Burlingame vs Dublin
Burlingame carries an effective property tax rate of 1.11% of assessed value and Dublin carries 1.18%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,768 and $9,869 — $101 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 Dublin. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Burlingame (San Mateo County) · Dublin (Alameda County)
| Metric | Burlingame | Dublin | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $720 | +$780 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.18% | −0.076% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,869 | −$101 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 40 min | 55 min | −15 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 65 min | −25 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 55 min | 38 min | +17 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 45 min | 40 min | +5 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 35 min | 45 min | −10 min |
Difference is Burlingame minus Dublin. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Dublin is the cheaper foot by $780, 52% below Burlingame. What that buys is a different house, not a different bill: at $1,600,000 the two are $101 apart a month at 1.11% and 1.18%.
Square footage per dollar
Burlingame Village and the Lyon-Hoag area hold the $1.4M detached inventory. West Dublin's 1970s-80s ranches are 1,800-2,200 sq ft at $1M-$1.2M. The median foot costs $1,500 in Burlingame against $720 in Dublin; on a 2,000 sq ft house that is $1,560,000 of purchase price.
What the bill looks like
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 Dublin $9,869 at 1.18% — tax lines of $1,477 and $1,579. No Mello-Roos in Burlingame. Dublin HOAs run $100-$250 a month. Neither figure includes dues or a district assessment, and both belong on the worksheet before an offer.
Commute, measured
To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 40 minutes by BART from Burlingame, 55 by BART from Dublin — a 15-minute edge to Burlingame, or 2.5 hours across a ten-trip week. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 35 minutes by Caltrain from Burlingame, 45 by driving from Dublin — a 10-minute edge to Burlingame, or 1.7 hours across a ten-trip week. Driving 101 from Burlingame to SoMa is 25 minutes at 6 a.m. and 45-55 at 8. The I-580/680 interchange is Dublin's daily choke point; the Bay Bridge is 45 minutes at 6 a.m., 80-100 at 8.
Fire, flood and the premium
Insurance is priced off mapping, not off price per foot. The Burlingame flats east of El Camino sit in FEMA flood zones tied to the bayfront and creeks. The Dublin valley floor is not WUI. No Dublin non-renewals observed; standard carriers are still writing. 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.
Choosing between them
Burlingame fits a walkable-Caltrain requirement paired with a detached house. Dublin assumes a CFD and a long train ride are both acceptable. 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. Price per square foot is a trailing median and is not an appraisal. Qualitative detail is the broker's own field observation.
Compare any two submarkets
| Metric | Burlingame | Dublin |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $720 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.18% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,869 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 40 min | 55 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 45 min | 38 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.
Dublin detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.042% |
| School district measures | 0.142% |
| Effective rate | 1.18% |
| 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 Dublin: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Burlingame or Dublin?
- Burlingame, at 1.11% of assessed value against 1.18% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.070%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Burlingame and Dublin?
- $101 per month on the identical reference loan: Burlingame $9,768, Dublin $9,869. 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 Dublin?
- Burlingame. Burlingame is 35 min by Caltrain; Dublin 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 Dublin?
- $780 per square foot: Burlingame $1,500, Dublin $720. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.