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Cranford vs Madison, NJ

Property taxes, schools, NJ Transit pass and monthly cost for Cranford and Madison, side by side with sources.

At a glance

Cranford has the lower 2025 average residential tax bill: $13,729 a year, $2,168 less than $15,897 in Madison. Both are above the NJ average of $10,340.

The median single-family sale price is $832,500 in Cranford and $1,421,000 in Madison, $588,500 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), Cranford comes to $6,309 a month and Madison to $9,973, a gap of $3,664.

Peak commute is 43 minutes in Cranford and 51 in Madison, 8 minutes shorter in Cranford; the NJ Transit monthly pass to NY Penn is $309 in Cranford and $408 in Madison, $99 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
  • Cranford$6,309 / monthMortgage $4,539 · Property tax $1,461 · NJ Transit pass $309 · on a $832,500 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.

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

  • Cranford$360,00024 sales · fewer than 50 sales
  • Madison$810,00023 sales · 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

  • Cranford$13,729 / year$3,389 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.

Sources: NJ Division of Taxation (Updated February 2026)

Schools

Meeting ELA standards

  • Cranford73.6% Above NJ average
  • Madison78.8% Above NJ average
  • NJ state53.0%

Meeting math standards

  • Cranford66.6% Above NJ average
  • Madison70.0% Above NJ average
  • NJ state42.0%

4-year graduation rate

  • Cranford97.5% Above NJ average
  • Madison97.9% Above NJ average
  • NJ state91.8%

Chronic absenteeism

  • Cranford9.4% Below NJ average
  • Madison9.2% Below NJ average
  • NJ state14.4%

Student:teacher ratio

DistrictsCranford: Cranford Public School DistrictMadison: Madison 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

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: Cranford · Madison. Find a local expert if you want help weighing these two towns.

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