Denville vs Fair Lawn, NJ
Property taxes, schools, NJ Transit pass and monthly cost for Denville and Fair Lawn, side by side with sources.
At a glance
- Lower tax billDenville, $11,459 a year
More info
Denville has the lower 2025 average residential tax bill: $11,459 a year, $959 less than $12,418 in Fair Lawn. Both are above the NJ average of $10,340.
- Median sale priceDenville $675,000 vs Fair Lawn $690,000
More info
The median single-family sale price is $675,000 in Denville and $690,000 in Fair Lawn, $15,000 more (GSMLS, 2025 closed sales).
- Monthly cost estimateFair Lawn $5,433 vs Denville $5,436
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 Denville to $5,436, a gap of $3.
- Peak commuteDenville 71 min vs Fair Lawn 39 min
More info
Peak commute is 71 minutes in Denville and 39 minutes in Fair Lawn, 32 minutes shorter in Fair Lawn.
- NJ Transit passFair Lawn $276 vs Denville $531
More info
The NJ Transit monthly pass to NY Penn is $276 in Fair Lawn and $531 in Denville, $255 more.
- Higher school resultsDenville: ELA; Fair Lawn: math
More info
On the district results, Denville's district is higher on ELA (78.5% vs 76.6%); Fair Lawn's district is higher on math (69.6% vs 63.0%).
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
- Denville$5,436 / monthMortgage $3,680 · Property tax $1,096 · Insurance $129 · NJ Transit pass $531 · on a $675,000 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.
Property taxes
Average residential tax bill, 2025
- Denville$11,459 / year$1,119 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
4-year graduation rate
- Fair Lawn97.2% Above NJ average
- NJ state91.8%
More info
Not shown for Denville: K-8 district; see high school
Commute
Peak commute time
- Denville71 min
More info
Typical from Denville: 78.5 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.
- 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: Denville · Fair Lawn. Find a local expert if you want help weighing these two towns.