Bay Farm Island, Alameda vs Mission San Jose, Fremont
Bay Farm Island, Alameda carries an effective property tax rate of 1.22% of assessed value and Mission San Jose, Fremont carries 1.15%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,917 and $9,817 — $100 apart, with Mission San Jose, Fremont 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 BART from Mission San Jose, Fremont. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Bay Farm Island, Alameda (Alameda County) · Mission San Jose, Fremont (Alameda County)
| Metric | Bay Farm Island, Alameda | Mission San Jose, Fremont | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $750 | $1,050 | −$300 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.22% | 1.15% | +0.075% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,917 | $9,817 | +$100 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 45 min | 65 min | −20 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 65 min | −25 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 35 min | 45 min | −10 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 Mission San Jose, Fremont. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Fremont (Mission San Jose) carries $300 more per square foot than Alameda (Bay Farm) — 40% — 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 1.15% in Fremont (Mission San Jose), close enough that price per foot, not the levy, is what moves the payment.
What the same money buys
Bay Farm comps run $800-$900 per square foot detached and the high $600s for lagoon townhomes. Mission San Jose comps run $1,000-$1,100 per square foot, well above the rest of Fremont. At $750 and $1,050 per foot respectively, a fixed budget buys about 40% more floor area in Alameda (Bay Farm).
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 Fremont (Mission San Jose) $9,817 at 1.15% — tax lines of $1,627 and $1,527. No Mello-Roos anywhere on Bay Farm. No Mello-Roos in Mission San Jose.
The trip each morning
To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 35 minutes by ferry from Alameda (Bay Farm), 65 by BART from Fremont (Mission San Jose) — a 30-minute edge to Alameda (Bay Farm), or 5.0 hours across a ten-trip week. Doolittle to I-880 or the Posey Tube gets Bay Farm to Oakland City Center in 15 minutes off-peak; the tube backs up 7:30-9:00. Door to door from Mission San Jose to FiDi is 80-90 minutes, so most commutes here run south instead.
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. Slope stability on the Mission San Jose hill lots is an inspection item. 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 fits a need for a detached home with a garage inside the ferry catchment. Mission San Jose is the answer when the drive is to Silicon Valley, not San Francisco.
Sources. Effective rates and carrying costs: Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA FY 2025-26, composited in build/assets/metrics.json; TRA-level verification pending, so confirm the rate on the parcel's own bill. Commute times: door-to-door AM-peak estimates, 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 | Mission San Jose, Fremont |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $750 | $1,050 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.22% | 1.15% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,917 | $9,817 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 35 min | 65 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.
Mission San Jose, Fremont detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.042% |
| School district measures | 0.103% |
| Effective rate | 1.15% |
| 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.
Bay Farm Island, Alameda vs Mission San Jose, Fremont: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Bay Farm Island, Alameda or Mission San Jose, Fremont?
- Mission San Jose, Fremont, at 1.15% of assessed value against 1.22% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.070%. 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 Mission San Jose, Fremont?
- $100 per month on the identical reference loan: Bay Farm Island, Alameda $9,917, Mission San Jose, Fremont $9,817. Mission San Jose, Fremont 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 Mission San Jose, Fremont?
- Bay Farm Island, Alameda. Bay Farm Island, Alameda is 20 min by car; Mission San Jose, Fremont is 45 min by BART. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Bay Farm Island, Alameda and Mission San Jose, Fremont?
- $300 per square foot: Bay Farm Island, Alameda $750, Mission San Jose, Fremont $1,050. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.