Dublin vs Cordelia, Fairfield
Dublin carries an effective property tax rate of 1.18% 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 $9,869 and $9,864 — $5 apart, with Cordelia, Fairfield lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 38 min by BART from Dublin and 60 min by car from Cordelia, Fairfield. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Dublin (Alameda County) · Cordelia, Fairfield (Solano County)
| Metric | Dublin | Cordelia, Fairfield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $720 | $380 | +$340 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.18% | 1.18% | +0.004% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,869 | $9,864 | +$5 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 55 min | 85 min | −30 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 65 min | 75 min | −10 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 38 min | 70 min | −32 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 60 min | −20 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 45 min | 95 min | −50 min |
Difference is Dublin minus Cordelia, Fairfield. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Fairfield (Cordelia) is the cheaper foot by $340, 47% below Dublin. What that buys is a different house, not a different bill: at $1,600,000 the two are $5 apart a month at 1.18% and 1.18%.
Square footage per dollar
$1.4M in east Dublin is a 2,600-3,000 sq ft five-bedroom built 2012-2020 on a 4,000-5,000 sq ft lot. Cordelia comps run $330-$400 per square foot. The median foot costs $720 in Dublin against $380 in Fairfield (Cordelia); on a 2,000 sq ft house that is $680,000 of purchase price.
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), Dublin totals $9,869 a month at 1.18% and Fairfield (Cordelia) $9,864 at 1.18% — tax lines of $1,579 and $1,573. Dublin HOAs run $100-$250 a month. The Cordelia Fire District assessment shows as a separate line on the bill. Neither figure includes dues or a district assessment, and both belong on the worksheet before an offer.
Commute, measured
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 45 minutes by driving from Dublin, 95 by driving from Fairfield (Cordelia) — a 50-minute edge to Dublin, or 8.3 hours across a ten-trip week. To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 38 minutes by BART from Dublin, 60 by driving from Fairfield (Cordelia) — a 22-minute edge to Dublin, or 3.7 hours across a ten-trip week. Door to door from Dublin to FiDi is 75-90 minutes. The Fairfield-Vacaville Capitol Corridor station is 15 minutes from Cordelia, then 65 minutes to Emeryville.
What the disclosure stack holds
The two carry different disclosure files, and the premium follows the file. The Dublin valley floor is not WUI. The flats near Cordelia Junction are not WUI, and Suisun Marsh flood mapping touches the southern edge. Pull the parcel's own mapping — CAL FIRE severity zone, FEMA flood panel, CGS liquefaction zone — and get a written quote before the contingency date.
Which search this actually is
Dublin assumes a CFD and a long train ride are both acceptable. Cordelia is the answer when square footage per dollar is the governing constraint. The decision is which requirement is load-bearing, because neither submarket satisfies both lists.
Sources. Tax figures come from Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA FY 2025-26; Solano County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26; City of Fairfield CFD reports, 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. The per-foot medians are trailing and carry no appraisal weight; the neighborhood detail is first-hand broker observation.
Compare any two submarkets
| Metric | Dublin | Cordelia, Fairfield |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $720 | $380 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.18% | 1.18% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,869 | $9,864 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 55 min | 75 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 38 min | 60 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 45 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.
Dublin detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.042% |
| School district measures | 0.142% |
| Effective rate | 1.18% |
| 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.
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.
Dublin vs Cordelia, Fairfield: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Dublin or Cordelia, Fairfield?
- Dublin, at 1.18% of assessed value against 1.18% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.000%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Dublin and Cordelia, Fairfield?
- $5 per month on the identical reference loan: Dublin $9,869, Cordelia, Fairfield $9,864. Cordelia, Fairfield 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, Dublin or Cordelia, Fairfield?
- Dublin. Dublin is 38 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 Dublin and Cordelia, Fairfield?
- $340 per square foot: Dublin $720, Cordelia, Fairfield $380. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.