Cordelia, Fairfield vs Walnut Creek
Cordelia, Fairfield carries an effective property tax rate of 1.18% of assessed value and Walnut Creek carries 1.08%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,864 and $9,733 — $131 apart, with Walnut Creek lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 60 min by car from Cordelia, Fairfield and 27 min by BART from Walnut Creek. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Cordelia, Fairfield (Solano County) · Walnut Creek (Contra Costa County)
| Metric | Cordelia, Fairfield | Walnut Creek | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $380 | $800 | −$420 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.18% | 1.08% | +0.098% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,864 | $9,733 | +$131 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 85 min | 45 min | +40 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 75 min | 55 min | +20 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 70 min | 27 min | +43 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 60 min | 32 min | +28 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 95 min | 62 min | +33 min |
Difference is Cordelia, Fairfield minus Walnut Creek. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Fairfield (Cordelia) is the cheaper foot by $420, 53% below Walnut Creek. What that buys is a different house, not a different bill: at $1,600,000 the two are $131 apart a month at 1.18% and 1.08%.
Square footage per dollar
The Cordelia sweet spot is $700K-$900K for 2,200-2,800 sq ft built 1995-2010. $1.4M in Walnut Creek buys an 1,800-2,200 sq ft 1960s-70s four-bedroom on a quarter acre, often single-story with a pool. At $380 and $800 per foot respectively, a fixed budget buys about 111% more floor area in Fairfield (Cordelia).
The monthly, matched
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 Walnut Creek $9,733 at 1.08% — tax lines of $1,573 and $1,443. The 1990s Green Valley core in Cordelia largely carries no Mello-Roos. No Mello-Roos in Walnut Creek, and most detached homes carry no HOA. Neither figure includes dues or a district assessment, and both belong on the worksheet before an offer.
The trip each morning
To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 60 minutes by driving from Fairfield (Cordelia), 27 by BART from Walnut Creek — a 33-minute edge to Walnut Creek, or 5.5 hours across a ten-trip week. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 95 minutes by driving from Fairfield (Cordelia), 62 by driving from Walnut Creek — a 33-minute edge to Walnut Creek, or 5.5 hours across a ten-trip week. The Fairfield-Vacaville Capitol Corridor station is 15 minutes from Cordelia, then 65 minutes to Emeryville. Walnut Creek BART is 30 minutes to Embarcadero; Pleasant Hill station serves the north side.
Fire, flood and the premium
The 2020 LNU Lightning Complex burned to the edge of Cordelia's developed area. Creek flooding along Walnut Creek and San Ramon Creek appears on the NHD for lower lots. Pull the parcel's own mapping — CAL FIRE severity zone, FEMA flood panel, CGS liquefaction zone — and get a written quote before the contingency date.
Choosing between them
Cordelia answers a Napa or Travis commute. Walnut Creek is the Contra Costa option when the flats matter more than the view. The decision is which requirement is load-bearing, because neither submarket satisfies both lists.
Sources. Tax figures come from Solano County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26; City of Fairfield CFD reports; Contra Costa TRA 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. The per-foot medians are trailing and carry no appraisal weight; the neighborhood detail is first-hand broker observation.
Compare any two submarkets
| Metric | Cordelia, Fairfield | Walnut Creek |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $380 | $800 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.18% | 1.08% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,864 | $9,733 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 75 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 60 min | 27 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 95 min | 62 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.
Walnut Creek detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.012% |
| School district measures | 0.070% |
| Effective rate | 1.08% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | None recorded |
Source: Contra Costa TRA Book FY 2025-26 (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 Walnut Creek: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Cordelia, Fairfield or Walnut Creek?
- Walnut Creek, at 1.08% of assessed value against 1.18% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.100%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Cordelia, Fairfield and Walnut Creek?
- $131 per month on the identical reference loan: Cordelia, Fairfield $9,864, Walnut Creek $9,733. Walnut Creek 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 Walnut Creek?
- Walnut Creek. Cordelia, Fairfield is 60 min by car; Walnut Creek is 27 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 Walnut Creek?
- $420 per square foot: Cordelia, Fairfield $380, Walnut Creek $800. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.