Bay Farm Island, Alameda vs Alamo
Bay Farm Island, Alameda carries an effective property tax rate of 1.22% of assessed value and Alamo carries 1.07%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,917 and $9,713 — $204 apart, with Alamo lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 20 min by car from Bay Farm Island, Alameda and 34 min by BART from Alamo. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Bay Farm Island, Alameda (Alameda County) · Alamo (Contra Costa County)
| Metric | Bay Farm Island, Alameda | Alamo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $750 | $1,000 | −$250 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.22% | 1.07% | +0.153% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,917 | $9,713 | +$204 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 45 min | 52 min | −7 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 58 min | −18 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 35 min | 34 min | +1 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 20 min | 35 min | −15 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 55 min | 62 min | −7 min |
Difference is Bay Farm Island, Alameda minus Alamo. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Alameda (Bay Farm) is the cheaper foot by $250, 25% below Alamo. What that buys is a different house, not a different bill: at $1,600,000 the two are $204 apart a month at 1.22% and 1.07%.
Square footage per dollar
Bay Farm comps run $800-$900 per square foot detached and the high $600s for lagoon townhomes. Alamo comps run $750-$850 per square foot; Round Hill and the west-side hills run $2M to $5M. At $750 and $1,000 per foot respectively, a fixed budget buys about 33% more floor area in Alameda (Bay Farm).
The monthly, matched
Holding the loan constant — $1,600,000, 20% down, 6.5% on a 30-year fixed, $2,400 of insurance, no HOA — Alameda (Bay Farm) totals $9,917 a month at 1.22% and Alamo $9,713 at 1.07% — tax lines of $1,627 and $1,423. No Mello-Roos anywhere on Bay Farm. No Mello-Roos in Alamo. 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): 35 minutes by ferry from Alameda (Bay Farm), 52 by BART from Alamo — a 17-minute edge to Alameda (Bay Farm), or 2.8 hours across a ten-trip week. To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 20 minutes by driving from Alameda (Bay Farm), 34 by BART from Alamo — a 14-minute edge to Alameda (Bay Farm), or 2.3 hours across a ten-trip week. The Harbor Bay ferry crosses to the San Francisco Ferry Building in 20-25 minutes, weekday peaks only. Door to door from Alamo to FiDi is 55-70 minutes on a good day.
Hazard and insurance
Insurance is priced off mapping, not off price per foot. Bay Farm Island is not wildland-urban interface. New Alamo policies are coming with brush-clearance conditions written in. 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.
Choosing between them
Bay Farm fits a need for a detached home with a garage inside the ferry catchment. Alamo is the answer when an acreage-scale lot matters more than walkability. The decision is which requirement is load-bearing, because neither submarket satisfies both lists.
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. Median price per foot is a trailing figure, not a valuation, and the local detail comes from the broker's own transactions.
Compare any two submarkets
| Metric | Bay Farm Island, Alameda | Alamo |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $750 | $1,000 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.22% | 1.07% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,917 | $9,713 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 35 min | 52 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 20 min | 34 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 55 min | 62 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.
Bay Farm Island, Alameda detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.042% |
| School district measures | 0.178% |
| Effective rate | 1.22% |
| 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.
Alamo detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.012% |
| School district measures | 0.055% |
| 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.
Bay Farm Island, Alameda vs Alamo: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Bay Farm Island, Alameda or Alamo?
- Alamo, at 1.07% of assessed value against 1.22% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.150%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Bay Farm Island, Alameda and Alamo?
- $204 per month on the identical reference loan: Bay Farm Island, Alameda $9,917, Alamo $9,713. Alamo 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, Bay Farm Island, Alameda or Alamo?
- Bay Farm Island, Alameda. Bay Farm Island, Alameda is 20 min by car; Alamo is 34 min by BART. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Bay Farm Island, Alameda and Alamo?
- $250 per square foot: Bay Farm Island, Alameda $750, Alamo $1,000. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.