Mission San Jose, Fremont vs Sunnyvale
Mission San Jose, Fremont carries an effective property tax rate of 1.15% of assessed value and Sunnyvale carries 1.16%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,817 and $9,837 — $20 apart, with Mission San Jose, Fremont lower. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 35 min by car from Mission San Jose, Fremont and 10 min by Caltrain from Sunnyvale. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Mission San Jose, Fremont (Alameda County) · Sunnyvale (Santa Clara County)
| Metric | Mission San Jose, Fremont | Sunnyvale | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,050 | $1,400 | −$350 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.15% | 1.16% | −0.015% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,817 | $9,837 | −$20 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 65 min | 75 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 | 55 min | −10 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 35 min | 10 min | +25 min |
Difference is Mission San Jose, Fremont minus Sunnyvale. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Sunnyvale carries $350 more per square foot than Fremont (Mission San Jose) — 33% — and that single spread decides most searches that start with both names on the list. The tax rates land 1.15% in Fremont (Mission San Jose) against 1.16% in Sunnyvale, close enough that price per foot, not the levy, is what moves the payment.
What the same money buys
Mission San Jose prices location over finish, and the $1.4M inventory shows it. The north and east Sunnyvale flats hold the small detached inventory. The median foot costs $1,050 in Fremont (Mission San Jose) against $1,400 in Sunnyvale; on a 2,000 sq ft house that is $700,000 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 Sunnyvale $9,837 at 1.16% — tax lines of $1,527 and $1,547. Fremont Unified parcel taxes add roughly $100-$200 a year in Mission San Jose. Sunnyvale parcel taxes vary by district across Sunnyvale, Cupertino Union and Fremont Union High at roughly $200-$500.
Commute, measured
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 35 minutes by driving from Fremont (Mission San Jose), 10 by Caltrain from Sunnyvale — a 25-minute edge to Sunnyvale, or 4.2 hours across a ten-trip week. To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 65 minutes by BART from Fremont (Mission San Jose), 75 by Caltrain from Sunnyvale — a 10-minute edge to Fremont (Mission San Jose), or 1.7 hours across a ten-trip week. From Mission San Jose, Tesla Fremont is 10 minutes, Santa Clara 25-40 and Cupertino 35-50. From Sunnyvale, Apple Park is 10 minutes, Google Mountain View 10-15 and Nvidia Santa Clara 10.
Hazard and insurance
A few Mission San Jose hill non-renewals appeared in 2025-26; the flats are still being written. Sunnyvale is not WUI. 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.
Choosing between them
Mission San Jose fits a detached-home requirement with South Bay employers in reach. Sunnyvale works for a buyer who needs South Bay proximity over square footage.
Sources. Effective rates and carrying costs: Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA FY 2025-26; Santa Clara 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. 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 | Sunnyvale |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,050 | $1,400 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.15% | 1.16% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,817 | $9,837 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 65 min | 75 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 45 min | 55 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 35 min | 10 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.
Sunnyvale detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.045% |
| School district measures | 0.115% |
| Effective rate | 1.16% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | None recorded |
Source: Santa Clara County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26 (Santa Clara 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 Sunnyvale: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Mission San Jose, Fremont or Sunnyvale?
- Mission San Jose, Fremont, at 1.15% of assessed value against 1.16% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.010%. 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 Sunnyvale?
- $20 per month on the identical reference loan: Mission San Jose, Fremont $9,817, Sunnyvale $9,837. Mission San Jose, Fremont 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 Sunnyvale?
- Sunnyvale. Mission San Jose, Fremont is 35 min by car; Sunnyvale is 10 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 Sunnyvale?
- $350 per square foot: Mission San Jose, Fremont $1,050, Sunnyvale $1,400. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.