Bay Farm Island, Alameda vs Burlingame
Bay Farm Island, Alameda carries an effective property tax rate of 1.22% of assessed value and Burlingame carries 1.11%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,917 and $9,768 — $149 apart, with Burlingame 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 Burlingame. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Bay Farm Island, Alameda (Alameda County) · Burlingame (San Mateo County)
| Metric | Bay Farm Island, Alameda | Burlingame | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $750 | $1,500 | −$750 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.22% | 1.11% | +0.112% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,917 | $9,768 | +$149 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 45 min | 40 min | +5 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 40 min | 0 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 | 35 min | +20 min |
Difference is Bay Farm Island, Alameda minus Burlingame. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Put the two side by side and the gap is square footage, not tax: $750 per foot in Alameda (Bay Farm) against $1,500 in Burlingame. On the same $1,600,000 purchase the monthly separation is $149, because Alameda (Bay Farm) bills 1.22% and Burlingame 1.11%.
The house at each price
Harbor Bay Isle is the bulk of Bay Farm's detached inventory. Burlingame comps run $1,300-$1,500 per square foot for detached. Posted medians are $750 per square foot in Alameda (Bay Farm) and $1,500 in Burlingame, a $750 spread.
The monthly, matched
Against an identical $1,600,000 note at 6.5% with 20% down and $2,400 a year of coverage, Alameda (Bay Farm) totals $9,917 a month at 1.22% and Burlingame $9,768 at 1.11% — tax lines of $1,627 and $1,477. Alameda city and school parcel taxes add a few hundred dollars a year on Bay Farm. No Mello-Roos in Burlingame.
Getting to work
To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 20 minutes by driving from Alameda (Bay Farm), 45 by driving from Burlingame — a 25-minute edge to Alameda (Bay Farm), or 4.2 hours across a ten-trip week. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 55 minutes by driving from Alameda (Bay Farm), 35 by Caltrain from Burlingame — a 20-minute edge to Burlingame, or 3.3 hours across a ten-trip week. Bay Farm has no BART; Coliseum station is a 12-minute drive. A Baby Bullet from Burlingame to 4th and King runs 28-35 minutes; locals 40, plus a 15-minute walk or Muni ride.
Fire, flood and the premium
Parts of Bay Farm sit in FEMA AE zones where lenders require flood insurance at $600-$1,500 a year. The hills west of I-280 carry moderate fire mapping with no Burlingame non-renewals observed, and liquefaction near the bay shows on the NHD. None of this substitutes for the parcel: check CAL FIRE zoning, the FEMA flood panel and CGS seismic hazard mapping, then price the policy in writing.
The housing need each answers
Bay Farm fits a need for a detached home with a garage inside the ferry catchment. Burlingame is the answer when the station has to be within walking distance.
Sources. Tax figures come from Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA FY 2025-26; San Mateo County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26, composited in build/assets/metrics.json. They are county-level and not yet verified at the TRA, so the parcel's bill governs. Travel times are AM-peak door-to-door estimates 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 | Burlingame |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $750 | $1,500 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.22% | 1.11% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,917 | $9,768 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 35 min | 40 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 20 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 55 min | 35 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.
Burlingame detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.010% |
| School district measures | 0.098% |
| Effective rate | 1.11% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | None recorded |
Source: San Mateo County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26 (San Mateo 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 Burlingame: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Bay Farm Island, Alameda or Burlingame?
- Burlingame, at 1.11% of assessed value against 1.22% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.110%. 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 Burlingame?
- $149 per month on the identical reference loan: Bay Farm Island, Alameda $9,917, Burlingame $9,768. Burlingame 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 Burlingame?
- Bay Farm Island, Alameda. Bay Farm Island, Alameda is 20 min by car; Burlingame 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 Burlingame?
- $750 per square foot: Bay Farm Island, Alameda $750, Burlingame $1,500. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.