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Chatham Twp vs Montclair, NJ

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

At a glance

Chatham Twp has the lower 2025 average residential tax bill: $18,373 a year, $4,116 less than $22,489 in Montclair. Both are above the NJ average of $10,340.

The median single-family sale price is $1,551,500 in Montclair and $1,990,200 in Chatham Twp, $438,700 more (GSMLS, 2025 closed sales).

Peak commute is 46 minutes in Chatham Twp and 35 in Montclair, 11 minutes shorter in Montclair.

On the district results, Chatham Twp's district is higher on ELA (74.8% vs 69.8%) and math (68.5% vs 60.9%); Montclair's district is higher on 4-year graduation (96.9% 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
  • Montclair$11,507 / monthMortgage $8,459 · Property tax $2,793 · NJ Transit pass $255 · on a $1,551,500 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

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
  • Montclair$22,489 / year$12,149 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 ChathamsMontclair: Montclair Public 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
  • Montclair$255 / 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 · Montclair. Find a local expert if you want help weighing these two towns.

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