowest 12Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 42.0Lowest 145Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #145 of 574 in CA#51 of 574 in CA
School district Acalanes Union High · Moraga ElementaryCupertino Union · Los Altos Elementary
High school in town Campolindo HighLos Altos High
Students per teacherat that high school 19.8Highest 18.1Lowest
California average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Moraga neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Moraga’s Town Square.

Los Altos neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Los Altos’s Town Square.

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Bordering Moraga

Towns like Moraga

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks California towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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