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Chatham Twp vs Fanwood, NJ

Property taxes, schools, NJ Transit pass and monthly cost for Chatham Twp and Fanwood, side by side with sources.

At a glance

Fanwood has the lower 2025 average residential tax bill: $14,759 a year, $3,614 less than $18,373 in Chatham Twp. Both are above the NJ average of $10,340.

The median single-family sale price is $817,500 in Fanwood and $1,990,200 in Chatham Twp, $1,172,700 more (GSMLS, 2025 closed sales).

Peak commute is 46 minutes in Chatham Twp and 55 in Fanwood, 9 minutes shorter in Chatham Twp.

On the district results, Chatham Twp's district is higher on ELA (74.8% vs 71.0%) and math (68.5% vs 63.0%); Fanwood's district is higher on 4-year graduation (97.0% vs 96.5%).

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
  • Chatham TwpNo NJ Transit rail station in town; residents typically use Chatham station in Chatham Borough
  • Fanwood$6,351 / monthMortgage $4,457 · Property tax $1,532 · NJ Transit pass $362 · on a $817,500 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.

Sources: GSMLS (As of 2025) · Freddie Mac PMMS (Updated October 2026) · NJ Division of Taxation (Updated January 2026) · NJ Transit (Updated July 2026)

Home prices

Median sale price, single-family

Median sale price, condo / townhouse

  • Chatham Twp$465,00043 sales · fewer than 50 sales
  • Fanwood$415,0001 sale · fewer than 50 sales

Monthly mortgage

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

  • Chatham Twp$18,373 / year$8,033 above the NJ average
  • Fanwood$14,759 / year$4,419 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.

Sources: NJ Division of Taxation (Updated February 2026)

Schools

Meeting ELA standards

Meeting math standards

4-year graduation rate

Chronic absenteeism

Student:teacher ratio

DistrictsChatham Twp: School District of the ChathamsFanwood: Scotch Plains-Fanwood School DistrictDistrict-wide results for all students. The NJ state line is the statewide figure.

Sources: NJDOE (2024-25 school year, published May 2026)

Commute

NJ Transit adult monthly pass to NY Penn

  • Chatham TwpNo NJ Transit rail station in town; residents typically use Chatham station in Chatham Borough
  • Fanwood$362 / month

Peak commute time

Sources: NJ Transit (Updated July 2026) · NJ Transit GTFS (via Mobility Database) (As of Scheduled service Wed 2026-11-18; rail feed service dates 2026-09-15 to 2027-03-13; downloaded 2026-11-01)

Full pages: Chatham Twp · Fanwood. Find a local expert if you want help weighing these two towns.

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