2025 Compare Cities Rankings:
McLean, VA vs San Mateo, CA

#1 Best Cities for Teleworking - Extra Large Metro Areas

#1 Most Secure Large Cities in the U.S.

#2 Healthiest Cities

#2 Most Difficult Cities to Navigate

#3 Most Irritation Prone Cities

#3 America's Riskiest Online Cities

#4 The Most (and Least) Gender Imbalanced Cities

#4 Best Cities After Military Service

#4 Best Airports to Make a Connection

#5 Sleep in the City Study

#5 Most Secure Places to Live 2011 (Large Metros)

#5 2005 High Gas Prices

#6 America’s Least Manly Cities

#7 Cities on the Edge of Greatness

#7 Failure To Lunch

#7 Wrinkle Ranking Cities Most at Risk for Skin Damage by 2040

#7 Best States for LGBTQ Rights

#9 Most Secure Places to Live in the U.S. (Large Metro Areas)

#9 Second Annual “America’s Manliest Cities” Rankings

#9 America's Most Playful Cities

#11 Sperlings Skincare Wrinkle Ranking

#12 Most and Least Risky Places for Identity Theft

#14 The Most Single Cities

#15 Most Competitive Private Colleges

#18 Drought-Riskiest Cities

#18 Best and Worst Cities for Sleep

#19 Most Competitive Public Colleges

#20 Best Cities for Board Gamers

#20 Gloomiest Places in America

#22 Most Popular Cities for the Holidays

#23 Best US Cities for Seniors 2011

#25 Best Cities for Seniors 2005

#26 Fiscally Fit Cities Report

#26 2005 Best Places to Live

#26 Sleepless Cities 2011

#29 High Gas Prices - Which Cities are Hit the Hardest?

#29 Most Romantic Cities for Boomers

#31 America's Best and Worst Cities for Crime (Large Metro Areas)

#34 America’s Manliest Sports Cities

#36 Best Baseball Cities

#38 Hypertension Hot Spots

#39 Worst Cities for Respiratory Infections

#40 Best Block Party Places

#42 Americas Manliest Cites 2011

#44 Stressful Cities 2012

#45 America’s Manliest Cities

#45 Most Comfortable Summer Cities

#46 America’s Best (and Worst) Cities for Dating

#50 Most Energetic Cities

#75 America's Migraine Hot Spots

#83 America's Most (and Least) Stressful Cities (100 Largest Metro Areas)

#87 Best Green Cities

#1 America’s Least Manly Cities

#1 Cities on the Edge of Greatness

#1 The Most Single Cities

#1 Best Baseball Cities

#1 Most Competitive Public Colleges

#1 Most and Least Risky Places for Identity Theft

#1 Best States for LGBTQ Rights

#2 Metro Areas with Fastest Rising Income 2020

#3 Best Cities for Seniors 2005

#3 Most Difficult Cities to Navigate

#3 Healthiest Cities

#4 America's Most Playful Cities

#4 America's Riskiest Online Cities

#5 Best-Rested Cities 2011

#5 Best Cities for Teleworking - Extra Large Metro Areas

#5 America’s Best Cities for Foodies

#6 Most Comfortable Summer Cities

#6 Best and Worst Airports to make a Connection List

#6 Top 10 Cities to Beat the Heat

#7 Best US Cities for Seniors 2011

#7 Safest Cities for Families with Young Children

#8 Most Secure Large Cities in the U.S.

#8 Failure To Lunch

#10 Best Airports to Make a Connection

#13 Stressful Cities 2012

#17 High Gas Prices - Which Cities are Hit the Hardest?

#19 America’s Best (and Worst) Cities for Dating

#19 The Most (and Least) Gender Imbalanced Cities

#19 Best Green Cities

#23 Gloomiest Places in America

#24 America's Most (and Least) Stressful Cities (100 Largest Metro Areas)

#24 Most Irritation Prone Cities

#25 Sperlings Skincare Wrinkle Ranking

#26 Best and Worst Cities for Sleep

#26 America's Best and Worst Cities for Crime (Large Metro Areas)

#28 America’s Manliest Sports Cities

#29 Fiscally Fit Cities Report

#31 Best Block Party Places

#34 Drought-Riskiest Cities

#37 America's Top Hygge Cities

#37 Most Romantic Cities for Boomers

#38 Wrinkle Ranking Cities Most at Risk for Skin Damage by 2040

#40 Most Popular Cities for the Holidays

#42 Best Cities for Board Gamers

#42 Sleep in the City Study

#43 Second Annual “America’s Manliest Cities” Rankings

#44 America’s Manliest Cities

#45 Most Energetic Cities

#46 Sleepless Cities 2011

#47 Americas Manliest Cites 2011

#50 Hypertension Hot Spots

#57 2005 High Gas Prices

#96 America's Migraine Hot Spots

#107 2005 Best Places to Live

McLean has superb QOL - inside the Beltway, rural feeling, easy commute to DC via nat'l parkway, influential  More

There are definitely four seasons here; but, the winters tend to be short and the summers  More

Very expensive housing here. We could never afford to buy  More

I have lived in San Mateo since 2013. It has seen tremendous growth, lots of new restaurants which have become progressively more high-end though there is ample  More

I'm a native of California. I have lived in the southern part of the state and the northern part of the state for most of my life. I have spent the last 29 years in  More

San Mateo has a diverse mix of people, a pleasant climate, a very pleasant downtown park with lots going on, and pretty much whatever you need handy. It's not far to  More