Bridgewater vs Madison, NJ
Property taxes, schools, NJ Transit pass and monthly cost for Bridgewater and Madison, side by side with sources.
At a glance
Bridgewater has the lower 2025 average residential tax bill: $10,964 a year, $4,933 less than $15,897 in Madison. Both are above the NJ average of $10,340.
The median single-family sale price is $825,000 in Bridgewater and $1,421,000 in Madison, $596,000 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), Bridgewater comes to $6,267 a month and Madison to $9,973, a gap of $3,706.
Peak commute is 67 minutes in Bridgewater and 51 in Madison, 16 minutes shorter in Madison; the NJ Transit monthly pass to NY Penn is $408 in Madison and $512 in Bridgewater, $104 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
- Bridgewater$6,267 / monthMortgage $4,498 · Property tax $1,257 · NJ Transit pass $512 · on a $825,000 median single-family home
- Madison$9,973 / monthMortgage $7,747 · Property tax $1,818 · NJ Transit pass $408 · on a $1,421,000 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
- Bridgewater$825,000302 sales
- Madison$1,421,000105 sales
Median sale price, condo / townhouse
- Bridgewater$466,250132 sales
- Madison$810,00023 sales · fewer than 50 sales
Monthly mortgage
- Bridgewater$4,498 / month
- Madison$7,747 / 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
- Bridgewater$10,964 / year$624 above the NJ average
- Madison$15,897 / year$5,557 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
- Bridgewater70.0% Above NJ average
- Madison78.8% Above NJ average
- NJ state53.0%
Meeting math standards
- Bridgewater58.2% Above NJ average
- Madison70.0% Above NJ average
- NJ state42.0%
4-year graduation rate
- Bridgewater96.9% Above NJ average
- Madison97.9% Above NJ average
- NJ state91.8%
Chronic absenteeism
- Bridgewater8.2% Below NJ average
- Madison9.2% Below NJ average
- NJ state14.4%
Student:teacher ratio
- Bridgewater11:1
- Madison11:1
- NJ state12:1
Commute
NJ Transit adult monthly pass to NY Penn
- Bridgewater$512 / month
- Madison$408 / month
Peak commute time
- Bridgewater67 min
- Madison51 min
Full pages: Bridgewater · Madison. Find a local expert if you want help weighing these two towns.