For most of the last decade, the conversation went like this: "If you work in tech, you live in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, or Mountain View." Period. But over the last few years I've watched something shift. More and more of my tech buyers are skipping the South Bay and Palo Alto entirely, and choosing Burlingame instead. Here's why.
The Commute Calculus Has Flipped
Five years ago, most tech workers commuted south to Mountain View, Cupertino, or Menlo Park. Today, the picture is different:
- Many companies have San Francisco HQs as their primary office (Stripe, OpenAI, Anthropic, Airbnb, Salesforce, etc.).
- Hybrid schedules mean people commute 2–3 days a week instead of 5 — making longer commutes more tolerable.
- Burlingame's location halfway between SF and Silicon Valley suddenly makes sense for a much wider range of jobs.
From Burlingame: 25 minutes to SF, 25 minutes to Palo Alto, 15 minutes to SFO. It's the most centrally located Peninsula city for someone whose work pulls them in multiple directions.
The Math: You Get More Home
Palo Alto's median sale price hovers around $3.2M+. Burlingame? Around $2.1M. That's not a small difference — that's $1M+ in purchasing power that you can either save or apply toward a bigger home.
Per square foot:
- Palo Alto: ~$1,800–$2,200
- Burlingame: ~$1,300–$1,500
For a young tech worker household, that often means the difference between a 1,400 sq ft starter home and a 2,000+ sq ft family home with a yard.
"You can buy a brand-new 4-bedroom in Burlingame for what a tired 3-bedroom costs in Palo Alto. That's not a close call for most buyers."
The Schools Are Genuinely Strong
This is often where people assume there's a trade-off — but Burlingame's school district holds its own:
- Burlingame Elementary School District (K–8) consistently ranks among the top 5% in California.
- Burlingame High School is a strong, well-funded public school with excellent outcomes.
- The schools are notably less pressure-cooker than Palo Alto's, which many tech parents (who survived their own pressure-cooker upbringings) actually prefer.
The Downtown Factor
Burlingame Avenue is the city's secret weapon. It's a 5-block walkable downtown packed with restaurants, cafés, boutiques, and bars. Friday night, it actually feels alive. You'll see families pushing strollers, couples on date night, friends grabbing drinks.
Compare that to Palo Alto's University Ave — which has gotten progressively quieter as commercial rents pushed out independent businesses — and the lifestyle difference becomes obvious. Burlingame is where you actually live. Palo Alto, for many, is where you sleep.
Who Burlingame Isn't Right For
To be fair, there are still good reasons to choose Palo Alto:
- You work at Stanford or a Sand Hill VC firm and want the 5-minute commute.
- You have strong feelings about the Palo Alto schools specifically.
- Status matters to you. Palo Alto carries a name-recognition premium.
And Burlingame has its own trade-offs: the noise from SFO is real in certain neighborhoods, and inventory is tight. Some of the best blocks rarely come available.
Where to Look in Burlingame
If you're considering Burlingame, my top three sub-neighborhoods:
1. Easton Addition
Quiet, tree-lined streets, walking distance to downtown and the train station. Excellent schools. The most "Palo Alto-feel" part of Burlingame.
2. Lyon-Hoag
More affordable, slightly less commute access, but a tight-knit community feel and good schools.
3. Burlingame Hills
Views, larger lots, more space. Less walkable but lots of charm.
The Burlingame surge isn't a bubble — it reflects how the Bay Area's work patterns have changed. If you're a tech worker thinking about where to settle on the Peninsula, it's worth at least touring a few homes here before you commit to Palo Alto. Happy to set up a tour.