Benicia vs Burlingame
Benicia carries an effective property tax rate of 1.10% of assessed value and Burlingame carries 1.11%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,750 and $9,768 — $17 apart, with Benicia lower. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 85 min by car from Benicia and 35 min by Caltrain from Burlingame. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Benicia (Solano County) · Burlingame (San Mateo County)
| Metric | Benicia | Burlingame | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $480 | $1,500 | −$1,020 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.10% | 1.11% | −0.013% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,750 | $9,768 | −$17 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 70 min | 40 min | +30 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 60 min | 40 min | +20 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 55 min | 55 min | 0 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 45 min | 45 min | 0 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 85 min | 35 min | +50 min |
Difference is Benicia minus Burlingame. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Benicia is the cheaper foot by $1,020, 68% below Burlingame. What that buys is a different house, not a different bill: at $1,600,000 the two are $17 apart a month at 1.10% and 1.11%.
Square footage per dollar
$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. Against that, restored Victorians on First Street are Benicia's other $1.4M option. Posted medians are $480 per square foot in Benicia and $1,500 in Burlingame, a $1,020 spread.
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, Benicia totals $9,750 a month at 1.10% and Burlingame $9,768 at 1.11% — tax lines of $1,460 and $1,477. Benicia's 1980s Southampton Mello-Roos districts have paid off, though small assessment districts under $300 remain. Burlingame's fixed levies are modest by Peninsula standards. 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): 85 minutes by driving from Benicia, 35 by Caltrain from Burlingame — a 50-minute edge to Burlingame, or 8.3 hours across a ten-trip week. To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 60 minutes by driving from Benicia, 40 by BART from Burlingame — a 20-minute edge to Burlingame, or 3.3 hours across a ten-trip week. Benicia's closest rail is the Vallejo ferry, 15 minutes away then 60 on the water, or Martinez Amtrak. A Baby Bullet from Burlingame to 4th and King runs 28-35 minutes; locals 40, plus a 15-minute walk or Muni ride.
Fire, flood and the premium
Insurance is priced off mapping, not off price per foot. Downtown Benicia and the flats near the water are not WUI. Burlingame is not WUI. 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.
Choosing between them
Benicia fits a square-footage-and-view requirement under $1M. Burlingame assumes square footage will be traded to get both. The decision is which requirement is load-bearing, because neither submarket satisfies both lists.
Sources. Effective rates and carrying costs: Solano County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26; San Mateo County Tax Rate Book 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 | Benicia | Burlingame |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $480 | $1,500 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.10% | 1.11% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,750 | $9,768 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 60 min | 40 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 45 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 85 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.
Benicia detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.010% |
| School district measures | 0.085% |
| Effective rate | 1.09% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | None recorded |
Source: Solano County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26 (Solano 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 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.
Benicia vs Burlingame: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Benicia or Burlingame?
- Benicia, at 1.10% of assessed value against 1.11% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.010%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Benicia and Burlingame?
- $17 per month on the identical reference loan: Benicia $9,750, Burlingame $9,768. Benicia 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, Benicia or Burlingame?
- Burlingame. Benicia is 85 min by car; Burlingame is 35 min by Caltrain. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Benicia and Burlingame?
- $1,020 per square foot: Benicia $480, Burlingame $1,500. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.