Berkeley Heights vs Fair Lawn, NJ
Property taxes, schools, NJ Transit pass and monthly cost for Berkeley Heights and Fair Lawn, side by side with sources.
At a glance
- Lower tax billFair Lawn, $12,418 a year
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Fair Lawn has the lower 2025 average residential tax bill: $12,418 a year, $1,736 less than $14,154 in Berkeley Heights. Both are above the NJ average of $10,340.
- Median sale priceFair Lawn $690,000 vs Berkeley Heights $950,000
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The median single-family sale price is $690,000 in Fair Lawn and $950,000 in Berkeley Heights, $260,000 more (GSMLS, 2025 closed sales).
- Monthly cost estimateFair Lawn $5,433 vs Berkeley Heights $7,157
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On the site's monthly cost estimate (mortgage, property tax, insurance and NJ Transit pass, each on the town's headline median sale price, the same math as the calculator), Fair Lawn comes to $5,433 a month and Berkeley Heights to $7,157, a gap of $1,724.
- Peak commuteBerkeley Heights 58 min vs Fair Lawn 39 min
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Peak commute is 58 minutes in Berkeley Heights and 39 minutes in Fair Lawn, 19 minutes shorter in Fair Lawn.
- NJ Transit passFair Lawn $276 vs Berkeley Heights $408
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The NJ Transit monthly pass to NY Penn is $276 in Fair Lawn and $408 in Berkeley Heights, $132 more.
- Higher school resultsBerkeley Heights: 4-year graduation; Fair Lawn: ELA, math
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On the district results, Berkeley Heights' district is higher on 4-year graduation (97.3% vs 97.2%); Fair Lawn's district is higher on ELA (76.6% vs 73.3%) and math (69.6% vs 69.4%).
Figures are from the data file, version 2.5.3. Estimates are labeled. Sources and dates are in each section below. Add a third town in the compare tool.
Monthly cost
Estimated monthly cost Estimate
- Mortgage (principal and interest)
- Property tax
- Insurance
- NJ Transit pass
- Berkeley Heights$7,157 / monthMortgage $5,179 · Property tax $1,441 · Insurance $129 · NJ Transit pass $408 · on a $950,000 median single-family home
- Fair Lawn$5,433 / monthMortgage $3,762 · Property tax $1,266 · Insurance $129 · NJ Transit pass $276 · on a $690,000 median single-family home
More info
Same math as the monthly cost calculator, at its defaults: each town's headline median sale price, single-family unless the town's label says otherwise (GSMLS, 2025 closed sales), 20% down, a 30-year fixed loan at 7.24% (Freddie Mac weekly national average, week of Oct 29, 2026), the town's 2025 effective tax rate, homeowners insurance (condo insurance for condo towns), and the town's NJ Transit pass where it has one. Excludes flood insurance, PMI, HOA, utilities and maintenance. Change the numbers in the calculator.
Home prices
Median sale price, single-family
- Berkeley Heights$950,000117 sales
- Fair Lawn$690,00073 sales
Median sale price, condo / townhouse
- Berkeley Heights$614,50026 sales
Monthly mortgage
- Berkeley Heights$5,179 / month
- Fair Lawn$3,762 / month
More info
Principal & interest only; excludes taxes and insurance. Based on the single-family median unless a town's row says otherwise.
Source: GSMLS
Property taxes
Average residential tax bill, 2025
- Berkeley Heights$14,154 / year$3,814 above the NJ average
- Fair Lawn$12,418 / year$2,078 above the NJ average
- NJ average$10,340 / yearState total, same series as the town bills
More info
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
- Fair Lawn76.6% Above NJ average
- NJ state53.0%
Meeting math standards
- Berkeley Heights69.4% Above NJ average
- Fair Lawn69.6% Above NJ average
- NJ state42.0%
4-year graduation rate
- Berkeley Heights97.3% Above NJ average
- Fair Lawn97.2% Above NJ average
- NJ state91.8%
Chronic absenteeism
- Berkeley Heights4.7% Below NJ average
- Fair Lawn6.6% Below NJ average
- NJ state14.4%
Student:teacher ratio
- Berkeley Heights11:1
- Fair Lawn11:1
- NJ state12:1
Commute
NJ Transit adult monthly pass to NY Penn
- Berkeley Heights$408 / month
- Fair Lawn$276 / month
Peak commute time
- Berkeley Heights58 min
More info
Typical from Berkeley Heights: 63.5 min, median trip time of the scheduled trips arriving 7:00-9:00 AM on Wed 2026-11-18 (one itinerary per departure; dominated options excluded). Based on 6 trips.
- Fair Lawn39 min
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Typical from Radburn: 48 min, median trip time of the scheduled trips arriving 7:00-9:00 AM on Wed 2026-11-18 (one itinerary per departure; dominated options excluded). Based on 6 trips.
Full pages: Berkeley Heights · Fair Lawn. Find a local expert if you want help weighing these two towns.