Bay Farm Island, Alameda vs Redwood City
Bay Farm Island, Alameda carries an effective property tax rate of 1.22% of assessed value and Redwood City carries 1.12%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,917 and $9,784 — $133 apart, with Redwood City lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 20 min by car from Bay Farm Island, Alameda and 50 min by car from Redwood City. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Bay Farm Island, Alameda (Alameda County) · Redwood City (San Mateo County)
| Metric | Bay Farm Island, Alameda | Redwood City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $750 | $1,150 | −$400 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.22% | 1.12% | +0.100% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,917 | $9,784 | +$133 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 55 min | −15 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 35 min | 80 min | −45 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 20 min | 50 min | −30 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 55 min | 25 min | +30 min |
Difference is Bay Farm Island, Alameda minus Redwood City. 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 $1,150 in Redwood City. On the same $1,600,000 purchase the monthly separation is $133, because Alameda (Bay Farm) bills 1.22% and Redwood City 1.12%.
The house at each price
$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. A 1,700 sq ft Redwood Shores townhome is the other $1.4M option. The median foot costs $750 in Alameda (Bay Farm) against $1,150 in Redwood City; on a 2,000 sq ft house that is $800,000 of purchase price.
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 Redwood City $9,784 at 1.12% — tax lines of $1,627 and $1,493. The Bay Farm lagoon villages carry extra lagoon maintenance on top of base dues. No Mello-Roos in the older Redwood City core.
Commute, measured
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 55 minutes by driving from Alameda (Bay Farm), 22 by Caltrain from Redwood City — a 33-minute edge to Redwood City, or 5.5 hours across a ten-trip week. To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 20 minutes by driving from Alameda (Bay Farm), 50 by driving from Redwood City — a 30-minute edge to Alameda (Bay Farm), or 5.0 hours across a ten-trip week. The Harbor Bay ferry crosses to the San Francisco Ferry Building in 20-25 minutes, weekday peaks only. Door to door from Redwood City to FiDi is 55-65 minutes.
Fire, flood and the premium
Bay Farm Island is not wildland-urban interface. Redwood City hill non-renewals started in 2024; standard carriers write the flats. Run the address through CAL FIRE's severity-zone viewer, the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and the CGS seismic hazard maps, and treat the premium quote as a contingency item.
The housing need each answers
Bay Farm answers a townhome-pricing requirement with a flat, short bike commute. Redwood City is the answer when a lagoon townhome is acceptable. 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; San Mateo County Tax Rate 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 | Redwood City |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $750 | $1,150 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.22% | 1.12% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,917 | $9,784 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 35 min | 55 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 20 min | 50 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 55 min | 22 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.
Redwood City detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.010% |
| School district measures | 0.110% |
| Effective rate | 1.12% |
| 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 Redwood City: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Bay Farm Island, Alameda or Redwood City?
- Redwood City, at 1.12% of assessed value against 1.22% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.100%. 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 Redwood City?
- $133 per month on the identical reference loan: Bay Farm Island, Alameda $9,917, Redwood City $9,784. Redwood City 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 Redwood City?
- Bay Farm Island, Alameda. Bay Farm Island, Alameda is 20 min by car; Redwood City is 50 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 Redwood City?
- $400 per square foot: Bay Farm Island, Alameda $750, Redwood City $1,150. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.