Mission San Jose, Fremont vs Lafayette
Mission San Jose, Fremont carries an effective property tax rate of 1.15% of assessed value and Lafayette carries 1.07%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,817 and $9,717 — $100 apart, with Lafayette lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 45 min by BART from Mission San Jose, Fremont and 22 min by BART from Lafayette. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Mission San Jose, Fremont (Alameda County) · Lafayette (Contra Costa County)
| Metric | Mission San Jose, Fremont | Lafayette | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,050 | $1,150 | −$100 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.15% | 1.07% | +0.075% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,817 | $9,717 | +$100 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 65 min | 40 min | +25 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 65 min | 48 min | +17 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 45 min | 22 min | +23 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 45 min | 27 min | +18 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 35 min | 68 min | −33 min |
Difference is Mission San Jose, Fremont minus Lafayette. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
33 minutes each way to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) is what actually separates Fremont (Mission San Jose) from Lafayette; Fremont (Mission San Jose) holds that side. Both are billed within 0.07% of each other, 1.15% to 1.07%.
Square footage per dollar
Single-story floor plans are common in Lafayette at this price, which is rarer across the ridge. Against that, mission San Jose comps run $1,000-$1,100 per square foot, well above the rest of Fremont. At $1,050 and $1,150 per foot respectively, a fixed budget buys about 10% more floor area in Fremont (Mission San Jose).
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, Fremont (Mission San Jose) totals $9,817 a month at 1.15% and Lafayette $9,717 at 1.07% — tax lines of $1,527 and $1,427. No Mello-Roos in Mission San Jose. Lafayette School District and Acalanes Union parcel taxes stack to roughly $1,000-$1,500 a year.
The trip each morning
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 35 minutes by driving from Fremont (Mission San Jose), 68 by driving from Lafayette — a 33-minute edge to Fremont (Mission San Jose), or 5.5 hours across a ten-trip week. To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 65 minutes by BART from Fremont (Mission San Jose), 40 by BART from Lafayette — a 25-minute edge to Lafayette, or 4.2 hours across a ten-trip week. Door to door from Mission San Jose to FiDi is 80-90 minutes, so most commutes here run south instead. Highway 24 through the Caldecott puts Lafayette 30 minutes from the Bay Bridge at 6 a.m., 55-70 at 8.
Fire, flood and the premium
A few Mission San Jose hill non-renewals appeared in 2025-26; the flats are still being written. Most of Lafayette outside the downtown flats is mapped High or Very High fire hazard. 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.
Which search this actually is
Mission San Jose assumes the buyer will pay for location rather than finish. Lafayette works for a buyer who wants a third-acre lot within a 10-minute drive of rail.
Sources. Effective rates and carrying costs: Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA FY 2025-26; Contra Costa TRA Book FY 2025-26, composited in build/assets/metrics.json; TRA-level verification pending, so confirm the rate on the parcel's own bill. Commute times: door-to-door AM-peak estimates, 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 | Mission San Jose, Fremont | Lafayette |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,050 | $1,150 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.15% | 1.07% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,817 | $9,717 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 65 min | 40 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 45 min | 22 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 35 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.
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.
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.
Mission San Jose, Fremont vs Lafayette: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Mission San Jose, Fremont or Lafayette?
- Lafayette, at 1.07% of assessed value against 1.15% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.080%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Mission San Jose, Fremont and Lafayette?
- $100 per month on the identical reference loan: Mission San Jose, Fremont $9,817, 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, Mission San Jose, Fremont or Lafayette?
- Lafayette. Mission San Jose, Fremont is 45 min by BART; 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 Mission San Jose, Fremont and Lafayette?
- $100 per square foot: Mission San Jose, Fremont $1,050, Lafayette $1,150. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.