Lafayette vs Baywood, San Mateo
Lafayette carries an effective property tax rate of 1.07% of assessed value and Baywood, San Mateo carries 1.11%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,717 and $9,764 — $47 apart, with Lafayette lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 22 min by BART from Lafayette and 45 min by car from Baywood, San Mateo. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Lafayette (Contra Costa County) · Baywood, San Mateo (San Mateo County)
| Metric | Lafayette | Baywood, San Mateo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,150 | $1,400 | −$250 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.07% | 1.11% | −0.035% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,717 | $9,764 | −$47 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 40 min | 48 min | −8 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 48 min | 45 min | +3 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 22 min | 62 min | −40 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 27 min | 45 min | −18 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 68 min | 30 min | +38 min |
Difference is Lafayette minus Baywood, San Mateo. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
This pairing is a commute decision. San Mateo (Baywood) reaches Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) 38 minutes faster than Lafayette, while the rates sit 1.07% against 1.11% and the monthly gap at $1,600,000 is $47.
The house at each price
Single-story floor plans are common in Lafayette at this price, which is rarer across the ridge. Baywood comps run $1,200-$1,400 per square foot. Posted medians are $1,150 per square foot in Lafayette and $1,400 in San Mateo (Baywood), a $250 spread.
What the bill looks like
Against an identical $1,600,000 note at 6.5% with 20% down and $2,400 a year of coverage, Lafayette totals $9,717 a month at 1.07% and San Mateo (Baywood) $9,764 at 1.11% — tax lines of $1,427 and $1,473. On a Lafayette parcel the fixed levies land near $1,250 a year regardless of purchase price. No Mello-Roos in Baywood. Neither figure includes dues or a district assessment, and both belong on the worksheet before an offer.
Getting to work
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 68 minutes by driving from Lafayette, 30 by Caltrain from San Mateo (Baywood) — a 38-minute edge to San Mateo (Baywood), or 6.3 hours across a ten-trip week. To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 22 minutes by BART from Lafayette, 45 by driving from San Mateo (Baywood) — a 23-minute edge to Lafayette, or 3.8 hours across a ten-trip week. Walnut Creek is 10 minutes east of Lafayette, which matters for the medical campuses. Driving 101 or I-280 from Baywood to SoMa is 25 minutes at 6 a.m. and 50-65 at 8; Highway 92 to the East Bay is 20 off-peak.
Fire, flood and the premium
Septic on the Reliez and Happy Valley lots adds an inspection line to Lafayette's fire exposure. Laurel Creek flood zones are on the Baywood disclosure stack. Pull the parcel's own mapping — CAL FIRE severity zone, FEMA flood panel, CGS liquefaction zone — and get a written quote before the contingency date.
Choosing between them
Lafayette fits a need for a single-story house, a large lot and a short BART ride together. Baywood is the answer when architecture and rail both have to be satisfied. The decision is which requirement is load-bearing, because neither submarket satisfies both lists.
Sources. Rate and payment figures: Contra Costa TRA Book FY 2025-26; San Mateo County Tax Rate Book 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 | Lafayette | Baywood, San Mateo |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,150 | $1,400 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.07% | 1.11% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,717 | $9,764 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 40 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 22 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 68 min | 30 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.
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.
Baywood, San Mateo detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.010% |
| School district measures | 0.095% |
| Effective rate | 1.10% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | None recorded |
Source: San Mateo County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26 (San Mateo 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 vs Baywood, San Mateo: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Lafayette or Baywood, San Mateo?
- Lafayette, at 1.07% of assessed value against 1.11% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.040%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Lafayette and Baywood, San Mateo?
- $47 per month on the identical reference loan: Lafayette $9,717, Baywood, San Mateo $9,764. 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, Lafayette or Baywood, San Mateo?
- Lafayette. Lafayette is 22 min by BART; Baywood, San Mateo is 45 min by car. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Lafayette and Baywood, San Mateo?
- $250 per square foot: Lafayette $1,150, Baywood, San Mateo $1,400. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.