Cordelia, Fairfield vs Lafayette
Cordelia, Fairfield carries an effective property tax rate of 1.18% of assessed value and Lafayette carries 1.07%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,864 and $9,717 — $147 apart, with Lafayette lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 60 min by car from Cordelia, Fairfield and 22 min by BART from Lafayette. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Cordelia, Fairfield (Solano County) · Lafayette (Contra Costa County)
| Metric | Cordelia, Fairfield | Lafayette | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $380 | $1,150 | −$770 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.18% | 1.07% | +0.110% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,864 | $9,717 | +$147 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 85 min | 40 min | +45 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 75 min | 48 min | +27 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 70 min | 22 min | +48 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 60 min | 27 min | +33 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 95 min | 68 min | +27 min |
Difference is Cordelia, Fairfield minus Lafayette. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Lafayette carries $770 more per square foot than Fairfield (Cordelia) — 203% — and that single spread decides most searches that start with both names on the list. The tax rates land 1.18% in Fairfield (Cordelia) against 1.07% in Lafayette, a 0.11% spread that has to be carried on top of the price difference.
What the same money buys
$1.4M in Lafayette is a 1,600-1,900 sq ft three-bedroom from the 1950s-60s on a third-acre lot, often single-story. Against that, the Cordelia sweet spot is $700K-$900K for 2,200-2,800 sq ft built 1995-2010. The median foot costs $380 in Fairfield (Cordelia) against $1,150 in Lafayette; on a 2,000 sq ft house that is $1,540,000 of purchase price.
Carrying $1,600,000 in each
Against an identical $1,600,000 note at 6.5% with 20% down and $2,400 a year of coverage, Fairfield (Cordelia) totals $9,864 a month at 1.18% and Lafayette $9,717 at 1.07% — tax lines of $1,573 and $1,427. The 1990s Green Valley core in Cordelia largely carries no Mello-Roos. No Mello-Roos in Lafayette, and no HOA on most detached homes; downtown condos run $500-$700 a month.
Commute, measured
To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 60 minutes by driving from Fairfield (Cordelia), 22 by BART from Lafayette — a 38-minute edge to Lafayette, or 6.3 hours across a ten-trip week. To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 75 minutes by driving from Fairfield (Cordelia), 40 by BART from Lafayette — a 35-minute edge to Lafayette, or 5.8 hours across a ten-trip week. Walnut Creek is 35 minutes from Cordelia via I-680. Lafayette BART is 25 minutes to Embarcadero and 50-60 minutes door to door to FiDi.
Fire, flood and the premium
The 2020 LNU Lightning Complex burned to the edge of Cordelia's developed area. Septic on the Reliez and Happy Valley lots adds an inspection line to Lafayette's fire exposure. 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.
The housing need each answers
Cordelia answers a Napa or Travis commute. Lafayette is the Lamorinda option when one-level living is non-negotiable.
Sources. Tax figures come from Solano County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26; City of Fairfield CFD reports; Contra Costa TRA 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. 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 | Cordelia, Fairfield | Lafayette |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $380 | $1,150 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.18% | 1.07% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,864 | $9,717 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 75 min | 40 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 60 min | 22 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 95 min | 68 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.
Lafayette detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.012% |
| School district measures | 0.058% |
| 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 vs Lafayette: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Cordelia, Fairfield or Lafayette?
- Lafayette, 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 Cordelia, Fairfield and Lafayette?
- $147 per month on the identical reference loan: Cordelia, Fairfield $9,864, Lafayette $9,717. Lafayette 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, Cordelia, Fairfield or Lafayette?
- Lafayette. Cordelia, Fairfield is 60 min by car; Lafayette is 22 min by BART. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Cordelia, Fairfield and Lafayette?
- $770 per square foot: Cordelia, Fairfield $380, Lafayette $1,150. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.