Bay Farm Island, Alameda vs Danville
Bay Farm Island, Alameda carries an effective property tax rate of 1.22% of assessed value and Danville 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 Danville lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 20 min by car from Bay Farm Island, Alameda and 42 min by BART from Danville. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Bay Farm Island, Alameda (Alameda County) · Danville (Contra Costa County)
| Metric | Bay Farm Island, Alameda | Danville | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $750 | $900 | −$150 |
| 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 | 60 min | −15 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 65 min | −25 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 35 min | 42 min | −7 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 20 min | 42 min | −22 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 55 min | 55 min | 0 min |
Difference is Bay Farm Island, Alameda minus Danville. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
25 minutes each way to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) is what actually separates Alameda (Bay Farm) from Danville; Alameda (Bay Farm) holds that side. Both are billed within 0.15% of each other, 1.22% to 1.07%.
Square footage per dollar
$1.4M on Bay Farm Island is a 1980s-90s detached home of 1,700-2,000 sq ft with a small lot and two-car garage. Danville comps run $700-$780 per square foot; Blackhawk and Diablo start at $2M. Posted medians are $750 per square foot in Alameda (Bay Farm) and $900 in Danville, a $150 spread.
What the bill looks like
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 Danville $9,713 at 1.07% — tax lines of $1,627 and $1,423. No Mello-Roos anywhere on Bay Farm. No Mello-Roos in the older Danville core. 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): 35 minutes by ferry from Alameda (Bay Farm), 60 by BART from Danville — a 25-minute edge to Alameda (Bay Farm), or 4.2 hours across a ten-trip week. To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 20 minutes by driving from Alameda (Bay Farm), 42 by BART from Danville — a 22-minute edge to Alameda (Bay Farm), or 3.7 hours across a ten-trip week. Bay Farm has no BART; Coliseum station is a 12-minute drive. Door to door from Danville to FiDi is 60-75 minutes.
Hazard and insurance
Parts of Bay Farm sit in FEMA AE zones where lenders require flood insurance at $600-$1,500 a year. The Greenbrook and Sycamore flats are not WUI and standard carriers still write them. 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.
The housing need each answers
Bay Farm fits a need for a detached home with a garage inside the ferry catchment. Danville is the I-680 answer when a quarter acre and four bedrooms both have to fit under $1.5M. Write the requirement down before the search: these two answer different ones.
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. 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 | Bay Farm Island, Alameda | Danville |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $750 | $900 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.22% | 1.07% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,917 | $9,713 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 35 min | 60 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 20 min | 42 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 55 min | 55 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.
Danville 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 Danville: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Bay Farm Island, Alameda or Danville?
- Danville, 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 Danville?
- $204 per month on the identical reference loan: Bay Farm Island, Alameda $9,917, Danville $9,713. Danville 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 Danville?
- Bay Farm Island, Alameda. Bay Farm Island, Alameda is 20 min by car; Danville is 42 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 Danville?
- $150 per square foot: Bay Farm Island, Alameda $750, Danville $900. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.