Burlingame vs Menlo Park
Burlingame carries an effective property tax rate of 1.11% of assessed value and Menlo Park carries 1.13%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,768 and $9,790 — $23 apart, with Burlingame lower. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 35 min by Caltrain from Burlingame and 20 min by Caltrain from Menlo Park. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Burlingame (San Mateo County) · Menlo Park (San Mateo County)
| Metric | Burlingame | Menlo Park | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $1,700 | −$200 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.13% | −0.017% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,790 | −$23 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Caltrain | 40 min | 60 min | −20 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 60 min | −20 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 55 min | 85 min | −30 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 45 min | 50 min | −5 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Caltrain | 35 min | 20 min | +15 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 35 min | 20 min | +15 min |
Difference is Burlingame minus Menlo Park. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
20 minutes each way to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) is what actually separates Burlingame from Menlo Park; Burlingame holds that side. Both are billed within 0.02% of each other, 1.11% to 1.13%.
Square footage per dollar
Burlingame Village and the Lyon-Hoag area hold the $1.4M detached inventory. Belle Haven runs $1,000-$1,200 per square foot, the lowest in Menlo Park. The median foot costs $1,500 in Burlingame against $1,700 in Menlo Park; on a 2,000 sq ft house that is $400,000 of purchase price.
What the bill looks like
Against an identical $1,600,000 note at 6.5% with 20% down and $2,400 a year of coverage, Burlingame totals $9,768 a month at 1.11% and Menlo Park $9,790 at 1.13% — tax lines of $1,477 and $1,500. Burlingame HOAs appear only in condo and townhome buildings at $500-$800 a month. No Mello-Roos in Menlo Park. 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, 60 by Caltrain from Menlo Park — a 20-minute edge to Burlingame, or 3.3 hours across a ten-trip week. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 35 minutes by Caltrain from Burlingame, 20 by Caltrain from Menlo Park — a 15-minute edge to Menlo Park, or 2.5 hours across a ten-trip week. Driving 101 from Burlingame to SoMa is 25 minutes at 6 a.m. and 45-55 at 8. Meta's Willow Road campus is 5-10 minutes from anywhere in Menlo Park, and Sand Hill Road is 10.
Fire, flood and the premium
Insurance is priced off mapping, not off price per foot. Burlingame is not WUI. The Menlo Park flats are not WUI. 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
Burlingame works for a buyer who will take two bedrooms to keep the train. Menlo Park assumes a small footprint or a townhome at this price. Rank the requirements first; the pair rarely splits on anything except the one that is non-negotiable.
Sources. Tax figures come from San Mateo County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26, composited in build/assets/metrics.json. They are county-level and not yet verified at the TRA, so the parcel's bill governs. Travel times are AM-peak door-to-door estimates 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 | Burlingame | Menlo Park |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $1,700 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.13% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,790 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 40 min | 60 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 45 min | 50 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 35 min | 20 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.
Menlo Park detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.010% |
| School district measures | 0.115% |
| Effective rate | 1.13% |
| 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.
Burlingame vs Menlo Park: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Burlingame or Menlo Park?
- Burlingame, at 1.11% of assessed value against 1.13% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.020%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Burlingame and Menlo Park?
- $23 per month on the identical reference loan: Burlingame $9,768, Menlo Park $9,790. 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 Menlo Park?
- Menlo Park. Burlingame is 35 min by Caltrain; Menlo Park is 20 min by Caltrain. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Burlingame and Menlo Park?
- $200 per square foot: Burlingame $1,500, Menlo Park $1,700. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.