Cordelia, Fairfield vs Moraga
Cordelia, Fairfield carries an effective property tax rate of 1.18% of assessed value and Moraga carries 1.08%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,864 and $9,728 — $136 apart, with Moraga lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 60 min by car from Cordelia, Fairfield and 30 min by car from Moraga. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Cordelia, Fairfield (Solano County) · Moraga (Contra Costa County)
| Metric | Cordelia, Fairfield | Moraga | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $380 | $1,000 | −$620 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.18% | 1.08% | +0.102% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,864 | $9,728 | +$136 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 85 min | 50 min | +35 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 75 min | 50 min | +25 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 70 min | 32 min | +38 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 60 min | 30 min | +30 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 95 min | 70 min | +25 min |
Difference is Cordelia, Fairfield minus Moraga. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Fairfield (Cordelia) is the cheaper foot by $620, 62% below Moraga. What that buys is a different house, not a different bill: at $1,600,000 the two are $136 apart a month at 1.18% and 1.08%.
Square footage per dollar
The Cordelia sweet spot is $700K-$900K for 2,200-2,800 sq ft built 1995-2010. $1.4M in Moraga is an 1,800-2,200 sq ft three or four bedroom built 1965-1980 on a quarter acre. At $380 and $1,000 per foot respectively, a fixed budget buys about 163% 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 Moraga $9,728 at 1.08% — tax lines of $1,573 and $1,437. The 1990s Green Valley core in Cordelia largely carries no Mello-Roos. No Mello-Roos in Moraga; Moraga Country Club dues run $300-$450 a month with golf and pool included.
The trip each morning
To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 60 minutes by driving from Fairfield (Cordelia), 30 by driving from Moraga — a 30-minute edge to Moraga, or 5.0 hours across a ten-trip week. To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 75 minutes by driving from Fairfield (Cordelia), 50 by BART from Moraga — a 25-minute edge to Moraga, or 4.2 hours across a ten-trip week. Walnut Creek is 35 minutes from Cordelia via I-680. Moraga has no BART; Orinda station is 12-15 minutes out and Lafayette 15, then 22-25 minutes to Embarcadero.
Hazard and insurance
The 2020 LNU Lightning Complex burned to the edge of Cordelia's developed area. Landslide history on the Rheem and Sanders Ranch slopes appears on the Moraga NHD. 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
Cordelia works for remote work with two Bay drive days a week. Moraga works when the insurance line is budgeted and a drive to the station is not a dealbreaker. Rank the requirements first; the pair rarely splits on anything except the one that 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 | Moraga |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $380 | $1,000 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.18% | 1.08% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,864 | $9,728 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 75 min | 50 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 60 min | 30 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 95 min | 70 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.
Moraga detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.012% |
| School district measures | 0.066% |
| Effective rate | 1.08% |
| 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 Moraga: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Cordelia, Fairfield or Moraga?
- Moraga, at 1.08% of assessed value against 1.18% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.100%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Cordelia, Fairfield and Moraga?
- $136 per month on the identical reference loan: Cordelia, Fairfield $9,864, Moraga $9,728. Moraga 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 Moraga?
- Moraga. Cordelia, Fairfield is 60 min by car; Moraga is 30 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 Moraga?
- $620 per square foot: Cordelia, Fairfield $380, Moraga $1,000. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.