Mission San Jose, Fremont vs Orinda
Mission San Jose, Fremont carries an effective property tax rate of 1.15% of assessed value and Orinda carries 1.08%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,817 and $9,730 — $87 apart, with Orinda lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 45 min by BART from Mission San Jose, Fremont and 20 min by BART from Orinda. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Mission San Jose, Fremont (Alameda County) · Orinda (Contra Costa County)
| Metric | Mission San Jose, Fremont | Orinda | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,050 | $1,150 | −$100 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.15% | 1.08% | +0.065% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,817 | $9,730 | +$87 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 65 min | 38 min | +27 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 65 min | 45 min | +20 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 45 min | 20 min | +25 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 45 min | 25 min | +20 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 35 min | 70 min | −35 min |
Difference is Mission San Jose, Fremont minus Orinda. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain), Fremont (Mission San Jose) is 35 minutes closer than Orinda on the fastest posted option each has. Ten trips a week makes that 5.8 hours. The tax side is nearly level at 1.15% and 1.08%.
What the same money buys
Orinda trades interior square footage for lot: half an acre is standard and floor plans rarely exceed 1,900 sq ft at this price. Against that, mission San Jose prices location over finish, and the $1.4M inventory shows it. Posted medians are $1,050 per square foot in Fremont (Mission San Jose) and $1,150 in Orinda, a $100 spread.
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 Orinda $9,730 at 1.08% — tax lines of $1,527 and $1,440. No Mello-Roos in Mission San Jose. Orinda layers Orinda Union and Acalanes parcel taxes and a city road bond, roughly $1,200-$1,700 a year, over the ad valorem rate.
Getting to work
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 35 minutes by driving from Fremont (Mission San Jose), 70 by driving from Orinda — a 35-minute edge to Fremont (Mission San Jose), or 5.8 hours across a ten-trip week. To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 65 minutes by BART from Fremont (Mission San Jose), 38 by BART from Orinda — a 27-minute edge to Orinda, or 4.5 hours across a ten-trip week. From Mission San Jose, Tesla Fremont is 10 minutes, Santa Clara 25-40 and Cupertino 35-50. Highway 24 puts Orinda 25 minutes from the Bay Bridge at 6 a.m. and 55-65 at 8.
Fire, flood and the premium
The hillside lots east of Mission Boulevard and along Vargas Road are mapped High fire hazard. Nearly all of Orinda is mapped Very High on the CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps. 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.
Choosing between them
Mission San Jose assumes the buyer will pay for location rather than finish. Orinda suits a buyer who can carry a five-figure insurance line and wants a half-acre.
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 | Orinda |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,050 | $1,150 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.15% | 1.08% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,817 | $9,730 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 65 min | 38 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 45 min | 20 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 35 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.
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.
Orinda detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.012% |
| School district measures | 0.068% |
| 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.
Mission San Jose, Fremont vs Orinda: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Mission San Jose, Fremont or Orinda?
- Orinda, at 1.08% of assessed value against 1.15% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.070%. 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 Orinda?
- $87 per month on the identical reference loan: Mission San Jose, Fremont $9,817, Orinda $9,730. Orinda 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 Orinda?
- Orinda. Mission San Jose, Fremont is 45 min by BART; Orinda is 20 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 Orinda?
- $100 per square foot: Mission San Jose, Fremont $1,050, Orinda $1,150. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.