Burlingame vs Moraga
Burlingame carries an effective property tax rate of 1.11% of assessed value and Moraga carries 1.08%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,768 and $9,728 — $40 apart, with Moraga lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 45 min by car from Burlingame and 30 min by car from Moraga. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Burlingame (San Mateo County) · Moraga (Contra Costa County)
| Metric | Burlingame | Moraga | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $1,000 | +$500 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.08% | +0.030% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,728 | +$40 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 40 min | 50 min | −10 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 50 min | −10 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 55 min | 32 min | +23 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 45 min | 30 min | +15 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 35 min | 70 min | −35 min |
Difference is Burlingame minus Moraga. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Put the two side by side and the gap is square footage, not tax: $1,500 per foot in Burlingame against $1,000 in Moraga. On the same $1,600,000 purchase the monthly separation is only $40, because Burlingame bills 1.11% and Moraga 1.08%.
The house at each price
Burlingame comps run $1,300-$1,500 per square foot for detached. Moraga Country Club and the Rheem Valley area carry most of the town's mid-market inventory. Posted medians are $1,500 per square foot in Burlingame and $1,000 in Moraga, a $500 spread.
The monthly, matched
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 Moraga $9,728 at 1.08% — tax lines of $1,477 and $1,437. No Mello-Roos in Burlingame. Most of Moraga outside the country club carries no HOA at all. Neither figure includes dues or a district assessment, and both belong on the worksheet before an offer.
Getting to work
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 35 minutes by Caltrain from Burlingame, 70 by driving from Moraga — a 35-minute edge to Burlingame, or 5.8 hours across a ten-trip week. To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 45 minutes by driving from Burlingame, 30 by driving from Moraga — a 15-minute edge to Moraga, or 2.5 hours across a ten-trip week. A Baby Bullet from Burlingame to 4th and King runs 28-35 minutes; locals 40, plus a 15-minute walk or Muni ride. Saint Mary's College is five minutes from most of Moraga.
Fire, flood and the premium
The two carry different disclosure files, and the premium follows the file. The Burlingame flats east of El Camino sit in FEMA flood zones tied to the bayfront and creeks. Almost all of Moraga is mapped High or Very High fire hazard. Burlingame flood insurance is often required and runs $800-$2,000 a year. 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.
Which search this actually is
Burlingame is the answer when the station has to be within walking distance. Moraga assumes two-step access to BART is acceptable. Write the requirement down before the search: these two answer different ones.
Sources. Rate and payment figures: San Mateo County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26; Contra Costa TRA 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. 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 | Moraga |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $1,000 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.08% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,728 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 40 min | 50 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 45 min | 30 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 35 min | 70 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.
Moraga detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.012% |
| School district measures | 0.066% |
| 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.
Burlingame vs Moraga: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Burlingame or Moraga?
- Moraga, 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 Burlingame and Moraga?
- $40 per month on the identical reference loan: Burlingame $9,768, Moraga $9,728. Moraga 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, Burlingame or Moraga?
- Moraga. Burlingame is 45 min by car; Moraga is 30 min by car. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Burlingame and Moraga?
- $500 per square foot: Burlingame $1,500, Moraga $1,000. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.