Alamo vs Mission San Jose, Fremont
Alamo carries an effective property tax rate of 1.07% 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 $9,713 and $9,817 — $104 apart, with Alamo lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 34 min by BART from Alamo 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.
Alamo (Contra Costa County) · Mission San Jose, Fremont (Alameda County)
| Metric | Alamo | Mission San Jose, Fremont | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,000 | $1,050 | −$50 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.07% | 1.15% | −0.078% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,713 | $9,817 | −$104 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 52 min | 65 min | −13 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 58 min | 65 min | −7 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 34 min | 45 min | −11 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 35 min | 45 min | −10 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 62 min | 35 min | +27 min |
Difference is Alamo minus Mission San Jose, Fremont. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
This pairing is a commute decision. Fremont (Mission San Jose) reaches Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) 27 minutes faster than Alamo, while the rates sit 1.07% against 1.15% and the monthly gap at $1,600,000 is $104.
The house at each price
Alamo comps run $750-$850 per square foot; Round Hill and the west-side hills run $2M to $5M. Updated four-bedrooms in the Mission hills start at $2.2M, with the Weibel area in between. Posted medians are $1,000 per square foot in Alamo and $1,050 in Fremont (Mission San Jose), a $50 spread.
What the bill looks like
Against an identical $1,600,000 note at 6.5% with 20% down and $2,400 a year of coverage, Alamo totals $9,713 a month at 1.07% and Fremont (Mission San Jose) $9,817 at 1.15% — tax lines of $1,423 and $1,527. Septic on some older Alamo acre lots is a $20K-$40K inspection conversation. Mission San Jose HOAs exist only in the Mission Boulevard townhome complexes at $300-$500 a month.
Getting to work
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 62 minutes by driving from Alamo, 35 by driving from Fremont (Mission San Jose) — a 27-minute edge to Fremont (Mission San Jose), or 4.5 hours across a ten-trip week. To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 52 minutes by BART from Alamo, 65 by BART from Fremont (Mission San Jose) — a 13-minute edge to Alamo, or 2.2 hours across a ten-trip week. Bishop Ranch is 12 minutes south of Alamo. Warm Springs/South Fremont BART is 10-12 minutes from Mission San Jose, then 55 minutes to Embarcadero.
Fire, flood and the premium
Alamo west-slope non-renewals run to FAIR Plan placements of $4K-$8K 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.
The housing need each answers
Alamo fits a large-lot, single-story requirement with room for a workshop or ADU. Mission San Jose assumes the buyer will pay for location rather than finish. Rank the requirements first; the pair rarely splits on anything except the one that is non-negotiable.
Sources. Tax figures come from Contra Costa TRA Book FY 2025-26; Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA FY 2025-26, composited in build/assets/metrics.json. They are county-level and not yet verified at the TRA, so the parcel's bill governs. Travel times are AM-peak door-to-door estimates from 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 | Alamo | Mission San Jose, Fremont |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,000 | $1,050 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.07% | 1.15% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,713 | $9,817 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 52 min | 65 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 34 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 62 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.
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.
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.
Alamo vs Mission San Jose, Fremont: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Alamo or Mission San Jose, Fremont?
- Alamo, at 1.07% of assessed value against 1.15% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.080%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Alamo and Mission San Jose, Fremont?
- $104 per month on the identical reference loan: Alamo $9,713, Mission San Jose, Fremont $9,817. 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 Mission San Jose, Fremont?
- Alamo. Alamo is 34 min by BART; 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 Alamo and Mission San Jose, Fremont?
- $50 per square foot: Alamo $1,000, Mission San Jose, Fremont $1,050. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.