Baywood, San Mateo vs Sunnyvale
Baywood, San Mateo carries an effective property tax rate of 1.11% of assessed value and Sunnyvale carries 1.16%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,764 and $9,837 — $73 apart, with Baywood, San Mateo lower. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 30 min by Caltrain from Baywood, San Mateo and 10 min by Caltrain from Sunnyvale. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Baywood, San Mateo (San Mateo County) · Sunnyvale (Santa Clara County)
| Metric | Baywood, San Mateo | Sunnyvale | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,400 | $1,400 | $0 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.16% | −0.055% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,764 | $9,837 | −$73 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Caltrain | 45 min | 75 min | −30 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 45 min | 75 min | −30 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 62 min | 80 min | −18 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 45 min | 55 min | −10 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Caltrain | 30 min | 10 min | +20 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 30 min | 10 min | +20 min |
Difference is Baywood, San Mateo minus Sunnyvale. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
30 minutes each way to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) is what actually separates San Mateo (Baywood) from Sunnyvale; San Mateo (Baywood) holds that side. Both are billed within 0.06% of each other, 1.11% to 1.16%.
Square footage per dollar
A 1,600 sq ft townhome is the other $1.4M option near Baywood. Three-bedroom detached in Cherry Chase or the Cupertino-border tracts starts at $2.2M. Posted medians are $1,400 per square foot in San Mateo (Baywood) and $1,400 in Sunnyvale, a $0 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, San Mateo (Baywood) totals $9,764 a month at 1.11% and Sunnyvale $9,837 at 1.16% — tax lines of $1,473 and $1,547. San Mateo-Foster City and San Mateo Union High parcel taxes run roughly $300-$400 combined in Baywood. Which district a Sunnyvale parcel sits in changes the fixed levy, so the bill has to be pulled. Neither figure includes dues or a district assessment, and both belong on the worksheet before an offer.
Getting to work
To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 45 minutes by Caltrain from San Mateo (Baywood), 75 by Caltrain from Sunnyvale — a 30-minute edge to San Mateo (Baywood), or 5.0 hours across a ten-trip week. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 30 minutes by Caltrain from San Mateo (Baywood), 10 by Caltrain from Sunnyvale — a 20-minute edge to Sunnyvale, or 3.3 hours across a ten-trip week. Door to door from Baywood to FiDi is 55-65 minutes. Few Sunnyvale commutes run to San Francisco; driving 101 to SoMa is 45 minutes at 6 a.m. and 80-100 at 8.
Fire, flood and the premium
Baywood's hillside lots west of Alameda de las Pulgas carry moderate fire mapping, with no non-renewals observed. Sunnyvale is not WUI. 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.
Which search this actually is
Baywood fits a walkable-Caltrain requirement with a period house. Sunnyvale works for a buyer who needs South Bay proximity over square footage. The decision is which requirement is load-bearing, because neither submarket satisfies both lists.
Sources. Effective rates and carrying costs: San Mateo County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26; Santa Clara County Tax Rate 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. 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 | Baywood, San Mateo | Sunnyvale |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,400 | $1,400 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.16% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,764 | $9,837 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 45 min | 75 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 45 min | 55 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 30 min | 10 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.
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.
Sunnyvale detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.045% |
| School district measures | 0.115% |
| Effective rate | 1.16% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | None recorded |
Source: Santa Clara County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26 (Santa Clara 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 vs Sunnyvale: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Baywood, San Mateo or Sunnyvale?
- Baywood, San Mateo, at 1.11% of assessed value against 1.16% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.050%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Baywood, San Mateo and Sunnyvale?
- $73 per month on the identical reference loan: Baywood, San Mateo $9,764, Sunnyvale $9,837. 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, Baywood, San Mateo or Sunnyvale?
- Sunnyvale. Baywood, San Mateo is 30 min by Caltrain; Sunnyvale is 10 min by Caltrain. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Baywood, San Mateo and Sunnyvale?
- $0 per square foot: Baywood, San Mateo $1,400, Sunnyvale $1,400. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.