Berkeley Heights vs Bernards Twp (Basking Ridge), NJ
Property taxes, schools, NJ Transit pass and monthly cost for Berkeley Heights and Bernards Twp (Basking Ridge), side by side with sources.
At a glance
Berkeley Heights has the lower 2025 average residential tax bill: $14,154 a year, $561 less than $14,715 in Bernards Twp (Basking Ridge). Both are above the NJ average of $10,340.
The median single-family sale price is $950,000 in Berkeley Heights and $1,250,000 in Bernards Twp (Basking Ridge), $300,000 more (GSMLS, 2025 closed sales).
On the site's monthly cost estimate (mortgage, property tax and NJ Transit pass, each on the town's median single-family sale price), Berkeley Heights comes to $7,028 a month and Bernards Twp (Basking Ridge) to $9,128, a gap of $2,100.
Peak commute is 58 minutes in Berkeley Heights and 75 in Bernards Twp (Basking Ridge), 17 minutes shorter in Berkeley Heights; the NJ Transit monthly pass to NY Penn is $408 in Berkeley Heights and $531 in Bernards Twp (Basking Ridge), $123 more.
Figures are from the data file, version 2.3.0. Estimates are labeled. Add a third town in the compare tool.
Monthly cost
Estimated monthly cost Estimate
- Mortgage (principal and interest)
- Property tax
- NJ Transit pass
- Berkeley Heights$7,028 / monthMortgage $5,179 · Property tax $1,441 · NJ Transit pass $408 · on a $950,000 median single-family home
- Bernards Twp (Basking Ridge)$9,128 / monthMortgage $6,815 · Property tax $1,782 · NJ Transit pass $531 · on a $1,250,000 median single-family home
Each town uses its own median single-family sale price (GSMLS, 2025 closed sales) and 2025 effective tax rate. Mortgage is the monthly mortgage in the data: Principal & interest only; excludes taxes and insurance. Calculated at a 7.24% 30-year fixed rate, 20% down, 30-year term. Excludes insurance, utilities, maintenance and HOA fees. Change the numbers in the calculator.
Home prices
Median sale price, single-family
- Berkeley Heights$950,000117 sales
- Bernards Twp (Basking Ridge)$1,250,000165 sales
Median sale price, condo / townhouse
- Berkeley Heights$614,50026 sales · fewer than 50 sales
- Bernards Twp (Basking Ridge)$503,000140 sales
Monthly mortgage
- Berkeley Heights$5,179 / month
- Bernards Twp (Basking Ridge)$6,815 / month
Principal & interest only; excludes taxes and insurance. Based on the single-family median.
Source: GSMLS, 2025 closed sales
Property taxes
Average residential tax bill, 2025
- Berkeley Heights$14,154 / year$3,814 above the NJ average
- Bernards Twp (Basking Ridge)$14,715 / year$4,375 above the NJ average
- NJ average$10,340 / yearState total, same series as the town bills
Bills compare better than raw tax rates, because towns assess homes at different shares of market value.
Schools
Meeting ELA standards
- Berkeley Heights73.3% Above NJ average
- Bernards Twp (Basking Ridge)81.9% Above NJ average
- NJ state53.0%
Meeting math standards
- Berkeley Heights69.4% Above NJ average
- Bernards Twp (Basking Ridge)79.6% Above NJ average
- NJ state42.0%
4-year graduation rate
- Berkeley Heights97.3% Above NJ average
- Bernards Twp (Basking Ridge)97.6% Above NJ average
- NJ state91.8%
Chronic absenteeism
- Berkeley Heights4.7% Below NJ average
- Bernards Twp (Basking Ridge)6.4% Below NJ average
- NJ state14.4%
Student:teacher ratio
- Berkeley Heights11:1
- Bernards Twp (Basking Ridge)11:1
- NJ state12:1
Commute
NJ Transit adult monthly pass to NY Penn
- Berkeley Heights$408 / month
- Bernards Twp (Basking Ridge)$531 / month
Peak commute time
- Berkeley Heights58 min
- Bernards Twp (Basking Ridge)75 min
Full pages: Berkeley Heights · Bernards Twp (Basking Ridge). Find a local expert if you want help weighing these two towns.