Vermont city guide
Moving From California to South Burlington, VT
Adjacent to Burlington with newer housing and the most inventory in the metro area, without the historic downtown.
Housing comparison
California versus South Burlington, side by side
- Median home value
- $725,800
- $443,400
- Median annual property tax
- $5,114
- not available
- Median monthly cost, owners with a mortgage
- $2,844
- not available
- Population
- 39.0 million (state)
- 20,756
Figures are US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates for the city place. Property tax and monthly cost rows cover owner-occupied units with a mortgage, so they describe what current owners pay, not what a new buyer would pay at today's prices. California column is the statewide baseline used across this site.
Why Californians look at South Burlington
South Burlington is Burlington's larger, newer neighbor, built out mostly since the 1960s along Route 7 and around the University Mall and airport corridor. It has none of Burlington's historic downtown character but a good deal more room to build, which is why it carries the most housing inventory in the Chittenden County metro.
The city shares Burlington's job base almost entirely. Residents commute a few minutes to UVM, the medical center, or downtown Burlington, and South Burlington itself hosts a meaningful share of the region's retail, office parks, and the airport.
For a California household, South Burlington offers roughly the same price level as Burlington proper with easier parking, more single-family stock, and quicker highway access, at the cost of a more suburban, car-dependent feel.
South Burlington fits you if
- You want Burlington-area jobs and amenities with newer construction and easier parking.
- You want a single-family home with a yard rather than an older multi-unit building.
- You are comfortable driving rather than walking for most errands.
- You value proximity to Burlington International Airport.
Look elsewhere if
- You want a historic downtown or a dense walkable core. That is Burlington proper, not here.
- You expect meaningfully lower prices than Burlington. They are close to identical.
- You dislike strip-mall commercial corridors along the main roads.
- You need a job market distinct from Burlington's; the two cities function as one labor market.
Housing in South Burlington
The housing stock is dominated by post-1960s ranches, split-levels, and colonials, plus newer subdivisions and condominium developments built in the last two decades near the mall and Market Street areas. Lots are larger than in Burlington's older neighborhoods.
The ACS median home value is $443,400, essentially matching Burlington proper, so buyers should not expect a meaningful discount for choosing the suburb. Vermont's education-funding property tax structure applies here as it does statewide.
Because there is more buildable land than in Burlington, South Burlington has produced more new construction in recent years, giving buyers who want a new or newer home more options than the city center offers.
Work and the local economy
South Burlington's own employment base includes the University Mall retail corridor, office and light industrial parks, and Burlington International Airport, which sits within city limits.
Most residents work across the shared Chittenden County labor market anchored by UVM and the UVM Medical Center in adjacent Burlington, so the two cities should be evaluated as one economic area rather than separately.
State and local government, healthcare support services, and the hospitality businesses serving the airport and interstate corridor round out local employment.
Climate and setting
South Burlington shares Burlington's lake-moderated climate: long, cold, snowy winters and short, pleasant summers, with slightly less lake influence the farther inland a given neighborhood sits.
Snow removal and winter driving are a routine part of life, and the city budgets accordingly for plowing on its wide, newer streets.
Spring mud season and a short but intense fall foliage season are shared with the rest of the Champlain Valley.
Getting around, care, and schools
- Commercial air
- Burlington International Airport (BTV) is located within South Burlington.
- Highways
- Interstate 89 and US Route 7 both pass through the city.
- Hospital
- The University of Vermont Medical Center, a short drive in Burlington.
- Public schools
- South Burlington School District.
- Higher education
- Champlain College and the University of Vermont are both nearby in Burlington.
- Setting
- Immediately south and east of Burlington, along the Route 7 corridor.
The trade-offs
- Prices are essentially the same as Burlington proper, without the historic downtown.
- The commercial landscape leans toward strip malls and office parks rather than a traditional Main Street.
- The job market is shared with Burlington, so it carries the same narrowness outside healthcare, education, and government.
- Airport noise is a factor for neighborhoods near Burlington International Airport.
Other Vermont towns people compare
Burlington
Vermont's only real city, anchored by a university, a hospital system, and a lakefront downtown on Lake Champlain.
Montpelier
Vermont's small state capital, with steady government employment and a walkable center along the Winooski River.
Stowe
A ski-town economy built on second-home pricing, carrying the highest housing costs in Vermont.
Brattleboro
A southern Vermont arts town with the lowest prices among the state's real towns and easier access to Boston and New York.
Statewide figures, tax detail, and the full Vermont picture are on the Vermont page. Compare property, income, and sales tax across all 49 destination states on Taxes, and see where Californians are actually moving on Stats.
Sources
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B25077 (median home value), retrieved via Census Reporter, September 3, 2026.
- US Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B25103 (median real estate taxes paid, owner-occupied units with a mortgage), retrieved September 3, 2026.
- US Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B25088 (median selected monthly owner costs, owner-occupied units with a mortgage), retrieved September 3, 2026.
- US Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B01003 (total population), retrieved September 3, 2026.
- Census Reporter, South Burlington city, Chittenden County, VT profile, censusreporter.org.
- Burlington International Airport, btv.aero.
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