Cordelia, Fairfield vs Baywood, San Mateo
Cordelia, Fairfield 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 $9,864 and $9,764 — $100 apart, with Baywood, San Mateo lower. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 95 min by car from Cordelia, Fairfield and 30 min by Caltrain from Baywood, San Mateo. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Cordelia, Fairfield (Solano County) · Baywood, San Mateo (San Mateo County)
| Metric | Cordelia, Fairfield | Baywood, San Mateo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $380 | $1,400 | −$1,020 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.18% | 1.11% | +0.075% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,864 | $9,764 | +$100 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 85 min | 48 min | +37 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 75 min | 45 min | +30 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 70 min | 62 min | +8 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 60 min | 45 min | +15 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 95 min | 30 min | +65 min |
Difference is Cordelia, Fairfield minus Baywood, San Mateo. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
San Mateo (Baywood) carries $1,020 more per square foot than Fairfield (Cordelia) — 268% — and that single spread decides most searches that start with both names on the list. The tax rates land 1.18% in Fairfield (Cordelia) 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
$1.4M does not buy detached in Baywood; its 1920s-40s Spanish and Tudor three-bedrooms start at $2.2M. Against that, cordelia offers the most square footage per dollar on I-80 west of Vacaville. Posted medians are $380 per square foot in Fairfield (Cordelia) and $1,400 in San Mateo (Baywood), a $1,020 spread.
Carrying $1,600,000 in each
Against an identical $1,600,000 note at 6.5% with 20% down and $2,400 a year of coverage, Fairfield (Cordelia) totals $9,864 a month at 1.18% and San Mateo (Baywood) $9,764 at 1.11% — tax lines of $1,573 and $1,473. The Cordelia Fire District assessment shows as a separate line on the bill. No Mello-Roos in Baywood.
Getting to work
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 95 minutes by driving from Fairfield (Cordelia), 30 by Caltrain from San Mateo (Baywood) — a 65-minute edge to San Mateo (Baywood), or 10.8 hours across a ten-trip week. To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 75 minutes by driving from Fairfield (Cordelia), 45 by Caltrain from San Mateo (Baywood) — a 30-minute edge to San Mateo (Baywood), or 5.0 hours across a ten-trip week. The Vallejo ferry is 25 minutes from Cordelia, then 60 on the water; Travis AFB is 20 minutes east and Napa 25 north. San Mateo Caltrain is a 10-minute walk from lower Baywood.
Fire, flood and the premium
The flats near Cordelia Junction are not WUI, and Suisun Marsh flood mapping touches the southern edge. 1920s foundations, knob-and-tube and sewer laterals are the Baywood inspection items. 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
Cordelia fits a 3,000-plus square foot requirement with a three-car garage. Baywood is the answer when architecture and rail both have to be satisfied.
Sources. Effective rates and carrying costs: Solano County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26; City of Fairfield CFD reports; San Mateo 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. 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 | Cordelia, Fairfield | Baywood, San Mateo |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $380 | $1,400 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.18% | 1.11% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,864 | $9,764 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 75 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 60 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 95 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.
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.
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.
Cordelia, Fairfield vs Baywood, San Mateo: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Cordelia, Fairfield 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 Cordelia, Fairfield and Baywood, San Mateo?
- $100 per month on the identical reference loan: Cordelia, Fairfield $9,864, 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, Cordelia, Fairfield or Baywood, San Mateo?
- Baywood, San Mateo. Cordelia, Fairfield is 95 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 Cordelia, Fairfield and Baywood, San Mateo?
- $1,020 per square foot: Cordelia, Fairfield $380, Baywood, San Mateo $1,400. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.