San Mateo County, California property tax
The median homeowner in San Mateo County, California pays $9,167 a year in property tax on a home worth $1,494,500, an effective rate of 0.61%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
At 0.61%, San Mateo County taxes property more lightly than the national 0.98%. A low rate on an expensive house is not the bargain it looks like. The median bill is still $9,167, because 0.61% of $1,494,500 is not a small number.
Inside California it is among the lightest, ranking #54 of 56, against a statewide 0.71%. Kern County, in the same state, charges 0.91%. Comparing states on property tax hides differences like that, which is why this site publishes counties.
The median home costs 9.58 times the median household income of $156,000, against 3.86 nationally, so housing absorbs an unusually large share of what people here earn. Renters pay 22.25% of median income in gross rent. At 745,100 residents the county is large enough that its median blends several distinct housing markets.
The rate is derived rather than quoted. How and why.
What that costs at different home values
Arithmetic at the county effective rate, before any exemption or assessment cap.
Housing and income
| San Mateo County | California | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 0.61% | 0.71% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $9,167 | $4,926 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $1,494,500 | $695,400 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $2,893 | $1,956 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $156,000 | $96,334 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 9.58× | 7.22× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 22.25% | 24.37% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 59.09% | 55.79% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 745,100.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Joaquin County | 0.76% | $3,782 | $494,500 |
| San Francisco County | 0.68% | $9,412 | $1,380,500 |
| Ventura County | 0.69% | $5,326 | $768,400 |
| Kern County | 0.91% | $2,833 | $310,600 |
| Stanislaus County | 0.71% | $3,025 | $426,600 |
San Mateo County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in San Mateo County, California?
The effective rate is 0.61% of home value, from a median tax bill of $9,167 against a median home value of $1,494,500. That is 0.37 points below the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in San Mateo County?
Roughly $2,440 a year at the county effective rate of 0.61%.
Is San Mateo County expensive compared with the rest of California?
It ranks #54 of 56 California counties by effective property tax rate, and #2039 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.1 points below the California average of 0.71%.
What does housing cost in San Mateo County?
The median home is worth $1,494,500 and median gross rent is $2,893 a month. Median household income is $156,000, which puts the home at 9.58 times annual income and rent at 22.25% of it.