Moving to
Burlingame.

All Burlingame data Compare Burlingame

30,525people live here $174,000median household income▲ 116% above US $2,785median rent per month▲ 97% above US $2,000,000+median home valueCensus top category

The Census tops out at $2,000,000+ for home value; it doesn't publish exact figures above that.

What it's like to live in Burlingame

Burlingame is a small city in California with household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Burlingame deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and larger class sizes than the national average.

The good

Higher-than-average incomes
Low crime rates
Highly educated workforce

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
High home prices
Above-average commute times
High student-teacher ratio

How Burlingame compares

Median household income

Burlingame$174,000

California avg$99,122

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Burlingame$2,785

California avg$2,036

US$1,413

Median home value

Burlingame$2,000,000+

California avg$734,700

US$332,700

The Census tops out at $2,000,000+ for home value; it doesn't publish exact figures above that.

What it takes to move to Burlingame

Based on Burlingame's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$5,570

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $111,400 a year
43% of Burlingame renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$400,000

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $200,000
Homes cost 11.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 97% above US

$2,785/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $2,785 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $2,000,000+. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $2,000,000+ · 43% of renters cost-burdened

Job marketNear US average

3.9% unemployment

Unemployment here is 3.9%, close to the national average of 4.3%.

City-level (BLS)

Safety▼ 50% below US

166 violent crimes per 100k

Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.

Property crime 1955/100k · Burlingame Police Department · 2025 data

Getting around▲ 18% above US

31 min average commute

Traffic is a real factor here. The 30.7 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 6 in 10 workers drive to work; 6% take public transit; 28% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

53%

Work from home

28%

Public transit

6.2%

Walk

5.1%

Carpool

4.3%

Other

3.2%

Climate

Summers are comfortable, with highs around 73°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 45°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Healthcare

1 hospital

There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 5.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.

Medicare-certified hospitals

Education & workforce▲ 78% above US

64% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.

Schools

10 public schools inside the boundary

There are 10 public schools inside the boundary and 5 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 22:1, above the national average of 16:1.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Presidio of San Francisco (15 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Burlingame's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and crime rates well below the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,785/mo) equals 19% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime, remote workers (28% of workers here already work from home), and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

See all the data for Burlingame →·All California cities →