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.

Down paymentRate%

Pleasant Hill$5,690/mo

Typical home $975K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.71% · or rent about $2,533/mo · Housing →

Millbrae$11,620/mo

Typical home $2.05M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.52% · or rent about $3,272/mo · Housing →

The difference: $5,930 a month, about $71,200 a year, between Millbrae and Pleasant Hill.

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.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

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.

Safety

DPleasant HillSafer than 9% of U.S. towns –MillbraeNot graded

Schools

B−Pleasant HillBetter than 54% of districts in the state A−MillbraeBetter than 80% of districts in the state

Health

APleasant HillHealthier than 92% of U.S. towns AMillbraeHealthier than 92% of U.S. towns

10Pleasant Hill

10Millbrae

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most new homesHousing · 438 towns #428#88 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 422 towns #258#77 Lowest obesityHealth · 844 towns #308#16 Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #512#272 Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #288#20 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #412#262 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #191#296 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 844 towns #155#36

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Pleasant Hill’s rankings →

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

Pleasant HillMillbrae

Snow a year0″0″

January low42°F 45°F

July high88°F 69°F

Growing season (days)346d 365d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)90th 91st

Outdoors & history

Pleasant HillMillbrae

Trails12 mi 4 mi

Conserved land3.9%3.8%

Settled1961 —

National Register places1 1

Archive photos9 —

Famous people born here6 —

Community

Pleasant HillMillbrae

Library hours a week46 hrs 57 hrs

Colleges in town1 —

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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

30 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Pleasant HillCA MillbraeCA

Pleasant Hill ↔ Millbrae30 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.

Only big differences vs California average

Pleasant HillMillbrae

People

Population 34,235Highest 22,689Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +4.4%Lowest CA: +6.1% +7.8%Highest CA: +6.1%

Median age 42±1.1Lowest 11% above CA 43.7±1.8Highest 15% above CA

Millbrae and Pleasant Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 20.2%±1.9Highest CA: 22% 19%±1.9Lowest CA: 22%

Pleasant Hill and Millbrae are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 17.6%±1.7Lowest CA: 15.7% 20.3%±1.9Highest CA: 15.7%

Millbrae and Pleasant Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 54.6%Highest CA: 37.1% 52.7%Lowest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.9%±1.6Highest CA: 7.6% 6.4%±1.3Lowest CA: 7.6%

Pleasant Hill and Millbrae are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $145,029±$13kLowest 46% above CA $163,476±$11kHighest 65% above CA

Millbrae and Pleasant Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $1,077,100±$29kLowest 47% above CA $1,934,900±$91kHighest 163% above CA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,533±$164Lowest 24% above CA $3,272±$163Highest 61% above CA

Property taxmedian, yearly $7,616Lowest 49% above CA $9,996Highest 95% above CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 57.7%±9.5Highest CA: 55.3% 49.5%±9Lowest CA: 55.3%

Pleasant Hill and Millbrae are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 7.3%Highest CA: 12% 6%Lowest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 62.6%Highest CA: 55.9% 60.8%Lowest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1972Highest 4 yrs older than CA 1962Lowest 14 yrs older than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 30 minHighest 5% above CA 29 minLowest about the CA average

Work from home 26.2%±2.8Highest CA: 17.2% 22.2%±3.1Lowest CA: 17.2%

Pleasant Hill and Millbrae are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 5.6%Lowest 5.8%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.3 miHighest 12.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.00Highest 0.49Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town San Francisco (12%)San Francisco (22%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in MillbraeFew work in Pleasant Hill

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 3.9%Highest 3.8%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 12.4 miHighest 4.3 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.8 miHighest 1.3 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 12Lowest 15Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 152Highest 136Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #93 of 574 in CA #63 of 574 in CA

School district Contra Costa County ROP · Mt. Diablo UnifiedMillbrae Elementary · San Mateo Union High

High school in town College Park HighMills High

Students per teacherat that high school 22.9Highest 20.5Lowest

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.

Pleasant Hill neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Pleasant Hill’s Town Square.

Millbrae neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Millbrae’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Pleasant Hill and Millbrae

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Pleasant Hill

+ Compare

Reliez Valley3,173 people · $1.74M homes

+ Compare

Concord124,035 people · $798K homes

+ Compare

Walnut Creek70,088 people · $1.06M homes

+ Compare

Pacheco4,325 people · $343K homes

Towns like Pleasant Hill

+ Compare

Laguna Hills30,740 people · $1.01M homes

+ Compare

Brea47,469 people · $922K homes

+ Compare

Claremont36,595 people · $897K homes

+ Compare

Cypress49,498 people · $914K homes

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.

Pleasant Hill vs Millbrae

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $5,930 more a month in Millbrae

Grades and rankings, side by side

What daily life feels like in each

30 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Pleasant Hill and Millbrae

Bordering Pleasant Hill

Towns like Pleasant Hill

Post to Pleasant Hill

Check your email