Menlo Park, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Menlo Park house pays

Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.

Sent only to free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.

Example · a Menlo Park house

$31,751a year · $2,646 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $2,000,001; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

Property tax$21,839
1.096% of $2,000,001, less $7,000 homeowners' exemption
Flat charges on the tax bill$3,136
Sewer $1,512 · Menlo Park City School District parcel taxes (Measures A, B and B 2021) $1,612 · SF Bay Restoration Authority parcel tax (Measure AA) $12
Electricity and gas$2,866
374 kWh a month $1,877 · 31.72 therms $989
Water$1,671
9 units (CCF) a month on Menlo Park Municipal Water: water $139 a month
Trash$746
32-gal trash, $62 a month
Home insurance$1,492
Typical premium $1,492

A Menlo Park house at the typical market value ($2,000,001) pays about $31,800 a year: $24,980 property tax and charges, $1,670 water, $750 trash, $2,870 electricity and gas, $1,490 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 22, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.

Ways to pay less

Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:

Switch to the 20-gal trash cartUp to $106 a year
Your cart costs $62 a month; the smallest costs $53. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: Recology San Mateo County takes garbage/recycling service questions; visit recology.com.
Seniors 65+ and some people on disability: Menlo Park City School District parcel tax exemptionSkip the $1,612.36 district parcel taxes
The district's parcel tax exemption requires being 65 years old on or before July 1 of the tax year; people receiving Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, regardless of age, with yearly income up to 250 percent of the federal poverty guidelines who occupy the parcel as a principal residence may also qualify.
How: Apply with the district by June 1 to get the exemption on the upcoming county tax bill.
CARE households: City rate assistance on garbage and water20% off solid waste plus a discount on the water meter charge
Households enrolled in PG&E CARE can get a 20% monthly discount on Recology solid waste service and a monthly discount on the fixed meter charge for Menlo Park Municipal Water.
How: See menlopark.gov/rateassistance; current participants do not need to reapply.
Income-qualified households: PG&E CARE on gas20% off gas
CARE gives income-qualified customers a 20% discount on their natural gas bill.
How: Contact PG&E for an application.
Two free bulky item pickups a year
Base monthly solid waste rates include two free on-call bulky item collection services per year.
How: Included in your base monthly solid waste rate.
Electric vehicle rebateUp to $2,000 toward a new or used EV
The City is offering eligible residents rebates for EVs for a limited time; residents may receive a $2,000 rebate toward the purchase of a new or used EV.
How: Check menlopark.gov/evrebate to see if you qualify.
100% disabled veterans: property tax exemptionUp to $180,671 off assessed value (2026)
Veterans rated 100% disabled (or partially disabled and unemployable), or their unmarried surviving spouses, can get a basic exemption of up to $180,671 for lien date 2026; with household income up to $81,131 the low-income exemption is up to $271,009.
How: See the San Mateo County Assessor's Disabled Veterans' Exemption page.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartBundled monthly rates effective July 1, 2026, which include recycling and organics service.

Value before exemptionsEnter the assessed value from your tax bill: the starting figure here is a market value, not an assessed value. Sewer ($1,512 a year) is counted separately. About a dozen other Menlo Park tax rate areas (for example in Las Lomitas or Redwood City school areas) have different bond rates.

I live here and have the Homeowners' exemptionSomeone on the title is 65 or older

Home insurance, a yearFrom your policy. We start at $1,492, California statewide average, NAIC data for 2022 as published by the Insurance Information Institute (California figures from the California Department of Insurance).

Earthquake insurance, a yearSeparate from home insurance. Most owners don't have it.

Your use

Water, units a month

On your water bill. 1 unit (CCF) is 748 gallons. A typical house uses 7–12.

Electricity, kWh a month

On your PG&E delivery with WestLight Energy ECOplus generation bill. An electric car adds about 300 kWh.

Gas, therms a month (yearly average)

Money dates

Nov 30in 38 daysLast day to file an appeal of an annual assessment with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors (the filing period is July 2 to November 30).
Dec 10in 48 daysLast day to pay the first installment of secured property taxes.
Feb 15in 115 daysDeadline for first-time homeowners' exemption claims to get the full exemption for the year.
Apr 10Last day to pay the second installment of secured property taxes.

Who serves this house

Water: Menlo Park Municipal Water; Rates adopted June 9, 2026 for FY 2027 (July 1, 2026 on): $36.76 monthly meter charge for a 5/8 or 3/4 inch meter, $9.39 per CCF consumption and $2.00 per CCF capital facility surcharge, the same for all usage. The City lists a $0.09 per CCF SFPUC wholesale pass-through for FY 2027, which is not included here. The City's water-providers page says California Water Service (Bear Gulch) serves 8,798 addresses in Menlo Park (Downtown and West Menlo), more than the roughly 4,400 connections of Menlo Park Municipal Water; Cal Water bills are not priced here.
Property tax: 1.10% of value; 2025-26 tax rates, San Mateo County (Menlo Park tax rate area 008-001); parcel taxes as currently levied
Garbage: Recology San Mateo County; Solid waste rates adopted by the City Council on June 9; the City directs garbage and recycling service questions to Recology San Mateo County.
Sewer: West Bay Sanitary District; West Bay Sanitary District provides wastewater collection and conveyance services to the City of Menlo Park.
Electricity: Peninsula Clean Energy generation, PG&E delivery; Menlo Park joined Peninsula Clean Energy in 2016.
Gas: PG&E; PG&E's gas service territory map lists Menlo Park (94025, 94026, 94027, 94028).
Schools: Menlo Park City School District; The district levies parcel taxes, shown on tax bills as MP ESD Comb Meas Sp Tax.

Pay or manage your bills

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How these numbers are made

Property tax: San Mateo County's 2025-26 rates for tax rate area 008-001, the most common Menlo Park area in the rate book: 1% general tax, park and recreation bond 0.0045%, Midpeninsula open space 0.0014%, Menlo Park City School District bonds 0.0432%, Sequoia Union High School District bonds 0.0287% and community college bonds 0.0180% (composite rate 1.0958%). The 2026-27 rate book was not yet posted.
Other Menlo Park tax rate areas (Las Lomitas, Redwood City and Ravenswood school areas) have different school rates and parcel taxes; The census median ($2,000,001) is the top of the Census range, so the true median is at least that, and Prop 13 assessed values are often far below market. Only the Menlo Park City School District parcel taxes ($1,612.36 for 2026-27) are included as flat charges, plus the $12 Measure AA tax. Any city stormwater charge on the tax bill could not be sourced and is not included.
Sewer: West Bay Sanitary District's single-family charge for July 1, 2026 ($1,512 a year, on the county tax bill) is counted as a yearly tax-bill charge. West Bay does not serve every address.
Water: Menlo Park Municipal Water FY 2027 rates, with the $2.00 per CCF capital facility surcharge added to the $9.39 per CCF consumption charge ($11.39). The $0.09 per CCF SFPUC wholesale pass-through on the City's sample bill is not included. California Water Service (Bear Gulch) serves 8,798 Menlo Park addresses in Downtown and West Menlo and is not modelled, so homes there are not priced.
Garbage: Recology bundled single-family rates from July 1, 2026. Electricity and gas: PG&E delivery with WestLight Energy generation (E-1 and G-1 rates, as used for neighbouring San Carlos), with baseline weighting, typical use and insurance as in that sourcing; no city charge on energy bills was found in the sources used.
Modelling note: the $2,000,001 median is top-coded by Census and assessed values under Prop 13 are likely much lower.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

Common questions about Menlo Park house costs

What is the property tax rate in Menlo Park?

About 1.10% of the value before exemptions a year (2025-26 tax rates, San Mateo County (Menlo Park tax rate area 008-001); parcel taxes as currently levied), plus flat charges on the same bill (Sewer $1,512, Menlo Park City School District parcel taxes (Measures A, B and B 2021) $1,612, SF Bay Restoration Authority parcel tax (Measure AA) $12).

How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Menlo Park?

About $8,539 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption, including $3,136 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in Menlo Park?

About $139 a month for water at typical use (9 units, or 6,732 gallons a month) on Menlo Park Municipal Water.

How much does trash pickup cost in Menlo Park?

$53 to $98 a month, depending on the trash cart size (20-gal trash, 32-gal trash, 64-gal trash, 96-gal trash).

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Menlo Park?

Yes. Seniors 65+ and some people on disability: Menlo Park City School District parcel tax exemption: The district's parcel tax exemption requires being 65 years old on or before July 1 of the tax year; people receiving Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, regardless of age, with yearly income up to 250 percent of the federal poverty guidelines who occupy the parcel as a principal residence may also qualify.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Menlo Park?

CARE households: City rate assistance on garbage and water: Households enrolled in PG&E CARE can get a 20% monthly discount on Recology solid waste service and a monthly discount on the fixed meter charge for Menlo Park Municipal Water. See menlopark.gov/rateassistance; current participants do not need to reapply.

How much does a house in Menlo Park cost to run each year?

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