Bay Farm Island, Alameda vs Benicia
Bay Farm Island, Alameda carries an effective property tax rate of 1.22% of assessed value and Benicia carries 1.10%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,917 and $9,750 — $167 apart, with Benicia lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 20 min by car from Bay Farm Island, Alameda and 45 min by car from Benicia. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Bay Farm Island, Alameda (Alameda County) · Benicia (Solano County)
| Metric | Bay Farm Island, Alameda | Benicia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $750 | $480 | +$270 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.22% | 1.10% | +0.125% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,917 | $9,750 | +$167 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 45 min | 70 min | −25 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Ferry | 35 min | 80 min | −45 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 60 min | −20 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 35 min | 55 min | −20 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 20 min | 45 min | −25 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 55 min | 85 min | −30 min |
Difference is Bay Farm Island, Alameda minus Benicia. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Alameda (Bay Farm) carries $270 more per square foot than Benicia — 56% — and that single spread decides most searches that start with both names on the list. The tax rates land 1.22% in Alameda (Bay Farm) against 1.10% in Benicia, a 0.13% spread that has to be carried on top of the price difference.
What the same money buys
Under $1M on Bay Farm means a townhome or the older tracts west of Island Drive. The Benicia core is $700K-$950K for 1,600-2,200 sq ft built 1975-1995. Posted medians are $750 per square foot in Alameda (Bay Farm) and $480 in Benicia, a $270 spread.
What the bill looks like
Holding the loan constant — $1,600,000, 20% down, 6.5% on a 30-year fixed, $2,400 of insurance, no HOA — Alameda (Bay Farm) totals $9,917 a month at 1.22% and Benicia $9,750 at 1.10% — tax lines of $1,627 and $1,460. The Bay Farm lagoon villages carry extra lagoon maintenance on top of base dues. Benicia Unified levies a school parcel tax of roughly $100 a year.
Getting to work
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 55 minutes by driving from Alameda (Bay Farm), 85 by driving from Benicia — a 30-minute edge to Alameda (Bay Farm), or 5.0 hours across a ten-trip week. To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 35 minutes by ferry from Alameda (Bay Farm), 60 by driving from Benicia — a 25-minute edge to Alameda (Bay Farm), or 4.2 hours across a ten-trip week. Bay Farm has no BART; Coliseum station is a 12-minute drive. Benicia to FiDi is 55 minutes at 5:30 a.m. and 80-100 minutes at 8.
Hazard and insurance
Parts of Bay Farm sit in FEMA AE zones where lenders require flood insurance at $600-$1,500 a year. Refinery proximity and the Valero air-quality history are Benicia's flat-land disclosures. Verify any parcel against the CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zone map, the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and the California Geological Survey seismic hazard zones before removing contingencies.
Choosing between them
Bay Farm works for a buyer who wants lagoon access and level ground. Benicia assumes driving rather than riding rail. Write the requirement down before the search: these two answer different ones.
Sources. Rate and payment figures: Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA FY 2025-26; Solano County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26, as composited in build/assets/metrics.json — unverified at tax-rate-area level, so read the bill. Minutes shown are AM-peak and door to door, from data/commute/static.csv. Price per square foot is a trailing median and is not an appraisal. Qualitative detail is the broker's own field observation.
Compare any two submarkets
| Metric | Bay Farm Island, Alameda | Benicia |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $750 | $480 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.22% | 1.10% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,917 | $9,750 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 35 min | 60 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 20 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 55 min | 85 min |
Same reference loan on both sides; the tax line is the only variable. Commute figures are door-to-door AM-peak estimates. Sources are listed on each submarket page.
Bay Farm Island, Alameda detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.042% |
| School district measures | 0.178% |
| Effective rate | 1.22% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | None recorded |
Source: Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA FY 2025-26 (Alameda County), composited in
build/assets/metrics.json.
Tax Rate Area not yet verified parcel-by-parcel — confirm the rate on the parcel’s own tax bill.
Benicia detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.010% |
| School district measures | 0.085% |
| Effective rate | 1.09% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | None recorded |
Source: Solano County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26 (Solano County), composited in
build/assets/metrics.json.
Tax Rate Area not yet verified parcel-by-parcel — confirm the rate on the parcel’s own tax bill.
Bay Farm Island, Alameda vs Benicia: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Bay Farm Island, Alameda or Benicia?
- Benicia, at 1.10% of assessed value against 1.22% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.120%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Bay Farm Island, Alameda and Benicia?
- $167 per month on the identical reference loan: Bay Farm Island, Alameda $9,917, Benicia $9,750. Benicia is lower. Principal and interest are held constant, so the difference is the tax line. Arithmetic only.
- Which has the shorter commute to Oakland City Center, Bay Farm Island, Alameda or Benicia?
- Bay Farm Island, Alameda. Bay Farm Island, Alameda is 20 min by car; Benicia is 45 min by car. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Bay Farm Island, Alameda and Benicia?
- $270 per square foot: Bay Farm Island, Alameda $750, Benicia $480. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.