San Mateo vs. Burlingame: Caltrain, Downtowns, Taxes and the Market

San Mateo and Burlingame are neighbors in San Mateo County, about 3 miles apart center to center, and both have downtowns close to Caltrain stations. They differ in closing costs, housing stock and the market itself. Here’s the comparison, with a live-market snapshot from our City Match-Up.

The basics

• Caltrain. San Mateo has three stations: San Mateo, Hayward Park and Hillsdale. Burlingame has the Burlingame station plus Broadway, which Caltrain serves on weekends.
• Downtowns. San Mateo’s downtown centers on B Street; Burlingame has two shopping streets, Burlingame Avenue and Broadway. See Homes Near Downtown for homes within a short walk of each.
• Electricity. Both get power from WestLight Energy (formerly Peninsula Clean Energy), delivered by PG&E.
• School districts. Check the district’s boundary lookup for any address.

At closing

The City of San Mateo adds its own transfer tax under 2022’s Measure CC: 0.5% of the price below $10 million and 1.5% at $10 million or more. On a $2 million sale that’s $12,200 with the county tax, compared with $2,200 in Burlingame, which adds no city tax. See our transfer tax guide.

Homes and rules

• Eichlers. San Mateo has 19th Avenue Park, almost 240 Eichlers, and the San Mateo Highlands, about 650 homes on unincorporated county land in the hills, where San Mateo County rules apply. Burlingame has about 100 Eichlers in Mills Estates. See Peninsula and San Francisco Eichler tracts.
• Rentals. San Mateo’s tenant protection program, adopted December 1, 2025, gives no-fault just-cause protection after 11 months and requires relocation of one month’s rent. See rent rules by city.
• Parks. Coyote Point and Central Park are both in San Mateo. See Homes Near Parks.

The market, in a snapshot

From our City Match-Up on October 18, 2026, for houses, condos and townhomes, with sales from the previous 90 days:

• Homes for sale: 102 in San Mateo, 23 in Burlingame.
• Sales in 90 days: 170 in San Mateo, 72 in Burlingame.
• Median sale price: $1.71 million in San Mateo, $3 million in Burlingame.
• Median price per square foot: $1,119 in San Mateo, $1,431 in Burlingame.
• Median sale-to-list: 103.0% in San Mateo, 103.8% in Burlingame.
• Months of supply: 1.8 in San Mateo, 1.0 in Burlingame.

Medians follow the mix of homes, and these numbers change daily, so open the live City Match-Up and switch to houses only to compare like with like.

Weighing the two? Call the Boyenga Team at (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.