Bay Farm Island, Alameda vs Pleasanton
Bay Farm Island, Alameda carries an effective property tax rate of 1.22% of assessed value and Pleasanton carries 1.17%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,917 and $9,848 — $69 apart, with Pleasanton lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 20 min by car from Bay Farm Island, Alameda and 40 min by BART from Pleasanton. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Bay Farm Island, Alameda (Alameda County) · Pleasanton (Alameda County)
| Metric | Bay Farm Island, Alameda | Pleasanton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $750 | $850 | −$100 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.22% | 1.17% | +0.052% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,917 | $9,848 | +$69 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 45 min | 58 min | −13 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 68 min | −28 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 35 min | 40 min | −5 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 20 min | 42 min | −22 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 55 min | 45 min | +10 min |
Difference is Bay Farm Island, Alameda minus Pleasanton. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART), Alameda (Bay Farm) is 23 minutes closer than Pleasanton on the fastest posted option each has. Ten trips a week makes that 3.8 hours. The tax side is nearly level at 1.22% and 1.17%.
What the same money buys
$1.4M on Bay Farm Island is a 1980s-90s detached home of 1,700-2,000 sq ft with a small lot and two-car garage. Pleasanton comps run $700-$760 per square foot; Ruby Hill and Vintage Hills view lots start at $2M. Posted medians are $750 per square foot in Alameda (Bay Farm) and $850 in Pleasanton, a $100 spread.
What the bill looks like
Modelled the same way in both ($1,600,000 purchase, 20% down, 6.5% fixed, $2,400 insurance, dues excluded), Alameda (Bay Farm) totals $9,917 a month at 1.22% and Pleasanton $9,848 at 1.17% — tax lines of $1,627 and $1,557. The Bay Farm lagoon villages carry extra lagoon maintenance on top of base dues. No Mello-Roos on the 1970s-90s Pleasanton core.
Getting to work
To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 35 minutes by ferry from Alameda (Bay Farm), 58 by BART from Pleasanton — a 23-minute edge to Alameda (Bay Farm), or 3.8 hours across a ten-trip week. To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 20 minutes by driving from Alameda (Bay Farm), 40 by BART from Pleasanton — a 20-minute edge to Alameda (Bay Farm), or 3.3 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. From most of Pleasanton the station is 8-12 minutes out with parking full by 7:15 a.m.
What the disclosure stack holds
Parts of Bay Farm sit in FEMA AE zones where lenders require flood insurance at $600-$1,500 a year. Arroyo flood mapping touches Pleasanton lots along the Arroyo del Valle. 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. Pleasanton is the ACE-to-San-Jose option rather than the BART-to-San-Francisco one. The decision is which requirement is load-bearing, because neither submarket satisfies both lists.
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 | Pleasanton |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $750 | $850 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.22% | 1.17% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,917 | $9,848 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 35 min | 58 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 20 min | 40 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 55 min | 45 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.
Pleasanton detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.042% |
| School district measures | 0.126% |
| Effective rate | 1.17% |
| 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 Pleasanton: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Bay Farm Island, Alameda or Pleasanton?
- Pleasanton, at 1.17% of assessed value against 1.22% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.050%. 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 Pleasanton?
- $69 per month on the identical reference loan: Bay Farm Island, Alameda $9,917, Pleasanton $9,848. Pleasanton 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 Pleasanton?
- Bay Farm Island, Alameda. Bay Farm Island, Alameda is 20 min by car; Pleasanton is 40 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 Pleasanton?
- $100 per square foot: Bay Farm Island, Alameda $750, Pleasanton $850. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.