What $5 Million Buys in Hillsborough vs. Burlingame

At about $5 million, Hillsborough and Burlingame give you 2 very different homes. In Hillsborough, $5 million is close to the starting price for the town, and it can buy a one-level home of more than 3,000 s/f on a lot of nearly an acre. In Burlingame, the same budget buys a smaller, newer home on a smaller lot, usually in a flatter and more walkable neighborhood.

Buyers searching around $5 million in either town have limited options, the competition is fierce, and every decision matters. Below, I walk through one of my Hillsborough listings at this price, and then I compare it with what the same money buys in Burlingame.

This tour was filmed in June 2026, so the sales and market conditions I mention reflect that time.

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What a $5 Million Home in Hillsborough Hills Looks Like

This listing is a one-level home with 4 bedrooms plus an ADU. It is located in the Hillsborough Hills neighborhood, very close to Burlingame, and the lot is a little under an acre.

The lot is not flat, but it has a flat yard. A long, private driveway leads up from a gate at the bottom, which is common in Hillsborough, although not every home has one. The big front yard is not very usable, but it adds a lot of privacy and space, and there is greenery around the whole house.

How Lot Topography Drives Value in Hillsborough

At $5 million in Hillsborough, you cannot have everything, and the topography of the lot drives value in a huge way. For 2 lots of the same size, the difference between a flat lot and one with a hill in the back can be $1-3 million or more. Buyers pay more for a lot that is flatter and more private.

A pancake-flat lot is possible at this price point, but it changes the math. I recently sold a property off MLS where my clients paid $4.5 million for a pancake-flat lot near the Carolands mansion. They plan a major remodel, so their all-in cost will be substantially more than a move-in-ready home like this one.

Why One-Level Homes Are Hard to Find in Burlingame

A one-level floor plan is much harder to find in Burlingame at this price point. In Burlingame, the largest one-level homes you will see are usually about 1,800-2,200 s/f.

This Hillsborough home has 3,600 s/f in total, including an ADU of about 500 s/f, so the main house is about 3,100 s/f. The great room has high ceilings and a glass arch, which is not inexpensive to fabricate.

The Kitchen and the Updates

The sellers invested about $300,000 in the home over the last 6 months, including new wide-plank European oak floors that are about 7.5 inches wide. The kitchen has a long island, a 6-burner Thermador range with a downdraft vent, a skylight, a pantry, and a double oven.

The refrigerator is a built-in Thermador at 24-inch counter depth. Many refrigerators simply slide into place and stick out 4-12 inches, which looks awkward. A built-in model costs more, but it is the right choice in a home at this price point.

The Floor Plan: Bedrooms on One Wing

All of the bedrooms are on one wing of the house, which I consider a very good floor plan. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths, and the fourth bedroom is currently set up as an office with built-ins.

The washer and dryer are close to the bedrooms, which is convenient. At this price point, the laundry is sometimes in the garage. In a 2-story home, the ideal place for laundry is the second floor, which you will find in more modern floor plans but rarely in older homes.

The second and third bedrooms share a full bath with a stall shower. The third bedroom has its own door to the yard, so it could work for an au pair, a nanny, or visiting family, although the ADU may be a better fit for that.

The primary suite looks out at a massive oak tree. The primary bathroom has a separate bathtub, a stall shower, and a dual vanity, and a dual vanity is standard in Hillsborough at this level.

Skylights: The Pros and Cons

Skylights let in a lot of natural light, but they can leak, and they get dirty under trees, so they need regular cleaning. Dormers are another way to bring in natural light without those issues. If you want to add light to an existing home, a solar tube is a simple retrofit option.

Heritage Trees, Open Space, and Insurance

Both Hillsborough and Burlingame protect heritage trees. Once a tree reaches a certain diameter, it is considered protected, and you cannot remove it. Trees are an important part of the fabric of both towns: Burlingame is known as the City of Trees, and Hillsborough has about 220 acres of open space.

If you buy in a hillier neighborhood near 280, where tree density is higher, you should look closely at homeowners insurance, because the insurance market is a mess right now. Every location has some exposure to natural hazards. Low-lying areas raise questions about sea level rise and drainage, and higher areas raise questions about fire safety.

Outdoor Living: A Flat Yard and an Outdoor Kitchen

The front of the lot slopes up steeply, and the top of the lot is completely flat. Outdoor kitchens are not common in Hillsborough outside of newer and higher-end homes, but this one has a grill, a pizza oven, and a refrigerator. There is also a large turf area.

If you plan to install turf, do it properly. The base needs to be graded, compacted base rock and sand need to go down, and the best installations add a 1.5-inch foam pad underneath. The pad looks the same from above, but it makes the turf much more comfortable to play, sit, and exercise on.

What Counts as an ADU

ADU is short for accessory dwelling unit, and it is one of the most overused terms in real estate. Many people call any backyard structure with an outlet an ADU, but that is misrepresentation. An ADU is a legal term for a unit that has a bathroom and a kitchen and that the city has approved as an ADU.

ADUs have been allowed in Hillsborough for a long time, and some here are about 1,000 s/f with 2 bedrooms. In towns with smaller lots, like Burlingame, parking requirements used to prevent many ADUs, and building one became much easier starting in January 2020.

The ADU at this home is a studio. It has a kitchen with a refrigerator, oven range, and dishwasher, plus a full bath, a closet, and a wall heater.

Parking You Will Not Get in Burlingame

The property has an attached 2-car garage next to the ADU and a second attached 2-car garage underneath the main house. There is also room to park a couple more cars at the top of the driveway. At the same price in Burlingame, you would usually rely on street parking.

What $5 Million Buys in Burlingame

In Burlingame, $5 million usually buys a 4 or 5-bedroom home on a 6,000 s/f lot in a flatter area. At this price, the home is usually a newer build, or it has an exceptional floor plan and was built within the last 5-15 years.

Two recent sales show what this looks like. A home on Devereux sold for $5 million even, and it was about 3,000 s/f on a 6,000 s/f lot a few doors from Lincoln Elementary School. A new-construction home on Crossway in the Burlingame Terrace neighborhood sold for $4.7 million, and it included an ADU in the back.

In Mills Estates, you can find a one-level home, although it will be smaller than this Hillsborough listing. I sold one of about 2,500 s/f a few months ago, and it closed in the mid-$3 millions. With how hot the market is, that home would probably sell for a little more today.

Flat, Walkable Burlingame Neighborhoods

The flatter, more walkable Burlingame neighborhoods include Burlingame Grove, Easton Addition, Burlingame Village, Ray Park, Lyon Hoag, Burlingables, and Burlingame Terrace. The most expensive homes in the flats are in Burlingame Park, which is within walking distance of downtown Burlingame.

Lots in Burlingame Park are a little larger on average, and some are 7,000-10,000 s/f. In Easton Addition, most lots are 6,000 s/f. The southern part of Easton Addition is walkable to Broadway, and the northern part is walkable to Ray Park and Burlingame Plaza. It is also closer to Millbrae BART and the Caltrain station, which appeals to buyers who commute to San Francisco by public transit.

Burlingame Hills

Burlingame Hills is located east of Skyline, west of Alvarado and Easton Addition, south of Mills Estates, and north of Hillsborough. You will find larger homes there, and while the lot may or may not be flat, you could get a very good view.

Price per S/F in Hillsborough vs. Burlingame

The average price per s/f in the 2 towns is very comparable. In 2018, the average price per s/f in Burlingame passed Hillsborough. In 2025, Hillsborough was $20 higher, at $1,494 per s/f compared with $1,474 per s/f in Burlingame.

My takeaway is that price per s/f is nearly identical between the 2 towns. Very large homes, like an 8,000 s/f home in Hillsborough, usually have a lower price per s/f, with some exceptions for new construction, floor plan quality, and location. I am always careful with the word value at these price levels, but at around $5 million, you get better value in Hillsborough.

Off-MLS Homes in Burlingame and Hillsborough

Buyers often ask me about the off-MLS market in Burlingame, Hillsborough, and San Mateo. Some homes do sell off MLS, but the majority are listed on the MLS, because that is where a seller maximizes value and gets the highest price. Working with someone who knows the local market and has a good pulse on off-MLS sales can still be very valuable.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does $5 million buy in Hillsborough?

At about $5 million, you can buy a home like this listing: a one-level, 4-bedroom home of about 3,100 s/f plus a 500 s/f ADU, on a lot of a little under an acre. Most homes at this price are in Hillsborough's hillier neighborhoods.

What does $5 million buy in Burlingame?

In Burlingame, $5 million usually buys a newer 4 or 5-bedroom home on a 6,000 s/f lot in a flatter, more walkable neighborhood. A recent sale near Lincoln Elementary School closed at $5 million for about 3,000 s/f.

Is Hillsborough or Burlingame more expensive per square foot?

The 2 towns are nearly identical. In 2025, the average price per s/f was $1,494 in Hillsborough and $1,474 in Burlingame.

What is the lowest price for a home in Hillsborough?

About $4.5 million is the lowest price you are likely to see in neighborhoods like Carolands and Lakeview. Fewer than 10 of the 120 Hillsborough sales last year closed under $4 million.

What makes a backyard unit a legal ADU?

An ADU must have a bathroom and a kitchen, and the city must have approved it as an ADU. A backyard structure without those features and that approval is not an ADU.

Choosing Between Hillsborough and Burlingame at $5 Million

At $5 million, the choice between Hillsborough and Burlingame comes down to what you value most. Hillsborough gives you more house, more land, more privacy, and more parking, while Burlingame gives you a newer home in a flatter neighborhood where you can walk to school, downtown, or the train.

If you are weighing these 2 towns, I am happy to talk through which neighborhoods fit your budget and how you want to live. Get in touch, and we can start with what matters most to you.

This article is copyrighted by Raziel Ungar and may not be reproduced or copied without express written permission.