Cordelia, Fairfield vs Gale Ranch, San Ramon
Cordelia, Fairfield carries an effective property tax rate of 1.18% of assessed value and Gale Ranch, San Ramon carries 1.35%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,864 and $10,086 — $223 apart, with Cordelia, Fairfield lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 60 min by car from Cordelia, Fairfield and 45 min by BART from Gale Ranch, San Ramon. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Cordelia, Fairfield (Solano County) · Gale Ranch, San Ramon (Contra Costa County)
| Metric | Cordelia, Fairfield | Gale Ranch, San Ramon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $380 | $700 | −$320 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.18% | 1.35% | −0.167% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,864 | $10,086 | −$223 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 85 min | 65 min | +20 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 75 min | 70 min | +5 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 70 min | 45 min | +25 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 60 min | 45 min | +15 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 95 min | 50 min | +45 min |
Difference is Cordelia, Fairfield minus Gale Ranch, San Ramon. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Put the two side by side and the gap is square footage, not tax: $380 per foot in Fairfield (Cordelia) against $700 in San Ramon (Gale Ranch). On the same $1,600,000 purchase the monthly separation is $223, because Fairfield (Cordelia) bills 1.18% and San Ramon (Gale Ranch) 1.35%.
The house at each price
The Cordelia sweet spot is $700K-$900K for 2,200-2,800 sq ft built 1995-2010. $1.4M in Gale Ranch is a 2,400-2,800 sq ft four or five bedroom built 2000-2015 on a 4,500-6,000 sq ft lot. At $380 and $700 per foot respectively, a fixed budget buys about 84% more floor area in Fairfield (Cordelia).
The monthly, matched
Modelled the same way in both ($1,600,000 purchase, 20% down, 6.5% fixed, $2,400 insurance, dues excluded), Fairfield (Cordelia) totals $9,864 a month at 1.18% and San Ramon (Gale Ranch) $10,086 at 1.35% — tax lines of $1,573 and $1,796. The Cordelia Fire District assessment shows as a separate line on the bill. The San Ramon CFD pushes the all-in rate to 1.4-1.6 percent, with most districts running through the 2030s.
The trip each morning
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 95 minutes by driving from Fairfield (Cordelia), 50 by driving from San Ramon (Gale Ranch) — a 45-minute edge to San Ramon (Gale Ranch), or 7.5 hours across a ten-trip week. Cordelia to the Bay Bridge is 50 minutes at 5:30 a.m. and 75-100 minutes at 7:30. San Ramon has no BART; Dublin/Pleasanton is 12-15 minutes south, then 48-52 minutes to Embarcadero.
What the disclosure stack holds
The 2020 LNU Lightning Complex burned to the edge of Cordelia's developed area. Calaveras Fault distance is the other San Ramon disclosure item. 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.
Which search this actually is
Cordelia answers a Napa or Travis commute. Gale Ranch is the Tri-Valley answer when square footage and build year both matter.
Sources. Effective rates and carrying costs: Solano County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26; City of Fairfield CFD reports; Contra Costa TRA Book FY 2025-26; City of San Ramon CFD annual special tax 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. 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 | Gale Ranch, San Ramon |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $380 | $700 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.18% | 1.35% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,864 | $10,086 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 75 min | 65 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 60 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 95 min | 50 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.
Gale Ranch, San Ramon detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.012% |
| School district measures | 0.055% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD assessment | 0.280% |
| Effective rate | 1.35% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | Yes |
Source: Contra Costa TRA Book FY 2025-26; City of San Ramon CFD annual special tax reports (Contra Costa 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 Gale Ranch, San Ramon: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Cordelia, Fairfield or Gale Ranch, San Ramon?
- Cordelia, Fairfield, at 1.18% of assessed value against 1.35% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.170%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Cordelia, Fairfield and Gale Ranch, San Ramon?
- $223 per month on the identical reference loan: Cordelia, Fairfield $9,864, Gale Ranch, San Ramon $10,086. 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, Cordelia, Fairfield or Gale Ranch, San Ramon?
- Gale Ranch, San Ramon. Cordelia, Fairfield is 60 min by car; Gale Ranch, San Ramon is 45 min by BART. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Cordelia, Fairfield and Gale Ranch, San Ramon?
- $320 per square foot: Cordelia, Fairfield $380, Gale Ranch, San Ramon $700. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.