Burlingame vs Foster City
Burlingame carries an effective property tax rate of 1.11% of assessed value and Foster City carries 1.10%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,768 and $9,760 — $8 apart, with Foster City lower. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 35 min by Caltrain from Burlingame and 30 min by car from Foster City. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Burlingame (San Mateo County) · Foster City (San Mateo County)
| Metric | Burlingame | Foster City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $1,000 | +$500 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.10% | +0.006% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,760 | +$8 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 40 min | 58 min | −18 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Caltrain | 40 min | 55 min | −15 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 45 min | −5 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 55 min | 70 min | −15 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 45 min | 40 min | +5 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Caltrain | 35 min | 40 min | −5 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 35 min | 30 min | +5 min |
Difference is Burlingame minus Foster City. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Foster City is the cheaper foot by $500, 33% below Burlingame. What that buys is a different house, not a different bill: at $1,600,000 the two are $8 apart a month at 1.11% and 1.10%.
Square footage per dollar
Waterfront Foster City homes on the lagoon or bay start at $2M. 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. Posted medians are $1,500 per square foot in Burlingame and $1,000 in Foster City, a $500 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, Burlingame totals $9,768 a month at 1.11% and Foster City $9,760 at 1.10% — tax lines of $1,477 and $1,469. No Mello-Roos in Burlingame. No Mello-Roos on Foster City resale stock; Pilgrim-Triton condos carry $600-$900 a month. Neither figure includes dues or a district assessment, and both belong on the worksheet before an offer.
Getting to work
To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 40 minutes by BART from Burlingame, 45 by driving from Foster City — a 5-minute edge to Burlingame, or 0.8 hours across a ten-trip week. To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 45 minutes by driving from Burlingame, 40 by driving from Foster City — a 5-minute edge to Foster City, or 0.8 hours across a ten-trip week. Driving 101 from Burlingame to SoMa is 25 minutes at 6 a.m. and 45-55 at 8. Gilead and Visa headquarters are inside Foster City, so a share of its commutes are on foot or bike.
Fire, flood and the premium
Insurance is priced off mapping, not off price per foot. Burlingame is not WUI. Foster City 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
Burlingame is the answer when the station has to be within walking distance. Foster City answers work inside the city or on the mid-Peninsula. The decision is which requirement is load-bearing, because neither submarket satisfies both lists.
Sources. Effective rates and carrying costs: 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 | Burlingame | Foster City |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $1,000 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.10% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,760 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 40 min | 45 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 45 min | 40 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 35 min | 30 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.
Foster City detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.010% |
| School district measures | 0.092% |
| Effective rate | 1.10% |
| 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.
Burlingame vs Foster City: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Burlingame or Foster City?
- Foster City, 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 Burlingame and Foster City?
- $8 per month on the identical reference loan: Burlingame $9,768, Foster City $9,760. Foster City 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 Foster City?
- Foster City. Burlingame is 35 min by Caltrain; Foster City is 30 min by car. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Burlingame and Foster City?
- $500 per square foot: Burlingame $1,500, Foster City $1,000. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.