Burlingame vs Pleasanton
Burlingame carries an effective property tax rate of 1.11% of assessed value and Pleasanton carries 1.17%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,768 and $9,848 — $80 apart, with Burlingame lower. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 35 min by Caltrain from Burlingame and 45 min by car from Pleasanton. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Burlingame (San Mateo County) · Pleasanton (Alameda County)
| Metric | Burlingame | Pleasanton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $850 | +$650 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.17% | −0.060% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,848 | −$80 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 40 min | 58 min | −18 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 68 min | −28 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 55 min | 40 min | +15 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 45 min | 42 min | +3 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 35 min | 45 min | −10 min |
Difference is Burlingame minus Pleasanton. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Burlingame carries $650 more per square foot than Pleasanton — 76% — and that single spread decides most searches that start with both names on the list. The tax rates land 1.11% in Burlingame against 1.17% in Pleasanton, close enough that price per foot, not the levy, is what moves the payment.
What the same money buys
Val Vista, Pleasanton Meadows and Del Prado hold the city's four-bedroom stock. Against that, $1.4M in Burlingame is a two-bedroom, one-bath of 1,100-1,300 sq ft on a 5,000 sq ft lot, or a 1,400 sq ft townhome. The median foot costs $1,500 in Burlingame against $850 in Pleasanton; on a 2,000 sq ft house that is $1,300,000 of purchase price.
Carrying $1,600,000 in each
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 Pleasanton $9,848 at 1.17% — tax lines of $1,477 and $1,557. Burlingame HOAs appear only in condo and townhome buildings at $500-$800 a month. Ruby Hill and some Vintage Hills tracts carry $150-$400 a month in dues, with a gate at Ruby Hill.
Commute, measured
To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 40 minutes by BART from Burlingame, 58 by BART from Pleasanton — a 18-minute edge to Burlingame, or 3.0 hours across a ten-trip week. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 35 minutes by Caltrain from Burlingame, 45 by driving from Pleasanton — a 10-minute edge to Burlingame, or 1.7 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. The ACE train from downtown Pleasanton reaches San Jose in 60 minutes, and Hacienda Business Park is inside the city.
Fire, flood and the premium
Burlingame flood insurance is often required and runs $800-$2,000 a year. The Pleasanton valley floor is not WUI. None of this substitutes for the parcel: check CAL FIRE zoning, the FEMA flood panel and CGS seismic hazard mapping, then price the policy in writing.
Which search this actually is
Burlingame fits a walkable-Caltrain requirement paired with a detached house. Pleasanton answers a Hacienda or Tri-Valley work location. 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; Alameda County Tax Rates by TRA 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 | Pleasanton |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $850 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.17% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,848 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 40 min | 58 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 45 min | 40 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 35 min | 45 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.
Pleasanton detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.042% |
| School district measures | 0.126% |
| Effective rate | 1.17% |
| 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 Pleasanton: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Burlingame or Pleasanton?
- Burlingame, at 1.11% of assessed value against 1.17% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.060%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Burlingame and Pleasanton?
- $80 per month on the identical reference loan: Burlingame $9,768, Pleasanton $9,848. 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 Pleasanton?
- Burlingame. Burlingame is 35 min by Caltrain; Pleasanton is 45 min by car. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Burlingame and Pleasanton?
- $650 per square foot: Burlingame $1,500, Pleasanton $850. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.