Burlingame vs Mission San Jose, Fremont
Burlingame carries an effective property tax rate of 1.11% 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 $9,768 and $9,817 — $49 apart, with Burlingame lower. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 35 min by Caltrain from Burlingame 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.
Burlingame (San Mateo County) · Mission San Jose, Fremont (Alameda County)
| Metric | Burlingame | Mission San Jose, Fremont | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $1,050 | +$450 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.15% | −0.037% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,817 | −$49 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 40 min | 65 min | −25 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 65 min | −25 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 55 min | 45 min | +10 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 45 min | 45 min | 0 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 35 min | 35 min | 0 min |
Difference is Burlingame minus Mission San Jose, Fremont. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Fremont (Mission San Jose) is the cheaper foot by $450, 30% below Burlingame. What that buys is a different house, not a different bill: at $1,600,000 the two are $49 apart a month at 1.11% and 1.15%.
Square footage per dollar
Updated four-bedrooms in the Mission hills start at $2.2M, with the Weibel area in between. Against that, burlingame comps run $1,300-$1,500 per square foot for detached. The median foot costs $1,500 in Burlingame against $1,050 in Fremont (Mission San Jose); on a 2,000 sq ft house that is $900,000 of purchase price.
Carrying $1,600,000 in each
Holding the loan constant — $1,600,000, 20% down, 6.5% on a 30-year fixed, $2,400 of insurance, no HOA — Burlingame totals $9,768 a month at 1.11% and Fremont (Mission San Jose) $9,817 at 1.15% — tax lines of $1,477 and $1,527. Burlingame's fixed levies are modest by Peninsula standards. Mission San Jose HOAs exist only in the Mission Boulevard townhome complexes at $300-$500 a month. Neither figure includes dues or a district assessment, and both belong on the worksheet before an offer.
Commute, measured
To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 40 minutes by BART from Burlingame, 65 by BART from Fremont (Mission San Jose) — a 25-minute edge to Burlingame, or 4.2 hours across a ten-trip week. To Oakland City Center (12th St BART) the two post the same 45 minutes, driving from Burlingame and BART from Fremont (Mission San Jose). SFO is eight minutes from Burlingame, and the flight path over the eastern flats is audible in the yard. The Dumbarton Bridge puts Menlo Park 20 minutes from Mission San Jose at 6 a.m. and 50 at 8.
Hazard and insurance
Burlingame flood insurance is often required and runs $800-$2,000 a year. 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
Burlingame fits a walkable-Caltrain requirement paired with a detached house. Mission San Jose assumes the buyer will pay for location rather than finish. The decision is which requirement is load-bearing, because neither submarket satisfies both lists.
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. The per-foot medians are trailing and carry no appraisal weight; the neighborhood detail is first-hand broker observation.
Compare any two submarkets
| Metric | Burlingame | Mission San Jose, Fremont |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $1,050 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.15% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,817 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 40 min | 65 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 45 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 35 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.
Burlingame detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.010% |
| School district measures | 0.098% |
| Effective rate | 1.11% |
| 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.
Burlingame vs Mission San Jose, Fremont: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Burlingame or Mission San Jose, Fremont?
- Burlingame, at 1.11% of assessed value against 1.15% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.040%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Burlingame and Mission San Jose, Fremont?
- $49 per month on the identical reference loan: Burlingame $9,768, Mission San Jose, Fremont $9,817. Burlingame 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, Burlingame or Mission San Jose, Fremont?
- Burlingame. Burlingame is 35 min by Caltrain; 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 Burlingame and Mission San Jose, Fremont?
- $450 per square foot: Burlingame $1,500, Mission San Jose, Fremont $1,050. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.