Foster City vs Mission San Jose, Fremont
Foster City carries an effective property tax rate of 1.10% of assessed value and Mission San Jose, Fremont carries 1.15%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,760 and $9,817 — $57 apart, with Foster City lower. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 30 min by car from Foster City and 35 min by car from Mission San Jose, Fremont. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Foster City (San Mateo County) · Mission San Jose, Fremont (Alameda County)
| Metric | Foster City | Mission San Jose, Fremont | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,000 | $1,050 | −$50 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.10% | 1.15% | −0.043% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,760 | $9,817 | −$57 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 58 min | 65 min | −7 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 45 min | 65 min | −20 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 70 min | 45 min | +25 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 45 min | −5 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 30 min | 35 min | −5 min |
Difference is Foster City minus Mission San Jose, Fremont. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART), Foster City is 20 minutes closer than Fremont (Mission San Jose) on the fastest posted option each has. Ten trips a week makes that 3.3 hours. The tax side is nearly level at 1.10% and 1.15%.
What the same money buys
Foster City comps run $950-$1,100 per square foot detached and $800-$900 for townhomes. $1.4M in Mission San Jose is a 1,300-1,500 sq ft 1960s three-bedroom on a 6,000 sq ft lot, usually original inside. The median foot costs $1,000 in Foster City against $1,050 in Fremont (Mission San Jose); on a 2,000 sq ft house that is $100,000 of purchase price.
What the bill looks like
Holding the loan constant — $1,600,000, 20% down, 6.5% on a 30-year fixed, $2,400 of insurance, no HOA — Foster City totals $9,760 a month at 1.10% and Fremont (Mission San Jose) $9,817 at 1.15% — tax lines of $1,469 and $1,527. Foster City townhome dues run $400-$600 a month. Mission San Jose HOAs exist only in the Mission Boulevard townhome complexes at $300-$500 a month.
Commute, measured
To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 45 minutes by driving from Foster City, 65 by BART from Fremont (Mission San Jose) — a 20-minute edge to Foster City, or 3.3 hours across a ten-trip week. Gilead and Visa headquarters are inside Foster City, so a share of its commutes are on foot or bike. Door to door from Mission San Jose to FiDi is 80-90 minutes, so most commutes here run south instead.
Hazard and insurance
The Foster City levee raise was completed to keep FEMA from requiring mandatory flood insurance. The hillside lots east of Mission Boulevard and along Vargas Road are mapped High fire hazard. 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
Foster City fits a flat, bike-scale layout requirement. Mission San Jose assumes the buyer will pay for location rather than finish.
Sources. Effective rates and carrying costs: San Mateo County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26; Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA 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. 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 | Foster City | Mission San Jose, Fremont |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,000 | $1,050 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.10% | 1.15% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,760 | $9,817 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 45 min | 65 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 40 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 30 min | 35 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.
Foster City detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.010% |
| School district measures | 0.092% |
| 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.
Mission San Jose, Fremont detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.042% |
| School district measures | 0.103% |
| Effective rate | 1.15% |
| 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.
Foster City vs Mission San Jose, Fremont: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Foster City or Mission San Jose, Fremont?
- Foster City, at 1.10% of assessed value against 1.15% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.050%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Foster City and Mission San Jose, Fremont?
- $57 per month on the identical reference loan: Foster City $9,760, Mission San Jose, Fremont $9,817. Foster City 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, Foster City or Mission San Jose, Fremont?
- Foster City. Foster City is 30 min by car; Mission San Jose, Fremont is 35 min by car. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Foster City and Mission San Jose, Fremont?
- $50 per square foot: Foster City $1,000, Mission San Jose, Fremont $1,050. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.