Chatham Twp vs Fair Lawn, NJ
Property taxes, schools, NJ Transit pass and monthly cost for Chatham Twp and Fair Lawn, side by side with sources.
At a glance
- Lower tax billFair Lawn, $12,418 a year
More info
Fair Lawn has the lower 2025 average residential tax bill: $12,418 a year, $5,955 less than $18,373 in Chatham Twp. Both are above the NJ average of $10,340.
- Median sale priceFair Lawn $690,000 vs Chatham Twp $1,990,200
More info
The median single-family sale price is $690,000 in Fair Lawn and $1,990,200 in Chatham Twp, $1,300,200 more (GSMLS, 2025 closed sales).
- Monthly cost estimateFair Lawn $5,433 vs Chatham Twp $13,498
More info
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 Chatham Twp to $13,498, a gap of $8,065.
- Peak commuteChatham Twp 46 min vs Fair Lawn 39 min
More info
Peak commute is 46 minutes in Chatham Twp and 39 minutes in Fair Lawn, 7 minutes shorter in Fair Lawn.
- Higher school resultsFair Lawn: 4-year graduation, ELA, math
More info
On the district results, Fair Lawn's district is higher on 4-year graduation (97.2% vs 96.5%), ELA (76.6% vs 74.8%) and math (69.6% vs 68.5%).
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
- Chatham Twp$13,498 / monthMortgage $10,851 · Property tax $2,518 · Insurance $129 · no commute · on a $1,990,200 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
- Chatham Twp$1,990,20096 sales
- Fair Lawn$690,00073 sales
Median sale price, condo / townhouse
- Chatham Twp$465,00043 sales
Monthly mortgage
- Chatham Twp$10,851 / 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
- Chatham Twp$18,373 / year$8,033 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
- Chatham Twp74.8% Above NJ average
- Fair Lawn76.6% Above NJ average
- NJ state53.0%
Meeting math standards
- Chatham Twp68.5% Above NJ average
- Fair Lawn69.6% Above NJ average
- NJ state42.0%
4-year graduation rate
- Chatham Twp96.5% Above NJ average
- Fair Lawn97.2% Above NJ average
- NJ state91.8%
Chronic absenteeism
- Chatham Twp6.3% Below NJ average
- Fair Lawn6.6% Below NJ average
- NJ state14.4%
Student:teacher ratio
- Chatham Twp11:1
- Fair Lawn11:1
- NJ state12:1
Commute
NJ Transit adult monthly pass to NY Penn
- Fair Lawn$276 / month
More info
Not shown for Chatham Twp: No NJ Transit rail station in town; residents typically use Chatham station in Chatham Borough
Peak commute time
- Chatham Twp46 min
More info
Typical from Chatham: 53 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
More info
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: Chatham Twp · Fair Lawn. Find a local expert if you want help weighing these two towns.