Burlingame vs Piedmont
Burlingame carries an effective property tax rate of 1.11% of assessed value and Piedmont carries 1.25%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,768 and $9,960 — $192 apart, with Burlingame lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 45 min by car from Burlingame and 15 min by car from Piedmont. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Burlingame (San Mateo County) · Piedmont (Alameda County)
| Metric | Burlingame | Piedmont | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $1,200 | +$300 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.25% | −0.144% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,960 | −$192 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 40 min | 35 min | +5 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 35 min | +5 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 55 min | 20 min | +35 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 45 min | 15 min | +30 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 35 min | 65 min | −30 min |
Difference is Burlingame minus Piedmont. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
30 minutes each way to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) is what actually separates Burlingame from Piedmont; Piedmont holds that side. Both are billed within 0.14% of each other, 1.11% to 1.25%.
Square footage per dollar
Lower Piedmont near Grand Avenue or Oakland Avenue holds the $1.4M inventory. Against that, burlingame comps run $1,300-$1,500 per square foot for detached. At $1,500 and $1,200 per foot respectively, a fixed budget buys about 25% more floor area in Piedmont.
Carrying $1,600,000 in each
Modelled the same way in both ($1,600,000 purchase, 20% down, 6.5% fixed, $2,400 insurance, dues excluded), Burlingame totals $9,768 a month at 1.11% and Piedmont $9,960 at 1.25% — tax lines of $1,477 and $1,669. Burlingame HOAs appear only in condo and townhome buildings at $500-$800 a month. Piedmont's municipal services tax adds $600-$1,200 a year on top of the school levy. Neither figure includes dues or a district assessment, and both belong on the worksheet before an offer.
The trip each morning
To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 45 minutes by driving from Burlingame, 15 by driving from Piedmont — a 30-minute edge to Piedmont, or 5.0 hours across a ten-trip week. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 35 minutes by Caltrain from Burlingame, 65 by driving from Piedmont — a 30-minute edge to Burlingame, or 5.0 hours across a ten-trip week. SFO is eight minutes from Burlingame, and the flight path over the eastern flats is audible in the yard. I-580 puts Piedmont 20 minutes from the Bay Bridge at 6 a.m. and 40-55 at 8; Kaiser Oakland is 5 minutes.
What the disclosure stack holds
Burlingame flood insurance is often required and runs $800-$2,000 a year. Upper Piedmont along Blair and Hampton sits at the edge of the 1991 fire footprint and is mapped High. Pull the parcel's own mapping — CAL FIRE severity zone, FEMA flood panel, CGS liquefaction zone — and get a written quote before the contingency date.
Which search this actually is
Burlingame assumes square footage will be traded to get both. Piedmont assumes a 1920s house and $5K-plus a year in parcel taxes. Write the requirement down before the search: these two answer different ones.
Sources. Tax figures come from San Mateo County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26; Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA 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. 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 | Piedmont |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $1,200 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.25% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,960 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 40 min | 35 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 45 min | 15 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 35 min | 65 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.
Piedmont detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.042% |
| School district measures | 0.210% |
| Effective rate | 1.25% |
| 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 Piedmont: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Burlingame or Piedmont?
- Burlingame, at 1.11% of assessed value against 1.25% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.140%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Burlingame and Piedmont?
- $192 per month on the identical reference loan: Burlingame $9,768, Piedmont $9,960. Burlingame 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 Piedmont?
- Piedmont. Burlingame is 45 min by car; Piedmont is 15 min by car. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Burlingame and Piedmont?
- $300 per square foot: Burlingame $1,500, Piedmont $1,200. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.