Alamo vs Cordelia, Fairfield
Alamo carries an effective property tax rate of 1.07% of assessed value and Cordelia, Fairfield carries 1.18%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,713 and $9,864 — $151 apart, with Alamo lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 34 min by BART from Alamo and 60 min by car from Cordelia, Fairfield. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Alamo (Contra Costa County) · Cordelia, Fairfield (Solano County)
| Metric | Alamo | Cordelia, Fairfield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,000 | $380 | +$620 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.07% | 1.18% | −0.113% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,713 | $9,864 | −$151 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 52 min | 85 min | −33 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 58 min | 75 min | −17 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 34 min | 70 min | −36 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 35 min | 60 min | −25 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 62 min | 95 min | −33 min |
Difference is Alamo minus Cordelia, Fairfield. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Alamo carries $620 more per square foot than Fairfield (Cordelia) — 163% — and that single spread decides most searches that start with both names on the list. The tax rates land 1.07% in Alamo against 1.18% in Fairfield (Cordelia), a 0.11% spread that has to be carried on top of the price difference.
What the same money buys
$1.4M is Alamo's entry point: a 1960s-70s ranch of 1,800-2,200 sq ft on a third to half acre east of I-680. Cordelia comps run $330-$400 per square foot. Posted medians are $1,000 per square foot in Alamo and $380 in Fairfield (Cordelia), a $620 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), Alamo totals $9,713 a month at 1.07% and Fairfield (Cordelia) $9,864 at 1.18% — tax lines of $1,423 and $1,573. Round Hill and a few gated Alamo pockets carry $100-$300 a month; most of the flats have none. Cordelia HOAs run $50-$150 a month, with gated Rancho Solano and Eastridge higher.
Getting to work
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 62 minutes by driving from Alamo, 95 by driving from Fairfield (Cordelia) — a 33-minute edge to Alamo, or 5.5 hours across a ten-trip week. To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 34 minutes by BART from Alamo, 60 by driving from Fairfield (Cordelia) — a 26-minute edge to Alamo, or 4.3 hours across a ten-trip week. I-680 to 24 puts Alamo 50 minutes from the Bay Bridge at 6 a.m. and 80-90 at 8. Cordelia to the Bay Bridge is 50 minutes at 5:30 a.m. and 75-100 minutes at 7:30.
What the disclosure stack holds
The Alamo east flats sit outside the fire hazard severity zones. The flats near Cordelia Junction are not WUI, and Suisun Marsh flood mapping touches the southern edge. 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
Alamo assumes a car-first commute. Cordelia answers a Napa or Travis commute. The decision is which requirement is load-bearing, because neither submarket satisfies both lists.
Sources. Effective rates and carrying costs: Contra Costa TRA Book FY 2025-26; Solano County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26; City of Fairfield CFD reports, 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 | Alamo | Cordelia, Fairfield |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,000 | $380 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.07% | 1.18% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,713 | $9,864 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 52 min | 75 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 34 min | 60 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 62 min | 95 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.
Alamo detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.012% |
| School district measures | 0.055% |
| Effective rate | 1.07% |
| 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.
Cordelia, Fairfield detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.010% |
| School district measures | 0.090% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD assessment | 0.080% |
| Effective rate | 1.18% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | Yes |
Source: Solano County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26; City of Fairfield CFD reports (Solano 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.
Alamo vs Cordelia, Fairfield: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Alamo or Cordelia, Fairfield?
- Alamo, at 1.07% of assessed value against 1.18% 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 Alamo and Cordelia, Fairfield?
- $151 per month on the identical reference loan: Alamo $9,713, Cordelia, Fairfield $9,864. Alamo 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, Alamo or Cordelia, Fairfield?
- Alamo. Alamo is 34 min by BART; Cordelia, Fairfield is 60 min by car. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Alamo and Cordelia, Fairfield?
- $620 per square foot: Alamo $1,000, Cordelia, Fairfield $380. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.