Bellevue vs San Mateo
The short version
- Bellevue is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the San Mateo area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $1,340,300 in Bellevue and $1,618,700 in San Mateo.
- Households earn more in Bellevue ($165,576 vs $153,504 median).
- San Mateo has the warmer winter: January highs of 58°F vs 47°F.
- Bellevue is growing faster: +1.5% since 2020 vs -2.2%.
- Washington has no state income tax on wages; California's top rate is 13.3%.
Side by side
| Bellevue, WA | San Mateo, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 154,193 | 103,337 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.5% | -2.2% |
| People per square mile | 4,607 | 8,516 |
| Median age | 38.5 | 38.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 72% | 58% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $165,576 | $153,504 |
| Median home value | $1,340,300 | $1,618,700 |
| Home value to income | 8.1× | 10.5× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,572 | $3,077 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 111.1 | 115.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 151.3 | 194.7 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $83,300 | $86,700 |
| Homeowners | 52% | 50% |
| Top state income tax | None | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.57% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.6 | 26.1 |
| Work from home | 36% | 25% |
| Take public transit | 5% | 5% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.2% | 4.6% |
| Poverty rate | 7.2% | 8.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 47° / 37° | 58° / 45° |
| July high / low | 77° / 57° | 73° / 55° |
| Precipitation per year | 38 in | 20 in |
| Snowfall per year | 4 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 2 | 4 |
| Nights below freezing | 25 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 9 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.7 | 99.2 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 56% | n/a |
| Home prices, past year | +0.3% | -0.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +24.6% | +17.5% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Bellevue: May to September. San Mateo: March to November.
Full monthly tables: Bellevue weather by month and San Mateo weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $83,300 in Bellevue and $86,700 in San Mateo. Moving from Bellevue to San Mateo, you would need about $78,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Bellevue and San Mateo
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Bellevue and San Mateo.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.