Cordelia, Fairfield vs Mission San Jose, Fremont
Cordelia, Fairfield carries an effective property tax rate of 1.18% 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 $9,864 and $9,817 — $47 apart, with Mission San Jose, Fremont lower. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 95 min by car from Cordelia, Fairfield and 35 min by car from Mission San Jose, Fremont. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Cordelia, Fairfield (Solano County) · Mission San Jose, Fremont (Alameda County)
| Metric | Cordelia, Fairfield | Mission San Jose, Fremont | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $380 | $1,050 | −$670 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.18% | 1.15% | +0.035% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,864 | $9,817 | +$47 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 85 min | 65 min | +20 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 75 min | 65 min | +10 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 70 min | 45 min | +25 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 60 min | 45 min | +15 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 95 min | 35 min | +60 min |
Difference is Cordelia, Fairfield minus Mission San Jose, Fremont. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Fairfield (Cordelia) is the cheaper foot by $670, 64% below Fremont (Mission San Jose). What that buys is a different house, not a different bill: at $1,600,000 the two are $47 apart a month at 1.18% and 1.15%.
Square footage per dollar
The Cordelia sweet spot is $700K-$900K for 2,200-2,800 sq ft built 1995-2010. $1.4M in Mission San Jose is a 1,300-1,500 sq ft 1960s three-bedroom on a 6,000 sq ft lot, usually original inside. At $380 and $1,050 per foot respectively, a fixed budget buys about 176% more floor area in Fairfield (Cordelia).
The monthly, matched
Holding the loan constant — $1,600,000, 20% down, 6.5% on a 30-year fixed, $2,400 of insurance, no HOA — Fairfield (Cordelia) totals $9,864 a month at 1.18% and Fremont (Mission San Jose) $9,817 at 1.15% — tax lines of $1,573 and $1,527. The Cordelia Fire District assessment shows as a separate line on the bill. No Mello-Roos in Mission San Jose.
The trip each morning
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 95 minutes by driving from Fairfield (Cordelia), 35 by driving from Fremont (Mission San Jose) — a 60-minute edge to Fremont (Mission San Jose), or 10.0 hours across a ten-trip week. To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 60 minutes by driving from Fairfield (Cordelia), 45 by BART from Fremont (Mission San Jose) — a 15-minute edge to Fremont (Mission San Jose), or 2.5 hours across a ten-trip week. The Vallejo ferry is 25 minutes from Cordelia, then 60 on the water; Travis AFB is 20 minutes east and Napa 25 north. Warm Springs/South Fremont BART is 10-12 minutes from Mission San Jose, then 55 minutes to Embarcadero.
Hazard and insurance
Cordelia hill non-renewals are live, with FAIR Plan quotes of $3K-$6K a year. Slope stability on the Mission San Jose hill lots is an inspection item. 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
Cordelia fits a 3,000-plus square foot requirement with a three-car garage. Mission San Jose is the answer when the drive is to Silicon Valley, not San Francisco.
Sources. Rate and payment figures: Solano County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26; City of Fairfield CFD reports; Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA FY 2025-26, as composited in build/assets/metrics.json — unverified at tax-rate-area level, so read the bill. Minutes shown are AM-peak and door to door, 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 | Cordelia, Fairfield | Mission San Jose, Fremont |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $380 | $1,050 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.18% | 1.15% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,864 | $9,817 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 75 min | 65 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 60 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 95 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.
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.
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.
Cordelia, Fairfield vs Mission San Jose, Fremont: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Cordelia, Fairfield or Mission San Jose, Fremont?
- Mission San Jose, Fremont, at 1.15% of assessed value against 1.18% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.030%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Cordelia, Fairfield and Mission San Jose, Fremont?
- $47 per month on the identical reference loan: Cordelia, Fairfield $9,864, Mission San Jose, Fremont $9,817. Mission San Jose, Fremont 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, Cordelia, Fairfield or Mission San Jose, Fremont?
- Mission San Jose, Fremont. Cordelia, Fairfield is 95 min by car; Mission San Jose, Fremont is 35 min by car. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Cordelia, Fairfield and Mission San Jose, Fremont?
- $670 per square foot: Cordelia, Fairfield $380, Mission San Jose, Fremont $1,050. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.