Dublin vs Menlo Park
Dublin carries an effective property tax rate of 1.18% of assessed value and Menlo Park carries 1.13%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,869 and $9,790 — $79 apart, with Menlo Park lower. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 45 min by car from Dublin and 20 min by Caltrain from Menlo Park. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Dublin (Alameda County) · Menlo Park (San Mateo County)
| Metric | Dublin | Menlo Park | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $720 | $1,700 | −$980 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.18% | 1.13% | +0.059% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,869 | $9,790 | +$79 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 65 min | 60 min | +5 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 38 min | 85 min | −47 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 50 min | −10 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 45 min | 20 min | +25 min |
Difference is Dublin minus Menlo Park. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Dublin is the cheaper foot by $980, 58% below Menlo Park. What that buys is a different house, not a different bill: at $1,600,000 the two are $79 apart a month at 1.18% and 1.13%.
Square footage per dollar
Positano, Jordan Ranch and Wallis Ranch hold Dublin's newest inventory. Belle Haven runs $1,000-$1,200 per square foot, the lowest in Menlo Park. At $720 and $1,700 per foot respectively, a fixed budget buys about 136% more floor area in Dublin.
The monthly, matched
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 Menlo Park $9,790 at 1.13% — tax lines of $1,579 and $1,500. Dublin HOAs run $100-$250 a month. Menlo Park downtown condos and townhomes carry $500-$900 a month. Neither figure includes dues or a district assessment, and both belong on the worksheet before an offer.
The trip each morning
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 45 minutes by driving from Dublin, 20 by Caltrain from Menlo Park — a 25-minute edge to Menlo Park, or 4.2 hours across a ten-trip week. To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 38 minutes by BART from Dublin, 50 by driving from Menlo Park — a 12-minute edge to Dublin, or 2.0 hours across a ten-trip week. Door to door from Dublin to FiDi is 75-90 minutes. Driving 101 from Menlo Park to SoMa is 35 minutes at 6 a.m. and 65-80 at 8.
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 Sharon Heights hills near 280 carry moderate fire mapping with no Menlo Park non-renewals observed. 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.
Which search this actually is
Dublin works for a buyer who wants 2012-or-newer construction and will read the tax bill. Menlo Park works for a buyer trading square footage for proximity. Rank the requirements first; the pair rarely splits on anything except the one that is non-negotiable.
Sources. Tax figures come from Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA FY 2025-26; San Mateo County Tax Rate Book 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. 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 | Menlo Park |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $720 | $1,700 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.18% | 1.13% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,869 | $9,790 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 55 min | 60 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 38 min | 50 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 45 min | 20 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.
Menlo Park detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.010% |
| School district measures | 0.115% |
| Effective rate | 1.13% |
| 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.
Dublin vs Menlo Park: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Dublin or Menlo Park?
- Menlo Park, at 1.13% of assessed value against 1.18% 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 Dublin and Menlo Park?
- $79 per month on the identical reference loan: Dublin $9,869, Menlo Park $9,790. Menlo Park is lower. Principal and interest are held constant, so the difference is the tax line. Arithmetic only.
- Which has the shorter commute to Sunnyvale / Mountain View, Dublin or Menlo Park?
- Menlo Park. Dublin is 45 min by car; Menlo Park is 20 min by Caltrain. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Dublin and Menlo Park?
- $980 per square foot: Dublin $720, Menlo Park $1,700. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.