Dublin vs Baywood, San Mateo
Dublin carries an effective property tax rate of 1.18% of assessed value and Baywood, San Mateo carries 1.11%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,869 and $9,764 — $105 apart, with Baywood, San Mateo lower. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 45 min by car from Dublin and 30 min by Caltrain from Baywood, San Mateo. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Dublin (Alameda County) · Baywood, San Mateo (San Mateo County)
| Metric | Dublin | Baywood, San Mateo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $720 | $1,400 | −$680 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.18% | 1.11% | +0.079% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,869 | $9,764 | +$105 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 55 min | 48 min | +7 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 65 min | 45 min | +20 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 38 min | 62 min | −24 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 45 min | −5 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 45 min | 30 min | +15 min |
Difference is Dublin minus Baywood, San Mateo. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
San Mateo (Baywood) carries $680 more per square foot than Dublin — 94% — and that single spread decides most searches that start with both names on the list. The tax rates land 1.18% in Dublin against 1.11% in San Mateo (Baywood), close enough that price per foot, not the levy, is what moves the payment.
What the same money buys
At $1.4M the search moves across El Camino to Hayward Park or Sunnybrae for 1,200-1,400 sq ft. Against that, positano, Jordan Ranch and Wallis Ranch hold Dublin's newest inventory. At $720 and $1,400 per foot respectively, a fixed budget buys about 94% more floor area in Dublin.
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 — Dublin totals $9,869 a month at 1.18% and San Mateo (Baywood) $9,764 at 1.11% — tax lines of $1,579 and $1,473. West Dublin has no Mello-Roos and mostly no HOA, which is the whole east-west split. Baywood's carrying cost is ad valorem plus two modest parcel taxes and nothing else.
The trip each morning
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 45 minutes by driving from Dublin, 30 by Caltrain from San Mateo (Baywood) — a 15-minute edge to San Mateo (Baywood), or 2.5 hours across a ten-trip week. To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 55 minutes by BART from Dublin, 45 by Caltrain from San Mateo (Baywood) — a 10-minute edge to San Mateo (Baywood), or 1.7 hours across a ten-trip week. The I-580/680 interchange is Dublin's daily choke point; the Bay Bridge is 45 minutes at 6 a.m., 80-100 at 8. Door to door from Baywood to FiDi is 55-65 minutes.
Hazard and insurance
Grassland fires along I-580 are the occasional Dublin disclosure. 1920s foundations, knob-and-tube and sewer laterals are the Baywood inspection items. 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
Dublin fits a five-bedroom new-construction requirement at a BART terminus. Baywood works for a buyer who will take a renovation file to keep the walk to the station.
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. Median price per foot is a trailing figure, not a valuation, and the local detail comes from the broker's own transactions.
Compare any two submarkets
| Metric | Dublin | Baywood, San Mateo |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $720 | $1,400 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.18% | 1.11% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,869 | $9,764 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 55 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 38 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 45 min | 30 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.
Dublin detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.042% |
| School district measures | 0.142% |
| Effective rate | 1.18% |
| 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.
Baywood, San Mateo detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.010% |
| School district measures | 0.095% |
| Effective rate | 1.10% |
| 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.
Dublin vs Baywood, San Mateo: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Dublin or Baywood, San Mateo?
- Baywood, San Mateo, at 1.11% of assessed value against 1.18% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.070%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Dublin and Baywood, San Mateo?
- $105 per month on the identical reference loan: Dublin $9,869, Baywood, San Mateo $9,764. Baywood, San Mateo 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, Dublin or Baywood, San Mateo?
- Baywood, San Mateo. Dublin is 45 min by car; Baywood, San Mateo is 30 min by Caltrain. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Dublin and Baywood, San Mateo?
- $680 per square foot: Dublin $720, Baywood, San Mateo $1,400. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.