Bay Farm Island, Alameda vs Sunnyvale
Bay Farm Island, Alameda carries an effective property tax rate of 1.22% of assessed value and Sunnyvale carries 1.16%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,917 and $9,837 — $80 apart, with Sunnyvale lower. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 55 min by car from Bay Farm Island, Alameda and 10 min by Caltrain from Sunnyvale. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Bay Farm Island, Alameda (Alameda County) · Sunnyvale (Santa Clara County)
| Metric | Bay Farm Island, Alameda | Sunnyvale | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $750 | $1,400 | −$650 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.22% | 1.16% | +0.060% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,917 | $9,837 | +$80 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 75 min | −35 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 35 min | 80 min | −45 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 20 min | 55 min | −35 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 55 min | 10 min | +45 min |
Difference is Bay Farm Island, Alameda minus Sunnyvale. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Alameda (Bay Farm) is the cheaper foot by $650, 46% below Sunnyvale. What that buys is a different house, not a different bill: at $1,600,000 the two are $80 apart a month at 1.22% and 1.16%.
Square footage per dollar
Harbor Bay Isle is the bulk of Bay Farm's detached inventory. Sunnyvale comps run $1,300-$1,500 per square foot detached and $900-$1,000 for townhomes. The median foot costs $750 in Alameda (Bay Farm) against $1,400 in Sunnyvale; on a 2,000 sq ft house that is $1,300,000 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 Sunnyvale $9,837 at 1.16% — tax lines of $1,627 and $1,547. Alameda city and school parcel taxes add a few hundred dollars a year on Bay Farm. No Mello-Roos in Sunnyvale. Neither figure includes dues or a district assessment, and both belong on the worksheet before an offer.
Commute, measured
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 55 minutes by driving from Alameda (Bay Farm), 10 by Caltrain from Sunnyvale — a 45-minute edge to Sunnyvale, or 7.5 hours across a ten-trip week. To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 35 minutes by ferry from Alameda (Bay Farm), 75 by Caltrain from Sunnyvale — a 40-minute edge to Alameda (Bay Farm), or 6.7 hours across a ten-trip week. Bay Farm has no BART; Coliseum station is a 12-minute drive. Few Sunnyvale commutes run to San Francisco; driving 101 to SoMa is 45 minutes at 6 a.m. and 80-100 at 8.
What the disclosure stack holds
Most of Bay Farm is engineered fill, so liquefaction is the standing disclosure. Standard fire carriers write Sunnyvale without issue. 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.
The housing need each answers
Bay Farm fits a need for a detached home with a garage inside the ferry catchment. Sunnyvale is the answer when the campus is the anchor and San Francisco is not. Rank the requirements first; the pair rarely splits on anything except the one that is non-negotiable.
Sources. Effective rates and carrying costs: Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA 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. 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 | Sunnyvale |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $750 | $1,400 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.22% | 1.16% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,917 | $9,837 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 35 min | 75 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 20 min | 55 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 55 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.
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.
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.
Bay Farm Island, Alameda vs Sunnyvale: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Bay Farm Island, Alameda or Sunnyvale?
- Sunnyvale, at 1.16% of assessed value against 1.22% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.060%. 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 Sunnyvale?
- $80 per month on the identical reference loan: Bay Farm Island, Alameda $9,917, Sunnyvale $9,837. Sunnyvale 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, Bay Farm Island, Alameda or Sunnyvale?
- Sunnyvale. Bay Farm Island, Alameda is 55 min by car; 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 Bay Farm Island, Alameda and Sunnyvale?
- $650 per square foot: Bay Farm Island, Alameda $750, Sunnyvale $1,400. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.