Burlingame vs Castro Valley
Burlingame carries an effective property tax rate of 1.11% of assessed value and Castro Valley carries 1.20%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,768 and $9,893 — $125 apart, with Burlingame lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 45 min by car from Burlingame and 28 min by BART from Castro Valley. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Burlingame (San Mateo County) · Castro Valley (Alameda County)
| Metric | Burlingame | Castro Valley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $650 | +$850 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.20% | −0.094% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,893 | −$125 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 40 min | 45 min | −5 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 50 min | −10 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 55 min | 28 min | +27 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 45 min | 28 min | +17 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 35 min | 50 min | −15 min |
Difference is Burlingame minus Castro Valley. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Burlingame carries $850 more per square foot than Castro Valley — 131% — and that single spread decides most searches that start with both names on the list. The tax rates land 1.11% in Burlingame against 1.20% in Castro Valley, close enough that price per foot, not the levy, is what moves the payment.
What the same money buys
Burlingame comps run $1,300-$1,500 per square foot for detached. Castro Valley comps run $650-$720 per square foot. At $1,500 and $650 per foot respectively, a fixed budget buys about 131% more floor area in Castro Valley.
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 Castro Valley $9,893 at 1.20% — tax lines of $1,477 and $1,603. Burlingame HOAs appear only in condo and townhome buildings at $500-$800 a month. No Mello-Roos in the older Castro Valley stock.
The trip each morning
To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 45 minutes by driving from Burlingame, 28 by BART from Castro Valley — a 17-minute edge to Castro Valley, or 2.8 hours across a ten-trip week. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 35 minutes by Caltrain from Burlingame, 50 by driving from Castro Valley — a 15-minute edge to Burlingame, or 2.5 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. Hayward and San Leandro job centers are 10-15 minutes from Castro Valley.
Fire, flood and the premium
The hills west of I-280 carry moderate fire mapping with no Burlingame non-renewals observed, and liquefaction near the bay shows on the NHD. The canyons and hills east of Crow Canyon and Palomares Road are mapped High fire hazard. 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 is the answer when the station has to be within walking distance. Castro Valley answers a need for access to both the I-580 and I-880 corridors. 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 | Castro Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $650 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.20% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,893 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 40 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 45 min | 28 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 35 min | 50 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.
Castro Valley detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.042% |
| School district measures | 0.160% |
| Effective rate | 1.20% |
| 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 Castro Valley: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Burlingame or Castro Valley?
- Burlingame, at 1.11% of assessed value against 1.20% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.090%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Burlingame and Castro Valley?
- $125 per month on the identical reference loan: Burlingame $9,768, Castro Valley $9,893. 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 Castro Valley?
- Castro Valley. Burlingame is 45 min by car; Castro Valley is 28 min by BART. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Burlingame and Castro Valley?
- $850 per square foot: Burlingame $1,500, Castro Valley $650. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.