Burlingame vs Danville
Burlingame carries an effective property tax rate of 1.11% of assessed value and Danville carries 1.07%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,768 and $9,713 — $55 apart, with Danville lower. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 35 min by Caltrain from Burlingame and 55 min by car from Danville. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Burlingame (San Mateo County) · Danville (Contra Costa County)
| Metric | Burlingame | Danville | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $900 | +$600 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.07% | +0.041% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,713 | +$55 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 40 min | 60 min | −20 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 65 min | −25 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 55 min | 42 min | +13 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 45 min | 42 min | +3 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 35 min | 55 min | −20 min |
Difference is Burlingame minus Danville. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Danville is the cheaper foot by $600, 40% below Burlingame. What that buys is a different house, not a different bill: at $1,600,000 the two are $55 apart a month at 1.11% and 1.07%.
Square footage per dollar
Greenbrook, Sycamore and Diablo West hold Danville's $1.4M inventory. 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. At $1,500 and $900 per foot respectively, a fixed budget buys about 67% more floor area in Danville.
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 Danville $9,713 at 1.07% — tax lines of $1,477 and $1,423. Burlingame's fixed levies are modest by Peninsula standards. Greenbrook and Sycamore HOAs run $30-$100 a month; Blackhawk runs $300-$500 for the gate and commons. Neither figure includes dues or a district assessment, and both belong on the worksheet before an offer.
The trip each morning
To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 40 minutes by BART from Burlingame, 60 by BART from Danville — a 20-minute edge to Burlingame, or 3.3 hours across a ten-trip week. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 35 minutes by Caltrain from Burlingame, 55 by driving from Danville — a 20-minute edge to Burlingame, or 3.3 hours across a ten-trip week. Driving 101 from Burlingame to SoMa is 25 minutes at 6 a.m. and 45-55 at 8. Bishop Ranch is 8 minutes from Danville, and Dublin BART 20 minutes south is often the easier parking.
What the disclosure stack holds
Insurance is priced off mapping, not off price per foot. Burlingame flood insurance is often required and runs $800-$2,000 a year. West of I-680 along the Las Trampas ridge, Danville is 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 fits a walkable-Caltrain requirement paired with a detached house. Danville assumes Tri-Valley work or acceptance of a 60-plus minute run to San Francisco. Write the requirement down before the search: these two answer different ones.
Sources. Effective rates and carrying costs: San Mateo County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26; Contra Costa TRA 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 | Burlingame | Danville |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $900 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.07% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,713 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 40 min | 60 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 45 min | 42 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 35 min | 55 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.
Danville detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.012% |
| School district measures | 0.055% |
| Effective rate | 1.07% |
| 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 Danville: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Burlingame or Danville?
- Danville, at 1.07% of assessed value against 1.11% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.040%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Burlingame and Danville?
- $55 per month on the identical reference loan: Burlingame $9,768, Danville $9,713. Danville 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 Danville?
- Burlingame. Burlingame is 35 min by Caltrain; Danville is 55 min by car. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Burlingame and Danville?
- $600 per square foot: Burlingame $1,500, Danville $900. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.