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Compare towns

Malibu vs Tiburon

337 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (5.6× in Tiburon) and growth since 2010 (+17.8 pts in Tiburon).

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Malibu, CAHomes around $3.16MCalifornia · 10,421 people
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Tiburon, CAHomes around $3.05MCalifornia · 9,012 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Report cards

Tiburon places higher on 17 of 22 CA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every California ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $600 more a month in Malibu

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Malibu$17,860/mo
Typical home $3.16M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.50%+ · or rent about $3,501/mo · Housing →
Tiburon$17,270/mo
Typical home $3.05M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.50%+ · or rent about $3,501/mo · Housing →

The difference: $600 a month, about $7,200 a year, between Malibu and Tiburon.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value; “+” means the Census top-codes that town’s bill at $10,000, so its real rate is higher.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
MalibuTiburon
Snow a year0″0″
January low50°F44°F
July high69°F71°F
Growing season (days)365d365d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)87th74th
Outdoors & history
MalibuTiburon
Conserved land5.7%19.2%
National Register places45
Archive photos1211
Famous people born here—4
Community
MalibuTiburon
Library hours a week60 hrs49 hrs
Colleges in town1—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

337 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Malibu ↔ Tiburon337 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

MalibuTiburon
People
Population 10,421Highest 9,012Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -15.7%Lowest CA: +6.1% +2.1%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 53.9±5Highest 42% above CA 51.6±1.6Lowest 36% above CA
Malibu and Tiburon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 16%±3.5Lowest CA: 22% 19.6%±3.2Highest CA: 22%
Tiburon and Malibu are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 31.8%±4Highest CA: 15.7% 27.5%±4.3Lowest CA: 15.7%
Malibu and Tiburon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 68.6%Lowest CA: 37.1% 80.1%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.9%±3.8Highest CA: 7.6% 6%±3.6Lowest CA: 7.6%
Malibu and Tiburon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $194,421±$36kLowest 96% above CA $232,969±$37kHighest 135% above CA
Tiburon and Malibu are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $2,000,001 172% above CA $2,000,001 172% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $3,501 72% above CA $3,501 72% above CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $10,000+ at least 95% above CA $10,000+ at least 95% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 53.7%±9.6Highest CA: 55.3% 38.6%±14.5Lowest CA: 55.3%
Malibu and Tiburon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 12.6%Highest CA: 12% 1.9%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 75.4%Highest CA: 55.9% 74.9%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1976Highest same as CA 1970Lowest 6 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 32 minHighest 12% above CA 29 minLowest about the CA average
Work from home 40.1%±9Lowest CA: 17.2% 42.7%±8.1Highest CA: 17.2%
Tiburon and Malibu are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 9.5%Highest 5.1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 22.8 miHighest 9.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.45Highest 0.57Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Los Angeles (34%)San Francisco (36%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in TiburonFew work in Malibu
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5.7%Lowest 19.2%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 45.7 miHighest 17.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miLowest 1.3 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 25Highest 9Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 3.6Lowest 20.1Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #206 of 574 in CA#20 of 574 in CA
School district Santa Monica-Malibu UnifiedReed Union Elementary
High school in town Malibu HighNone in town
Students per teacherat that high school 14.5 —
California average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Malibu neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Living in Malibu

1 neighbor in Malibu can answer.

Tiburon neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Tiburon’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Malibu

Towns like Malibu

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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