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Cranford vs Red Bank, NJ

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

At a glance

  • Lower tax billRed Bank, $10,937 a year
    More info

    Red Bank has the lower 2025 average residential tax bill: $10,937 a year, $2,792 less than $13,729 in Cranford. Both are above the NJ average of $10,340.

  • Peak commuteCranford 43 min vs Red Bank 73 min
    More info

    Peak commute is 43 minutes in Cranford and 73 minutes in Red Bank, 30 minutes shorter in Cranford.

  • NJ Transit passCranford $309 vs Red Bank $549
    More info

    The NJ Transit monthly pass to NY Penn is $309 in Cranford and $549 in Red Bank, $240 more.

  • Higher school resultsCranford: ELA, math
    More info

    On the district results, Cranford's district is higher on ELA (73.6% vs 46.5%) and math (66.6% vs 33.5%).

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
  • Cranford$6,438 / monthMortgage $4,539 · Property tax $1,461 · Insurance $129 · NJ Transit pass $309 · on a $832,500 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.

Sources: GSMLS (As of 2025) · NJ Division of Taxation (Updated January 2026) · Freddie Mac PMMS (As of 2026-10-29) · NAIC Homeowners Report (Updated July 2026)

Home prices

Median sale price, single-family

Median sale price, condo / townhouse

Monthly mortgage

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

  • Cranford$13,729 / year$3,389 above the NJ average
  • Red Bank$10,937 / year$597 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.

Sources: NJ Division of Taxation (Updated February 2026)

Schools

Meeting ELA standards

Meeting math standards

4-year graduation rate

  • Cranford97.5% Above NJ average
  • NJ state91.8%
More info

Not shown for Red Bank: K-8 district; see high school

Chronic absenteeism

Student:teacher ratio

DistrictsCranford: Cranford Public School DistrictRed Bank: Red Bank Borough 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

  • Cranford43 min
    More info

    Typical from Cranford: 46 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 5 trips.

  • Red Bank73 min
    More info

    Typical from Red Bank: 80.5 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.

Sources: NJ Transit (Updated July 2026) · NJ Transit GTFS (via Mobility Database) (Scheduled service Nov 18, 2026)

Full pages: Cranford · Red Bank. Find a local expert if you want help weighing these two towns.

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