Burlingame vs Sunnyvale
Burlingame carries an effective property tax rate of 1.11% of assessed value and Sunnyvale carries 1.16%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,768 and $9,837 — $69 apart, with Burlingame lower. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 35 min by Caltrain from Burlingame and 10 min by Caltrain from Sunnyvale. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Burlingame (San Mateo County) · Sunnyvale (Santa Clara County)
| Metric | Burlingame | Sunnyvale | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $1,400 | +$100 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.16% | −0.052% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,837 | −$69 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Caltrain | 40 min | 75 min | −35 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 75 min | −35 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 55 min | 80 min | −25 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 45 min | 55 min | −10 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Caltrain | 35 min | 10 min | +25 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 35 min | 10 min | +25 min |
Difference is Burlingame minus Sunnyvale. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
This pairing is a commute decision. Burlingame reaches FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) 35 minutes faster than Sunnyvale, while the rates sit 1.11% against 1.16% and the monthly gap at $1,600,000 is $69.
The house at each price
Burlingame Village and the Lyon-Hoag area hold the $1.4M detached inventory. Three-bedroom detached in Cherry Chase or the Cupertino-border tracts starts at $2.2M. At $1,500 and $1,400 per foot respectively, a fixed budget buys about 7% more floor area in Sunnyvale.
What the bill looks like
Holding the loan constant — $1,600,000, 20% down, 6.5% on a 30-year fixed, $2,400 of insurance, no HOA — Burlingame totals $9,768 a month at 1.11% and Sunnyvale $9,837 at 1.16% — tax lines of $1,477 and $1,547. Burlingame School District and San Mateo Union High parcel taxes run roughly $200-$400 combined. Sunnyvale townhome dues run $350-$600 a month; new downtown condos $600-$900. 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, 75 by Caltrain from Sunnyvale — a 35-minute edge to Burlingame, or 5.8 hours across a ten-trip week. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 35 minutes by Caltrain from Burlingame, 10 by Caltrain from Sunnyvale — a 25-minute edge to Sunnyvale, or 4.2 hours across a ten-trip week. Driving 101 from Burlingame to SoMa is 25 minutes at 6 a.m. and 45-55 at 8. Highway 237 and 85 are Sunnyvale's daily routes, and LinkedIn is inside the city.
Hazard and insurance
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. Sunnyvale 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.
Choosing between them
Burlingame fits a walkable-Caltrain requirement paired with a detached house. Sunnyvale assumes a townhome or a small original house at this price. 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; Santa Clara 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. Median price per foot is a trailing figure, not a valuation, and the local detail comes from the broker's own transactions.
Compare any two submarkets
| Metric | Burlingame | Sunnyvale |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $1,400 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.16% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,837 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 40 min | 75 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 45 min | 55 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 35 min | 10 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.
Sunnyvale detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.045% |
| School district measures | 0.115% |
| Effective rate | 1.16% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | None recorded |
Source: Santa Clara County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26 (Santa Clara 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 Sunnyvale: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Burlingame or Sunnyvale?
- Burlingame, at 1.11% of assessed value against 1.16% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.050%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Burlingame and Sunnyvale?
- $69 per month on the identical reference loan: Burlingame $9,768, Sunnyvale $9,837. 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 Sunnyvale?
- Sunnyvale. Burlingame is 35 min by Caltrain; Sunnyvale is 10 min by Caltrain. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Burlingame and Sunnyvale?
- $100 per square foot: Burlingame $1,500, Sunnyvale $1,400. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.