Mission San Jose, Fremont vs Redwood City
Mission San Jose, Fremont carries an effective property tax rate of 1.15% of assessed value and Redwood City carries 1.12%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,817 and $9,784 — $33 apart, with Redwood City lower. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 35 min by car from Mission San Jose, Fremont and 22 min by Caltrain from Redwood City. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Mission San Jose, Fremont (Alameda County) · Redwood City (San Mateo County)
| Metric | Mission San Jose, Fremont | Redwood City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,050 | $1,150 | −$100 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.15% | 1.12% | +0.025% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,817 | $9,784 | +$33 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 65 min | 55 min | +10 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 45 min | 80 min | −35 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 45 min | 50 min | −5 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 35 min | 25 min | +10 min |
Difference is Mission San Jose, Fremont minus Redwood City. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain), Redwood City is 13 minutes closer than Fremont (Mission San Jose) on the fastest posted option each has. Ten trips a week makes that 2.2 hours. The tax side is nearly level at 1.15% and 1.12%.
What the same money buys
$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. Emerald Hills starts at $2M above Redwood City proper. The median foot costs $1,050 in Fremont (Mission San Jose) against $1,150 in Redwood City; on a 2,000 sq ft house that is $200,000 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 — Fremont (Mission San Jose) totals $9,817 a month at 1.15% and Redwood City $9,784 at 1.12% — tax lines of $1,527 and $1,493. Mission San Jose HOAs exist only in the Mission Boulevard townhome complexes at $300-$500 a month. Redwood City School District and Sequoia Union parcel taxes run roughly $200-$400.
Commute, measured
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 35 minutes by driving from Fremont (Mission San Jose), 22 by Caltrain from Redwood City — a 13-minute edge to Redwood City, or 2.2 hours across a ten-trip week. Warm Springs/South Fremont BART is 10-12 minutes from Mission San Jose, then 55 minutes to Embarcadero. Driving 101 from Redwood City to SoMa is 30 minutes at 6 a.m., 60-75 at 8.
Hazard and insurance
The hillside lots east of Mission Boulevard and along Vargas Road are mapped High fire hazard. The Redwood City flats and Redwood Shores are not WUI. Verify any parcel against the CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zone map, the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and the California Geological Survey seismic hazard zones before removing contingencies.
The housing need each answers
Mission San Jose assumes the buyer will pay for location rather than finish. Redwood City works for a buyer who needs a Baby Bullet stop and a yard.
Sources. Rate and payment figures: Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA FY 2025-26; San Mateo County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26, as composited in build/assets/metrics.json — unverified at tax-rate-area level, so read the bill. Minutes shown are AM-peak and door to door, from 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 | Mission San Jose, Fremont | Redwood City |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,050 | $1,150 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.15% | 1.12% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,817 | $9,784 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 65 min | 55 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 45 min | 50 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 35 min | 22 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.
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.
Redwood City detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.010% |
| School district measures | 0.110% |
| Effective rate | 1.12% |
| 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 vs Redwood City: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Mission San Jose, Fremont or Redwood City?
- Redwood City, at 1.12% of assessed value against 1.15% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.030%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Mission San Jose, Fremont and Redwood City?
- $33 per month on the identical reference loan: Mission San Jose, Fremont $9,817, Redwood City $9,784. Redwood 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, Mission San Jose, Fremont or Redwood City?
- Redwood City. Mission San Jose, Fremont is 35 min by car; Redwood City is 22 min by Caltrain. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Mission San Jose, Fremont and Redwood City?
- $100 per square foot: Mission San Jose, Fremont $1,050, Redwood City $1,150. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.