Orinda vs Baywood, San Mateo
Orinda carries an effective property tax rate of 1.08% of assessed value and Baywood, San Mateo carries 1.11%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,730 and $9,764 — $33 apart, with Orinda lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 20 min by BART from Orinda and 45 min by car from Baywood, San Mateo. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Orinda (Contra Costa County) · Baywood, San Mateo (San Mateo County)
| Metric | Orinda | Baywood, San Mateo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,150 | $1,400 | −$250 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.08% | 1.11% | −0.025% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,730 | $9,764 | −$33 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 38 min | 48 min | −10 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 45 min | 45 min | 0 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 20 min | 62 min | −42 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 25 min | 45 min | −20 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 70 min | 30 min | +40 min |
Difference is Orinda minus Baywood, San Mateo. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
40 minutes each way to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) is what actually separates Orinda from San Mateo (Baywood); San Mateo (Baywood) holds that side. Both are billed within 0.03% of each other, 1.08% to 1.11%.
Square footage per dollar
Orinda trades interior square footage for lot: half an acre is standard and floor plans rarely exceed 1,900 sq ft at this price. Baywood comps run $1,200-$1,400 per square foot. The median foot costs $1,150 in Orinda against $1,400 in San Mateo (Baywood); on a 2,000 sq ft house that is $500,000 of purchase price.
The monthly, matched
Against an identical $1,600,000 note at 6.5% with 20% down and $2,400 a year of coverage, Orinda totals $9,730 a month at 1.08% and San Mateo (Baywood) $9,764 at 1.11% — tax lines of $1,440 and $1,473. Budget $1,200-$1,700 of Orinda parcel taxes above the county rate; the figure is fixed per parcel, not per dollar of price. No HOA on Baywood's detached homes; downtown townhomes and condos run $400-$800 a month.
Commute, measured
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 70 minutes by driving from Orinda, 30 by Caltrain from San Mateo (Baywood) — a 40-minute edge to San Mateo (Baywood), or 6.7 hours across a ten-trip week. To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 20 minutes by BART from Orinda, 45 by driving from San Mateo (Baywood) — a 25-minute edge to Orinda, or 4.2 hours across a ten-trip week. Orinda runs on two modes: BART for San Francisco, Highway 24 for everything else. Baby Bullets stop at Hillsdale, 5 minutes from Baywood, for a 30-minute ride to 4th and King.
Fire, flood and the premium
Septic is still live on a share of Sleepy Hollow and Bear Creek lots, on top of Orinda's fire mapping. Laurel Creek flood zones are on the Baywood disclosure stack. 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.
Choosing between them
Orinda answers a need for the shortest BART ride in Contra Costa paired with a large lot. Baywood is the answer when architecture and rail both have to be satisfied.
Sources. Rate and payment figures: Contra Costa TRA Book 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. 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 | Orinda | Baywood, San Mateo |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,150 | $1,400 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.08% | 1.11% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,730 | $9,764 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 38 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 20 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 70 min | 30 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.
Orinda detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.012% |
| School district measures | 0.068% |
| 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.
Baywood, San Mateo detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.010% |
| School district measures | 0.095% |
| 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.
Orinda vs Baywood, San Mateo: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Orinda or Baywood, San Mateo?
- Orinda, at 1.08% of assessed value against 1.11% 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 Orinda and Baywood, San Mateo?
- $33 per month on the identical reference loan: Orinda $9,730, Baywood, San Mateo $9,764. Orinda 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, Orinda or Baywood, San Mateo?
- Orinda. Orinda is 20 min by BART; Baywood, San Mateo is 45 min by car. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Orinda and Baywood, San Mateo?
- $250 per square foot: Orinda $1,150, Baywood, San Mateo $1,400. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.