Burlingame vs Rockridge, Oakland
Burlingame carries an effective property tax rate of 1.11% of assessed value and Rockridge, Oakland carries 1.36%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,768 and $10,104 — $336 apart, with Burlingame lower. To Oakland City Center at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 45 min by car from Burlingame and 12 min by BART from Rockridge, Oakland. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Burlingame (San Mateo County) · Rockridge, Oakland (Alameda County)
| Metric | Burlingame | Rockridge, Oakland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $1,000 | +$500 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.36% | −0.252% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $10,104 | −$336 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 40 min | 25 min | +15 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 35 min | +5 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 55 min | 12 min | +43 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 45 min | 15 min | +30 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 35 min | 70 min | −35 min |
Difference is Burlingame minus Rockridge, Oakland. 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 $1,000 in Rockridge. On the same $1,600,000 purchase the monthly separation is $336, because Burlingame bills 1.11% and Rockridge 1.36%.
The house at each price
Rockridge inventory sits within a 10-minute walk of College Avenue. Against that, easton Addition and Burlingame Park three-bedrooms start around $2.3M. At $1,500 and $1,000 per foot respectively, a fixed budget buys about 50% more floor area in Rockridge.
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 Rockridge $10,104 at 1.36% — tax lines of $1,477 and $1,813. Burlingame HOAs appear only in condo and townhome buildings at $500-$800 a month. No Mello-Roos and no HOA on the Rockridge bungalows. Neither figure includes dues or a district assessment, and both belong on the worksheet before an offer.
The trip each morning
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 35 minutes by Caltrain from Burlingame, 70 by driving from Rockridge — a 35-minute edge to Burlingame, or 5.8 hours across a ten-trip week. To Oakland City Center (12th St BART): 45 minutes by driving from Burlingame, 12 by BART from Rockridge — a 33-minute edge to Rockridge, or 5.5 hours across a ten-trip week. A Baby Bullet from Burlingame to 4th and King runs 28-35 minutes; locals 40, plus a 15-minute walk or Muni ride. UC Berkeley is 10 minutes from Rockridge and Kaiser Oakland 8.
Fire, flood and the premium
The two carry different disclosure files, and the premium follows the file. Burlingame is not WUI. Lower Rockridge below Broadway is not WUI. 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.
Which search this actually is
Burlingame fits a walkable-Caltrain requirement paired with a detached house. Rockridge suits a buyer who prefers a 1920s house to new construction. The decision is which requirement is load-bearing, because neither submarket satisfies both lists.
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 | Rockridge, Oakland |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $1,000 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.36% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $10,104 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 40 min | 25 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 45 min | 12 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 35 min | 70 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.
Rockridge, Oakland detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.152% |
| School district measures | 0.208% |
| Effective rate | 1.36% |
| 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 Rockridge, Oakland: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Burlingame or Rockridge, Oakland?
- Burlingame, at 1.11% of assessed value against 1.36% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.250%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Burlingame and Rockridge, Oakland?
- $336 per month on the identical reference loan: Burlingame $9,768, Rockridge, Oakland $10,104. 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 Rockridge, Oakland?
- Rockridge, Oakland. Burlingame is 45 min by car; Rockridge, Oakland is 12 min by BART. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Burlingame and Rockridge, Oakland?
- $500 per square foot: Burlingame $1,500, Rockridge, Oakland $1,000. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.