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Linden vs Princeton, NJ

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

At a glance

  • Lower tax billLinden, $9,832 a year
    More info

    Linden has the lower 2025 average residential tax bill: $9,832 a year, $13,541 less than $23,373 in Princeton. Linden is below the NJ average of $10,340 and Princeton is above it.

  • Peak commuteLinden 39 min vs Princeton 53 min
    More info

    Peak commute is 39 minutes in Linden and 53 minutes in Princeton, 14 minutes shorter in Linden.

  • NJ Transit passLinden $309 vs Princeton $549
    More info

    The NJ Transit monthly pass to NY Penn is $309 in Linden and $549 in Princeton, $240 more.

  • Higher school resultsPrinceton: 4-year graduation, ELA, math
    More info

    On the district results, Princeton's district is higher on 4-year graduation (92.8% vs 91.0%), ELA (76.9% vs 35.4%) and math (73.3% vs 19.3%).

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
  • Linden$4,371 / monthMortgage $2,999 · Property tax $934 · Insurance $129 · NJ Transit pass $309 · on a $550,000 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.

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

  • Linden$9,832 / year$508 below 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
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

  • Linden35.4% Below NJ average
  • Princeton76.9% Above NJ average
  • NJ state53.0%

Meeting math standards

  • Linden19.3% Below NJ average
  • Princeton73.3% Above NJ average
  • NJ state42.0%

4-year graduation rate

  • Linden91.0% Below NJ average
  • Princeton92.8% Above NJ average
  • NJ state91.8%

Chronic absenteeism

  • Linden23.2% Above NJ average
  • Princeton8.2% Below NJ average
  • NJ state14.4%

Student:teacher ratio

DistrictsLinden: Linden Public School DistrictPrinceton: Princeton 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

  • Linden39 min
    More info

    Typical from Linden: 45 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.

  • Princeton53 min
    More info

    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.

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

Full pages: Linden · Princeton. Find a local expert if you want help weighing these two towns.

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