Burlingame vs Vacaville
Burlingame carries an effective property tax rate of 1.11% of assessed value and Vacaville carries 1.09%, both for fiscal year 2025-26. On one identical reference loan the monthly carrying costs are $9,768 and $9,737 — $31 apart, with Vacaville lower. To Sunnyvale / Mountain View at AM peak the fastest published commutes are 35 min by Caltrain from Burlingame and 105 min by car from Vacaville. Every figure is an objective public metric or arithmetic on one, and names its source.
Burlingame (San Mateo County) · Vacaville (Solano County)
| Metric | Burlingame | Vacaville | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $360 | +$1,140 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.09% | +0.023% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,737 | +$31 |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — BART | 40 min | 95 min | −55 min |
| FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) — Drive | 40 min | 85 min | −45 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — BART | 55 min | 80 min | −25 min |
| Oakland City Center (12th St BART) — Drive | 45 min | 70 min | −25 min |
| Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) — Drive | 35 min | 105 min | −70 min |
Difference is Burlingame minus Vacaville. Sources are cited on each submarket page.
Vacaville is the cheaper foot by $1,140, 76% below Burlingame. What that buys is a different house, not a different bill: at $1,600,000 the two are $31 apart a month at 1.11% and 1.09%.
Square footage per dollar
Easton Addition and Burlingame Park three-bedrooms start around $2.3M. Vacaville's core market is $600K-$800K for 2,000-2,600 sq ft built 1990-2015. The median foot costs $1,500 in Burlingame against $360 in Vacaville; on a 2,000 sq ft house that is $2,280,000 of purchase price.
The monthly, matched
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 Vacaville $9,737 at 1.09% — tax lines of $1,477 and $1,447. No Mello-Roos in Burlingame. Vacaville HOAs run $50-$120 a month in newer tracts and are absent on acreage. Neither figure includes dues or a district assessment, and both belong on the worksheet before an offer.
Commute, measured
To Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain): 35 minutes by Caltrain from Burlingame, 105 by driving from Vacaville — a 70-minute edge to Burlingame, or 11.7 hours across a ten-trip week. To FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART): 40 minutes by BART from Burlingame, 85 by driving from Vacaville — a 45-minute edge to Burlingame, or 7.5 hours across a ten-trip week. SFO is eight minutes from Burlingame, and the flight path over the eastern flats is audible in the yard. Genentech Vacaville is inside the city limits.
Fire, flood and the premium
Hazard mapping is the line item buyers most often leave out of the comparison. The hills west of I-280 carry moderate fire mapping with no Burlingame non-renewals observed, and liquefaction near the bay shows on the NHD. Browns Valley, Pleasants Valley and the English Hills are mapped High fire hazard. 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.
The housing need each answers
Burlingame works for a buyer who will take two bedrooms to keep the train. Vacaville answers a commute toward Sacramento, Davis, Travis or Genentech. Rank the requirements first; the pair rarely splits on anything except the one that is non-negotiable.
Sources. Tax figures come from San Mateo County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26; Solano County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26, composited in build/assets/metrics.json. They are county-level and not yet verified at the TRA, so the parcel's bill governs. Travel times are AM-peak door-to-door estimates 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 | Vacaville |
|---|---|---|
| Median $/sqft (SFR) | $1,500 | $360 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.11% | 1.09% |
| Monthly cost, reference loan | $9,768 | $9,737 |
| Fastest to FiDi SF (Montgomery St BART) | 40 min | 85 min |
| Fastest to Oakland City Center (12th St BART) | 45 min | 70 min |
| Fastest to Sunnyvale / Mountain View (Sunnyvale Caltrain) | 35 min | 105 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.
Vacaville detail
| Component | Rate of assessed value |
|---|---|
| Prop 13 general levy | 1.000% |
| County / city voter-approved bonds | 0.010% |
| School district measures | 0.075% |
| Effective rate | 1.08% |
| Mello-Roos / CFD | None recorded |
Source: Solano County Tax Rate Book FY 2025-26 (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 Vacaville: questions and answers
- Which has the lower effective property tax rate, Burlingame or Vacaville?
- Vacaville, at 1.09% of assessed value against 1.11% for fiscal year 2025-26 — a gap of 0.020%. Rates are composited from county tax rate books; each parcel bill governs.
- How much do monthly carrying costs differ between Burlingame and Vacaville?
- $31 per month on the identical reference loan: Burlingame $9,768, Vacaville $9,737. Vacaville 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 Vacaville?
- Burlingame. Burlingame is 35 min by Caltrain; Vacaville is 105 min by car. Door-to-door, AM peak. Source: data/commute/static.csv.
- What is the price per square foot difference between Burlingame and Vacaville?
- $1,140 per square foot: Burlingame $1,500, Vacaville $360. Single-family medians, trailing twelve months. A median is not a valuation of any specific property.