Berkeley Hills, Berkeley vs Redwood City
Berkeley Hills, Berkeley carries an effective property tax rate of 1.21% of assessed value and Redwood City carries 1.12%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,904 and $9,784 — $120 apart, with Redwood City lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 20 min by car from Berkeley Hills, Berkeley and 50 min by car from Redwood City. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Berkeley Hills, Berkeley (Alameda County) · Redwood City (San Mateo County)
| Metric | Berkeley Hills, Berkeley | Redwood City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,050 | $1,150 | −$100 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.21% | 1.12% | +0.090% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,904 | $9,784 | +$120 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 55 min | −15 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 22 min | 80 min | −58 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 20 min | 50 min | −30 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 75 min | 25 min | +50 min |
Difference is Berkeley Hills, Berkeley minus Redwood City. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain), Redwood City is 53 minutes closer than Berkeley Hills on the fastest posted option each has. Ten trips a week makes that 8.8 hours. The tax side is nearly level at 1.21% and 1.12%.
What the same money buys
Emerald Hills starts at $2M above Redwood City proper. Against that, $1.4M in the Berkeley Hills is a 1920s-50s two or three bedroom, 1,500-1,900 sq ft, on a sloped lot. At $1,050 and $1,150 per foot respectively, a fixed budget buys about 10% more floor area in Berkeley Hills.
Carrying $1,600,000 in each
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 Redwood City $9,784 at 1.12% — tax lines of $1,613 and $1,493. No Mello-Roos in Berkeley, and no HOA outside a handful of shared driveways. Redwood City School District and Sequoia Union parcel taxes run roughly $200-$400.
The trip each morning
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 75 minutes by driving from Berkeley Hills, 22 by Caltrain from Redwood City — a 53-minute edge to Redwood City, or 8.8 hours across a ten-trip week. To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 20 minutes by driving from Berkeley Hills, 50 by driving from Redwood City — a 30-minute edge to Berkeley Hills, or 5.0 hours across a ten-trip week. Downtown Berkeley BART is 15-20 minutes down the hill by car or the 65/67 bus, then 25 minutes to Embarcadero. Redwood Shores has no rail of its own and is a 10-minute drive from the station; Oracle, EA and Kaiser are 5-10 minutes.
Hazard and insurance
The Berkeley Hills are the most scrutinized WUI in the East Bay. Redwood Shores is fill inside a levee, so flood, liquefaction and sea-level rise drive that disclosure. 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
The Berkeley Hills assume higher insurance and parcel costs in exchange for a view. Redwood City is the answer when a lagoon townhome is acceptable.
Sources. Tax figures come from Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA FY 2025-26; San Mateo County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26, composited in build/assets/metrics.json. They are county-level and not yet verified at the TRA, so the parcel's bill governs. Travel times are AM-peak door-to-door estimates from 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 | Redwood City |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,050 | $1,150 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.21% | 1.12% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,904 | $9,784 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 35 min | 55 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 20 min | 50 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 75 min | 22 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.
Redwood City detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.010% |
| School district measures | 0.110% |
| Effective rate | 1.12% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | None recorded |
Source: San Mateo County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26 (San Mateo 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 Redwood City: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Berkeley Hills, Berkeley or Redwood City?
- Redwood City, at 1.12% of assessed value against 1.21% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.090%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Berkeley Hills, Berkeley and Redwood City?
- $120 per month on the identical reference loan: Berkeley Hills, Berkeley $9,904, Redwood City $9,784. Redwood City 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 Redwood City?
- Berkeley Hills, Berkeley. Berkeley Hills, Berkeley is 20 min by car; Redwood City is 50 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 Redwood City?
- $100 per square foot: Berkeley Hills, Berkeley $1,050, Redwood City $1,150. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.