Berkeley Hills, Berkeley vs Cordelia, Fairfield
Berkeley Hills, Berkeley carries an effective property tax rate of 1.21% of assessed value and Cordelia, Fairfield carries 1.18%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,904 and $9,864 — $40 apart, with Cordelia, Fairfield lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 20 min by car from Berkeley Hills, Berkeley and 60 min by car from Cordelia, Fairfield. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Berkeley Hills, Berkeley (Alameda County) · Cordelia, Fairfield (Solano County)
| Metric | Berkeley Hills, Berkeley | Cordelia, Fairfield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,050 | $380 | +$670 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.21% | 1.18% | +0.030% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,904 | $9,864 | +$40 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 35 min | 85 min | −50 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 75 min | −35 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 22 min | 70 min | −48 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 20 min | 60 min | −40 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 75 min | 95 min | −20 min |
Difference is Berkeley Hills, Berkeley minus Cordelia, Fairfield. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Fairfield (Cordelia) is the cheaper foot by $670, 64% below Berkeley Hills. What that buys is a different house, not a different bill: at $1,600,000 the two are $40 apart a month at 1.21% and 1.18%.
Square footage per dollar
$1.4M in the Berkeley Hills is a 1920s-50s two or three bedroom, 1,500-1,900 sq ft, on a sloped lot. Cordelia offers the most square footage per dollar on I-80 west of Vacaville. Posted medians are $1,050 per square foot in Berkeley Hills and $380 in Fairfield (Cordelia), a $670 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 — Berkeley Hills totals $9,904 a month at 1.21% and Fairfield (Cordelia) $9,864 at 1.18% — tax lines of $1,613 and $1,573. No Mello-Roos in Berkeley, and no HOA outside a handful of shared driveways. Newer Cordelia tracts including Gold Ridge and recent Green Valley phases carry Mello-Roos of $1,000-$3,000 a year.
Getting to work
To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 35 minutes by BART from Berkeley Hills, 75 by driving from Fairfield (Cordelia) — a 40-minute edge to Berkeley Hills, or 6.7 hours across a ten-trip week. To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 20 minutes by driving from Berkeley Hills, 60 by driving from Fairfield (Cordelia) — a 40-minute edge to Berkeley Hills, or 6.7 hours across a ten-trip week. Highway 24 puts the Berkeley Hills 35 minutes from the Bay Bridge at 6 a.m., 60-75 at 8. The Vallejo ferry is 25 minutes from Cordelia, then 60 on the water; Travis AFB is 20 minutes east and Napa 25 north.
Hazard and insurance
The Berkeley Hills are the most scrutinized WUI in the East Bay. The 2020 LNU Lightning Complex burned to the edge of Cordelia's developed area. 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.
Choosing between them
The Berkeley Hills assume higher insurance and parcel costs in exchange for a view. Cordelia works for remote work with two Bay drive days a week.
Sources. Effective rates and carrying costs: Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA FY 2025-26; Solano County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26; City of Fairfield CFD reports, 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 | Berkeley Hills, Berkeley | Cordelia, Fairfield |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,050 | $380 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.21% | 1.18% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,904 | $9,864 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 35 min | 75 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 20 min | 60 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 75 min | 95 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.
Berkeley Hills, Berkeley detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.042% |
| School district measures | 0.168% |
| Effective rate | 1.21% |
| 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.
Cordelia, Fairfield detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.010% |
| School district measures | 0.090% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD assessment | 0.080% |
| Effective rate | 1.18% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | Yes |
Source: Solano County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26; City of Fairfield CFD reports (Solano 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.
Berkeley Hills, Berkeley vs Cordelia, Fairfield: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Berkeley Hills, Berkeley or Cordelia, Fairfield?
- Cordelia, Fairfield, at 1.18% of assessed value against 1.21% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.030%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Berkeley Hills, Berkeley and Cordelia, Fairfield?
- $40 per month on the identical reference loan: Berkeley Hills, Berkeley $9,904, Cordelia, Fairfield $9,864. Cordelia, Fairfield 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, Berkeley Hills, Berkeley or Cordelia, Fairfield?
- Berkeley Hills, Berkeley. Berkeley Hills, Berkeley is 20 min by car; Cordelia, Fairfield is 60 min by car. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Berkeley Hills, Berkeley and Cordelia, Fairfield?
- $670 per square foot: Berkeley Hills, Berkeley $1,050, Cordelia, Fairfield $380. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.