Fair Lawn vs Princeton, NJ
Property taxes, schools, NJ Transit pass and monthly cost for Fair Lawn and Princeton, 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, $10,955 less than $23,373 in Princeton. Both are above the NJ average of $10,340.
- Peak commuteFair Lawn 39 min vs Princeton 53 min
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Peak commute is 39 minutes in Fair Lawn and 53 minutes in Princeton, 14 minutes shorter in Fair Lawn.
- NJ Transit passFair Lawn $276 vs Princeton $549
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The NJ Transit monthly pass to NY Penn is $276 in Fair Lawn and $549 in Princeton, $273 more.
- Higher school resultsFair Lawn: 4-year graduation; Princeton: ELA, math
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On the district results, Fair Lawn's district is higher on 4-year graduation (97.2% vs 92.8%); Princeton's district is higher on ELA (76.9% 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
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
- Princeton$23,373 / year$13,033 above the NJ average
- NJ average$10,340 / yearState total, same series as the town bills
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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.
- Princeton53 min
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Typical from Princeton Junction: 56.5 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.
Full pages: Fair Lawn · Princeton. Find a local expert if you want help weighing these two towns.