Burlingame vs Cordelia, Fairfield
Burlingame carries an effective property tax rate of 1.11% of assessed value and Cordelia, Fairfield carries 1.18%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,768 and $9,864 — $96 apart, with Burlingame lower. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 35 min by Caltrain from Burlingame and 95 min by car from Cordelia, Fairfield. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Burlingame (San Mateo County) · Cordelia, Fairfield (Solano County)
| Metric | Burlingame | Cordelia, Fairfield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $380 | +$1,120 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.18% | −0.072% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,864 | −$96 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 40 min | 85 min | −45 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 75 min | −35 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 55 min | 70 min | −15 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 45 min | 60 min | −15 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 35 min | 95 min | −60 min |
Difference is Burlingame minus Cordelia, Fairfield. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Put the two side by side and the gap is square footage, not tax: $1,500 per foot in Burlingame against $380 in Fairfield (Cordelia). On the same $1,600,000 purchase the monthly separation is only $96, because Burlingame bills 1.11% and Fairfield (Cordelia) 1.18%.
The house at each price
$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. Cordelia comps run $330-$400 per square foot. Posted medians are $1,500 per square foot in Burlingame and $380 in Fairfield (Cordelia), a $1,120 spread.
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 Fairfield (Cordelia) $9,864 at 1.18% — tax lines of $1,477 and $1,573. Burlingame HOAs appear only in condo and townhome buildings at $500-$800 a month. Cordelia HOAs run $50-$150 a month, with gated Rancho Solano and Eastridge higher.
Getting to work
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 35 minutes by Caltrain from Burlingame, 95 by driving from Fairfield (Cordelia) — a 60-minute edge to Burlingame, or 10.0 hours across a ten-trip week. To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 40 minutes by BART from Burlingame, 75 by driving from Fairfield (Cordelia) — a 35-minute edge to Burlingame, or 5.8 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 Vallejo ferry is 25 minutes from Cordelia, then 60 on the water; Travis AFB is 20 minutes east and Napa 25 north.
Fire, flood and the premium
Burlingame is not WUI. Green Valley and the hills west of I-680 are mapped High fire hazard. 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.
Which search this actually is
Burlingame assumes square footage will be traded to get both. Cordelia answers a Napa or Travis commute. Rank the requirements first; the pair rarely splits on anything except the one that is non-negotiable.
Sources. Effective rates and carrying costs: San Mateo County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26; Solano County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26; City of Fairfield CFD reports, 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. 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 | Cordelia, Fairfield |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $380 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.18% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,864 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 40 min | 75 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 45 min | 60 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 35 min | 95 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.
Cordelia, Fairfield detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.010% |
| School district measures | 0.090% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD assessment | 0.080% |
| Effective rate | 1.18% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | Yes |
Source: Solano County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26; City of Fairfield CFD reports (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 vs Cordelia, Fairfield: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Burlingame or Cordelia, Fairfield?
- 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 Cordelia, Fairfield?
- $96 per month on the identical reference loan: Burlingame $9,768, Cordelia, Fairfield $9,864. 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 Cordelia, Fairfield?
- Burlingame. Burlingame is 35 min by Caltrain; Cordelia, Fairfield is 95 min by car. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Burlingame and Cordelia, Fairfield?
- $1,120 per square foot: Burlingame $1,500, Cordelia, Fairfield $380. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.