Fair Lawn vs Montville, NJ
Property taxes, schools, NJ Transit pass and monthly cost for Fair Lawn and Montville, side by side with sources.
At a glance
- Lower tax billFair Lawn, $12,418 a year
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Fair Lawn has the lower 2025 average residential tax bill: $12,418 a year, $2,005 less than $14,423 in Montville. Both are above the NJ average of $10,340.
- Median sale priceFair Lawn $690,000 vs Montville $905,000
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The median single-family sale price is $690,000 in Fair Lawn and $905,000 in Montville, $215,000 more (GSMLS, 2025 closed sales).
- Monthly cost estimateFair Lawn $5,433 vs Montville $6,924
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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 Montville to $6,924, a gap of $1,491.
- Peak commuteFair Lawn 39 min vs Montville 84 min
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Peak commute is 39 minutes in Fair Lawn and 84 minutes in Montville, 45 minutes shorter in Fair Lawn.
- NJ Transit passFair Lawn $276 vs Montville $408
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The NJ Transit monthly pass to NY Penn is $276 in Fair Lawn and $408 in Montville, $132 more.
- Higher school resultsMontville: 4-year graduation, ELA, math
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On the district results, Montville's district is higher on 4-year graduation (97.9% vs 97.2%), ELA (79.4% vs 76.6%) and math (73.3% vs 69.6%).
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
- 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
- Montville$6,924 / monthMortgage $4,934 · Property tax $1,453 · Insurance $129 · NJ Transit pass $408 · on a $905,000 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
- Fair Lawn$12,418 / year$2,078 above the NJ average
- Montville$14,423 / year$4,083 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
Commute
Peak commute time
- Fair Lawn39 min
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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.
- Montville84 min
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Typical from Towaco: 85 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 3 trips.
Full pages: Fair Lawn · Montville. Find a local expert if you want help weighing these two towns.