Redwood City vs Baywood, San Mateo
Redwood City carries an effective property tax rate of 1.12% 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 $9,784 and $9,764 — $20 apart, with Baywood, San Mateo lower. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 22 min by Caltrain from Redwood City and 30 min by Caltrain from Baywood, San Mateo. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Redwood City (San Mateo County) · Baywood, San Mateo (San Mateo County)
| Metric | Redwood City | Baywood, San Mateo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,150 | $1,400 | −$250 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.12% | 1.11% | +0.015% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,784 | $9,764 | +$20 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Caltrain | 55 min | 45 min | +10 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 55 min | 45 min | +10 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 80 min | 62 min | +18 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 50 min | 45 min | +5 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Caltrain | 22 min | 30 min | −8 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 25 min | 30 min | −5 min |
Difference is Redwood City minus Baywood, San Mateo. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Put the two side by side and the gap is square footage, not tax: $1,150 per foot in Redwood City against $1,400 in San Mateo (Baywood). On the same $1,600,000 purchase the monthly separation is only $20, because Redwood City bills 1.12% and San Mateo (Baywood) 1.11%.
The house at each price
Emerald Hills starts at $2M above Redwood City proper. $1.4M does not buy detached in Baywood; its 1920s-40s Spanish and Tudor three-bedrooms start at $2.2M. At $1,150 and $1,400 per foot respectively, a fixed budget buys about 22% more floor area in Redwood City.
The monthly, matched
Modelled the same way in both ($1,600,000 purchase, 20% down, 6.5% fixed, $2,400 insurance, dues excluded), Redwood City totals $9,784 a month at 1.12% and San Mateo (Baywood) $9,764 at 1.11% — tax lines of $1,493 and $1,473. Redwood City downtown condos run $600-$900 a month. No HOA on Baywood's detached homes; downtown townhomes and condos run $400-$800 a month. Neither figure includes dues or a district assessment, and both belong on the worksheet before an offer.
The trip each morning
To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 55 minutes by Caltrain from Redwood City, 45 by Caltrain from San Mateo (Baywood) — a 10-minute edge to San Mateo (Baywood), or 1.7 hours across a ten-trip week. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 22 minutes by Caltrain from Redwood City, 30 by Caltrain from San Mateo (Baywood) — a 8-minute edge to Redwood City, or 1.3 hours across a ten-trip week. Redwood Shores has no rail of its own and is a 10-minute drive from the station; Oracle, EA and Kaiser are 5-10 minutes. Door to door from Baywood to FiDi is 55-65 minutes.
What the disclosure stack holds
Redwood City hill non-renewals started in 2024; standard carriers write the flats. Laurel Creek flood zones are on the Baywood disclosure stack. None of this substitutes for the parcel: check CAL FIRE zoning, the FEMA flood panel and CGS seismic hazard mapping, then price the policy in writing.
Choosing between them
Redwood City fits an express-Caltrain requirement with a detached home under $1.5M. Baywood assumes either a stretch to $2.2M or the flats east of El Camino at $1.4M. The decision is which requirement is load-bearing, because neither submarket satisfies both lists.
Sources. Rate and payment figures: 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 | Redwood City | Baywood, San Mateo |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,150 | $1,400 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.12% | 1.11% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,784 | $9,764 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 55 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 50 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 22 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.
Redwood City detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.010% |
| School district measures | 0.110% |
| Effective rate | 1.12% |
| 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.
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.
Redwood City vs Baywood, San Mateo: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Redwood City or Baywood, San Mateo?
- Baywood, San Mateo, at 1.11% of assessed value against 1.12% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.010%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Redwood City and Baywood, San Mateo?
- $20 per month on the identical reference loan: Redwood City $9,784, Baywood, San Mateo $9,764. Baywood, San Mateo is lower. Principal and interest are held constant, so the difference is the tax line. Arithmetic only.
- Which has the shorter commute to Sunnyvale / Mountain View, Redwood City or Baywood, San Mateo?
- Redwood City. Redwood City is 22 min by Caltrain; Baywood, San Mateo is 30 min by Caltrain. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Redwood City and Baywood, San Mateo?
- $250 per square foot: Redwood City $1,150, Baywood, San Mateo $1,400. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.