Bay Farm Island, Alameda vs Gale Ranch, San Ramon
Bay Farm Island, Alameda carries an effective property tax rate of 1.22% of assessed value and Gale Ranch, San Ramon carries 1.35%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,917 and $10,086 — $169 apart, with Bay Farm Island, Alameda lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 20 min by car from Bay Farm Island, Alameda and 45 min by BART from Gale Ranch, San Ramon. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Bay Farm Island, Alameda (Alameda County) · Gale Ranch, San Ramon (Contra Costa County)
| Metric | Bay Farm Island, Alameda | Gale Ranch, San Ramon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $750 | $700 | +$50 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.22% | 1.35% | −0.127% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,917 | $10,086 | −$169 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 45 min | 65 min | −20 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 70 min | −30 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 35 min | 45 min | −10 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 20 min | 45 min | −25 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 55 min | 50 min | +5 min |
Difference is Bay Farm Island, Alameda minus Gale Ranch, San Ramon. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART), Alameda (Bay Farm) is 30 minutes closer than San Ramon (Gale Ranch) on the fastest posted option each has. Ten trips a week makes that 5.0 hours. The tax side is nearly level at 1.22% and 1.35%.
What the same money buys
Bay Farm comps run $800-$900 per square foot detached and the high $600s for lagoon townhomes. Gale Ranch comps run $640-$720 per square foot, with three-car tandem garages common. The median foot costs $750 in Alameda (Bay Farm) against $700 in San Ramon (Gale Ranch); on a 2,000 sq ft house that is $100,000 of purchase price.
The monthly, matched
Modelled the same way in both ($1,600,000 purchase, 20% down, 6.5% fixed, $2,400 insurance, dues excluded), Alameda (Bay Farm) totals $9,917 a month at 1.22% and San Ramon (Gale Ranch) $10,086 at 1.35% — tax lines of $1,627 and $1,796. No Mello-Roos anywhere on Bay Farm. The San Ramon CFD pushes the all-in rate to 1.4-1.6 percent, with most districts running through the 2030s.
Commute, measured
To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 35 minutes by ferry from Alameda (Bay Farm), 65 by BART from San Ramon (Gale Ranch) — a 30-minute edge to Alameda (Bay Farm), or 5.0 hours across a ten-trip week. To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 20 minutes by driving from Alameda (Bay Farm), 45 by BART from San Ramon (Gale Ranch) — a 25-minute edge to Alameda (Bay Farm), or 4.2 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 Gale Ranch to FiDi runs 80-95 minutes.
What the disclosure stack holds
Most of Bay Farm is engineered fill, so liquefaction is the standing disclosure. Calaveras Fault distance is the other San Ramon disclosure item. 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.
The housing need each answers
Bay Farm answers a townhome-pricing requirement with a flat, short bike commute. Gale Ranch is the Tri-Valley answer when square footage and build year both matter.
Sources. Rate and payment figures: Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA FY 2025-26; Contra Costa TRA Book FY 2025-26; City of San Ramon CFD annual special tax reports, 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 | Bay Farm Island, Alameda | Gale Ranch, San Ramon |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $750 | $700 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.22% | 1.35% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,917 | $10,086 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 35 min | 65 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 20 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 55 min | 50 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.
Gale Ranch, San Ramon detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.012% |
| School district measures | 0.055% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD assessment | 0.280% |
| Effective rate | 1.35% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | Yes |
Source: Contra Costa TRA Book FY 2025-26; City of San Ramon CFD annual special tax reports (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 Gale Ranch, San Ramon: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Bay Farm Island, Alameda or Gale Ranch, San Ramon?
- Bay Farm Island, Alameda, at 1.22% of assessed value against 1.35% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.130%. 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 Gale Ranch, San Ramon?
- $169 per month on the identical reference loan: Bay Farm Island, Alameda $9,917, Gale Ranch, San Ramon $10,086. Bay Farm Island, Alameda 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 Gale Ranch, San Ramon?
- Bay Farm Island, Alameda. Bay Farm Island, Alameda is 20 min by car; Gale Ranch, San Ramon is 45 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 Gale Ranch, San Ramon?
- $50 per square foot: Bay Farm Island, Alameda $750, Gale Ranch, San Ramon $700. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.