Where to Live in San Mateo County: Towns Compared by Transit, Services and Rules

By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.

The simplest way to narrow where to live in San Mateo County is to choose between the bayside, where nearly every city sits on Caltrain, BART or both and buys water from the San Francisco regional system, and the Coastside, where Half Moon Bay and a string of unincorporated villages rely on local water and sanitary districts and county Coastal Zone rules. On the bayside, the deciding details are which station is closest, whether the parcel is in a city or an unincorporated pocket, and whether you will pay the City of San Mateo’s conveyance tax, which is 0.5% of value below $10 million on top of the county tax.

This guide compares places only by housing types and lots, jurisdiction, utility service, transportation, local rules and ownership costs. It does not describe residents, safety or schools, and it gives no prices or market statistics. For listings, start on our San Mateo County homes page.

Step one: city or unincorporated?

San Mateo County’s cities and towns are Atherton, Belmont, Brisbane, Burlingame, Colma, Daly City, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Half Moon Bay, Hillsborough, Menlo Park, Millbrae, Pacifica, Portola Valley, Redwood City, San Bruno, San Carlos, San Mateo, South San Francisco and Woodside. Outside them, county planning rules apply in places such as Broadmoor near Daly City, Emerald Hills above Redwood City, and the Midcoast communities of Montara, Moss Beach, El Granada, Princeton and Miramar. The south coast villages of Pescadero, San Gregorio, La Honda and Loma Mar are unincorporated and largely rural.

Several unincorporated areas carry a neighboring city’s name in the mailing address, so confirm jurisdiction by parcel number before you rely on any rule below. Our unincorporated San Mateo County page shows listings outside city limits, and our coast, hills and bayside property workbook lists the parcel checks we run.

Town-by-town comparison

The table summarizes the verified differences. Water entries describe the typical supplier; confirm the provider for the exact parcel.

Sources for each column are in the sections below.

Water and sewer

Most bayside homes are supplied, directly or through a retailer, by the San Francisco Regional Water System. The Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency represents the cities, districts, a university and an investor-owned utility that buy that water wholesale across Alameda, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. San Mateo County members include Brisbane, Burlingame, Daly City, East Palo Alto, Hillsborough, Menlo Park, Millbrae, Redwood City and San Bruno, along with the Estero, Mid-Peninsula, North Coast County, Westborough and Coastside districts and several California Water Service districts. The member name on your water bill tells you who sets rates and connection rules.

On the coast, Coastside County Water District provides treated water to Half Moon Bay and to the unincorporated communities of Princeton, Miramar and El Granada. Just north, the Montara Water and Sanitary District provides water, sewer and garbage service for Montara, Moss Beach and adjacent areas north of El Granada. Farther south and inland, rural parcels may rely on a well and septic system; ask for permit records and confirm requirements with San Mateo County Environmental Health. Our guide to Coastside land covers rural and vacant parcels.

Some Peninsula cities and sanitary districts have sewer lateral rules that can apply at sale. Read our sewer lateral requirements at sale before you set repair credits.

Transportation: Caltrain, BART, ferry and highways

Caltrain’s station list runs down the bayside through Bayshore, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Millbrae, Broadway (weekend only), Burlingame, San Mateo, Hayward Park, Hillsdale, Belmont, San Carlos, Redwood City and Menlo Park before entering Santa Clara County at Palo Alto. Atherton does not appear on the list. Our guide to local, limited and express Caltrain service explains why the nearest station isn’t always the fastest one, and we cover the Hillsdale station move separately.

BART reaches the north county at Daly City, Colma, South San Francisco, San Bruno, San Francisco International Airport and Millbrae, where BART and Caltrain share a station. San Francisco Bay Ferry runs weekday peak trips between Oyster Point in South San Francisco and Oakland and Alameda.

By car, US 101 and I-280 run the length of the bayside, SR 92 links Half Moon Bay with San Mateo, SR 84 crosses from Redwood City through Woodside to La Honda and the south coast, and SR 1 serves Pacifica and the Coastside. The coast has no rail service.

Short-term and long-term rental rules

Short-term rentals in the unincorporated Coastal Zone. Under Zoning Code Chapter 8.368, a rental of less than 30 consecutive days needs a short-term rental permit, which only an owner may apply for and which expires after three years. A unit may not be rented more than 180 nights per calendar year, though nights when the owner is present don’t count. Owners need a transient occupancy registration certificate, and second units are excluded from the definition. This summary comes from a third-party reproduction of the code; confirm with San Mateo County Planning and Building. City short-term rental rules, including Half Moon Bay’s and Pacifica’s, were not verified for this guide.

Long-term rentals. Statewide, the Tenant Protection Act limits most rent increases to 10% or 5% plus inflation, whichever is lower, over 12 months, and adds just-cause rules after 12 months, per the California Attorney General. East Palo Alto has its own Rent Stabilization Program: landlords must register covered units each year by January 1, may raise rent only within the approved annual general adjustment and only once a year, and must have just cause for any eviction. The city notes that single-family homes are not exempt from its just-cause ordinance. If you are buying with tenants in place, read buying property with tenants.

Ownership costs that differ by town

Transfer tax. The county documentary transfer tax is 55 cents per $500 of value, or $1.10 per $1,000, per the San Mateo County Clerk-Recorder. The City of San Mateo adds a conveyance tax under Municipal Code 3.48.010, as amended by Ordinance 2022-15 effective December 22, 2022:

The recorder’s page discusses only the City of San Mateo’s tax, so confirm whether any other city on your list levies one with the city or your title company. See California transfer tax for who customarily pays.

Design review and tax-bill charges. If you plan to remodel or build in one of the large-lot towns, read our estate town design review guide and confirm the town’s current process before you commit. Sanitary, water and special-district charges vary by parcel, so read the current tax bill and plan for a supplemental tax bill after closing.

Building a short list

1. Decide whether you need Caltrain, BART, the Oyster Point ferry, or none of them within reach.
2. Decide between bayside city service and Coastside district service.
3. If you may rent short term on the coast, check the parcel’s zoning and the 180-night cap first.
4. Confirm jurisdiction, water and sewer providers and tax-bill charges for the exact parcel.

Town pages to start from: Daly City real estate, Colma real estate, Broadmoor real estate, South San Francisco real estate, San Bruno real estate, Brisbane real estate, Millbrae real estate, Burlingame real estate, Hillsborough real estate, San Mateo real estate, Foster City real estate, Belmont real estate, San Carlos real estate, Redwood City real estate, Redwood Shores real estate, Emerald Hills real estate, Menlo Park real estate, Atherton real estate, East Palo Alto real estate, Woodside real estate, Portola Valley real estate, Pacifica real estate, Fairmont Pacifica real estate, Montara real estate, Moss Beach real estate, El Granada real estate, Half Moon Bay real estate, La Honda real estate, San Gregorio real estate, Pescadero real estate and Loma Mar real estate.

We can pull parcel records and listings for your short list; start on our San Mateo County buyer page or contact us.

Questions people ask

Which San Mateo County towns have both BART and Caltrain?

Millbrae, where the two systems share a station. South San Francisco and San Bruno have both a BART station and a Caltrain station, though not at the same location.

Does Atherton have a Caltrain station?

Not on Caltrain’s current station list. The nearest listed stations are Menlo Park and Redwood City.

What is the City of San Mateo transfer tax?

0.5% of the value for transfers under $10 million and 1.5% at $10 million or more, on top of the county’s $1.10 per $1,000.

Who supplies water in Half Moon Bay?

Coastside County Water District serves Half Moon Bay and the unincorporated communities of Princeton, Miramar and El Granada.

Who provides water and sewer in Montara and Moss Beach?

The Montara Water and Sanitary District provides water, sewer and garbage service there.

Can I run a short-term rental on the San Mateo County coast?

In the unincorporated Coastal Zone, only with a county permit, a transient occupancy registration, and no more than 180 rented nights a year, not counting nights the owner is present.

Does East Palo Alto have rent control?

Yes. Its Rent Stabilization Program requires annual registration of covered units, limits increases to the annual general adjustment, and requires just cause for evictions.

Sources & notes

1. BAWSCA: Member agencies.
2. Coastside County Water District.
3. Montara Water and Sanitary District.
4. Caltrain: Stations.
5. BART: Stations.
6. San Francisco Bay Ferry: Routes and schedules.
7. San Mateo County Zoning Code Chapter 8.368, Short-term rentals (Coastal Zone), third-party reproduction; the county’s own planning page redirected and could not be opened.
8. California Attorney General: Landlord-tenant issues.
9. City of East Palo Alto: Rent Stabilization Program landlord requirements.
10. San Mateo County Clerk-Recorder: Documentary transfer tax.
11. City of San Mateo: Ordinance 2022-15 (Municipal Code 3.48.010).

Notes: Transfer taxes in cities other than San Mateo, city short-term rental rules, septic rules and water providers for Woodside, Portola Valley, Emerald Hills and the south coast were not verified against official pages for this guide. BAWSCA member names were matched to cities by name; Cal Water district boundaries were not checked. Rules change; verify before you buy.

General information, not legal, tax or lending advice. Updated November 2026. Primary sources are linked in this guide.

Related: San Mateo County homes · Caltrain local, limited and express · Sewer lateral requirements at sale · Coastside land