Bay Farm Island, Alameda vs Moraga
Bay Farm Island, Alameda carries an effective property tax rate of 1.22% of assessed value and Moraga carries 1.08%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,917 and $9,728 — $189 apart, with Moraga lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 20 min by car from Bay Farm Island, Alameda and 30 min by car from Moraga. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Bay Farm Island, Alameda (Alameda County) · Moraga (Contra Costa County)
| Metric | Bay Farm Island, Alameda | Moraga | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $750 | $1,000 | −$250 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.22% | 1.08% | +0.142% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,917 | $9,728 | +$189 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 45 min | 50 min | −5 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 50 min | −10 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 35 min | 32 min | +3 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 20 min | 30 min | −10 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 55 min | 70 min | −15 min |
Difference is Bay Farm Island, Alameda minus Moraga. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Alameda (Bay Farm) is the cheaper foot by $250, 25% below Moraga. What that buys is a different house, not a different bill: at $1,600,000 the two are $189 apart a month at 1.22% and 1.08%.
Square footage per dollar
Bay Farm comps run $800-$900 per square foot detached and the high $600s for lagoon townhomes. Moraga comps run $780-$860 per square foot, the lowest in Lamorinda. Posted medians are $750 per square foot in Alameda (Bay Farm) and $1,000 in Moraga, a $250 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 Moraga $9,728 at 1.08% — tax lines of $1,627 and $1,437. Harbor Bay Isle dues run $150-$200 a month depending on the village. No Mello-Roos in Moraga; Moraga Country Club dues run $300-$450 a month with golf and pool included.
Getting to work
To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 35 minutes by ferry from Alameda (Bay Farm), 50 by BART from Moraga — a 15-minute edge to Alameda (Bay Farm), or 2.5 hours across a ten-trip week. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 55 minutes by driving from Alameda (Bay Farm), 70 by driving from Moraga — a 15-minute edge to Alameda (Bay Farm), or 2.5 hours across a ten-trip week. The Harbor Bay terminal is a five-minute drive or ten-minute bike from most of the island. Door to door from Moraga to FiDi is 55-65 minutes on the two-step rail route.
Hazard and insurance
Most of Bay Farm is engineered fill, so liquefaction is the standing disclosure. Landslide history on the Rheem and Sanders Ranch slopes appears on the Moraga 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.
Choosing between them
Bay Farm is the option when the water crossing is the commute. Moraga works when the insurance line is budgeted and a drive to the station is not a dealbreaker. Rank the requirements first; the pair rarely splits on anything except the one that is non-negotiable.
Sources. Effective rates and carrying costs: Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA FY 2025-26; Contra Costa TRA Book 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. The per-foot medians are trailing and carry no appraisal weight; the neighborhood detail is first-hand broker observation.
Compare any two submarkets
| Metric | Bay Farm Island, Alameda | Moraga |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $750 | $1,000 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.22% | 1.08% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,917 | $9,728 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 35 min | 50 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 20 min | 30 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 55 min | 70 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.
Moraga detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.012% |
| School district measures | 0.066% |
| Effective rate | 1.08% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | None recorded |
Source: Contra Costa TRA Book FY 2025-26 (Contra Costa 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 Moraga: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Bay Farm Island, Alameda or Moraga?
- Moraga, at 1.08% of assessed value against 1.22% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.140%. 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 Moraga?
- $189 per month on the identical reference loan: Bay Farm Island, Alameda $9,917, Moraga $9,728. Moraga 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 Moraga?
- Bay Farm Island, Alameda. Bay Farm Island, Alameda is 20 min by car; Moraga is 30 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 Moraga?
- $250 per square foot: Bay Farm Island, Alameda $750, Moraga $1,000. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.