Moving to Burbank, California

Burbank in numbers

Burbank is a small city inside the Los Angeles metro with an outsized economy — Warner Bros., Disney, and the studio infrastructure around them. The July 1, 2025 estimate is 102,988 residents, down 4.0% since April 2020.

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, 2020–2024 income and housing in 2024 dollars. Source.

Why people move here

Three reasons, and they are specific rather than general.

The studios. Warner Bros., Disney, Nickelodeon, and a dense cluster of post-production, sound, and equipment companies. For anyone working in the industry, living in Burbank turns a 90-minute Los Angeles commute into a 10-minute one.

The schools. Burbank Unified is a consistent draw for families who would otherwise be looking at private school costs in Los Angeles.

It runs like a small city. Its own police and fire, its own water and power utility, its own airport. Services are noticeably more responsive than in a city of four million.

What you are trading

You pay more and you get a smaller, better-run city with a shorter commute to a specific set of employers. If you do not work in or near the studios, that premium is harder to justify.

Neighborhoods and housing

The Rancho. Equestrian district, larger lots, horse trails. Long driveways and gates — plan the truck approach.

Magnolia Park. 1920s–40s houses, walkable retail on Magnolia Boulevard. Narrow driveways and older, tighter doorways.

Burbank Hills / Country Club. Above the flats, larger homes, steep streets and switchbacks that a full-size truck may not handle.

Downtown Burbank. Apartments and mixed-use near the AMC and the Metrolink station. Elevator buildings — book the reservation.

The flats, south and west. Mid-century single-family homes on a grid, garages, wide streets. The easiest moves in the city.

Practical realities

• Heat. Burbank is in the San Fernando Valley. Summer afternoons run well above the coast, regularly into the high 90s. Move early in the day from June to September.
• Burbank Water and Power is the city’s own utility for electricity and water — not LADWP and not SoCal Edison. Set up service with the city.
• Airport noise affects some neighborhoods. Hollywood Burbank is small and close in; visit at different times of day before signing.
• Parking rules are enforced, including overnight restrictions in parts of the city. Check the block before you rely on street parking.
• Metrolink and the 134/5 connect you outward; Burbank itself is walkable in patches and otherwise a driving city.

Planning the move

For a move within the Los Angeles area, hourly pricing usually fits, because time is driven by access and traffic rather than mileage. Our standard package is $175 per hour for two movers and one truck, and includes furniture disassembly and reassembly, moving blankets and furniture protection, mattress protection, standard protection for TVs, mirrors, artwork and electronics, floor, doorway and hallway protection, loading, transport, unloading, placement, three reusable wardrobe boxes, and dispatcher coordination.

From the Bay Area it is about 380 miles, normally one to two days in transit and better quoted as a flat rate against a confirmed inventory. For moves inside California, the applicable terms come from your move documents and the state rules published by the Bureau of Household Goods and Services.

See Burbank movers, local moving, and pricing.

Related reading: moving to Los Angeles, things to do in LA, moving to Long Beach, and setting up utilities.

Questions people ask

Is Burbank expensive?

More than Los Angeles proper: $2,192 median rent and a $1,089,100 median home value. Median household income is also higher, at $97,082.

Why do people choose Burbank over LA?

Proximity to the studios, Burbank Unified schools, and a small city that runs its own services well.

Is Burbank growing?

No — it was down 4.0% between April 2020 and July 2025.

How hot does it get?

Valley heat. Summer afternoons regularly reach the high 90s, considerably warmer than coastal Los Angeles.

Who provides the utilities?

Burbank Water and Power, the city’s own utility, rather than LADWP or Southern California Edison.

Do I need a car?

For most of daily life, yes, though Metrolink and the airport make some trips easy without one.

Figures from U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts; reviewed September 2026.

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