Livingston vs South Orange (Village), NJ
Property taxes, schools, NJ Transit pass and monthly cost for Livingston and South Orange (Village), side by side with sources.
At a glance
Livingston has the lower 2025 average residential tax bill: $18,469 a year, $4,251 less than $22,720 in South Orange (Village). Both are above the NJ average of $10,340.
The median single-family sale price is $1,130,000 in South Orange (Village) and $1,300,000 in Livingston, $170,000 more (GSMLS, 2025 closed sales).
On the site's monthly cost estimate (mortgage, property tax and NJ Transit pass, each on the town's median single-family sale price), South Orange (Village) comes to $8,741 a month and Livingston to $9,350, a gap of $609.
Peak commute is 61.2 minutes in Livingston and 31 in South Orange (Village), 30.2 minutes shorter in South Orange (Village); the NJ Transit monthly pass to NY Penn is $223 in Livingston and $255 in South Orange (Village), $32 more.
Figures are from the data file, version 2.3.0. Estimates are labeled. Add a third town in the compare tool.
Monthly cost
Estimated monthly cost Estimate
- Mortgage (principal and interest)
- Property tax
- NJ Transit pass
- Livingston$9,350 / monthMortgage $7,088 · Property tax $2,039 · NJ Transit pass $223 · on a $1,300,000 median single-family home
- South Orange (Village)$8,741 / monthMortgage $6,161 · Property tax $2,325 · NJ Transit pass $255 · on a $1,130,000 median single-family home
Each town uses its own median single-family sale price (GSMLS, 2025 closed sales) and 2025 effective tax rate. Mortgage is the monthly mortgage in the data: Principal & interest only; excludes taxes and insurance. Calculated at a 7.24% 30-year fixed rate, 20% down, 30-year term. Excludes insurance, utilities, maintenance and HOA fees. Change the numbers in the calculator.
Home prices
Median sale price, single-family
- Livingston$1,300,000312 sales
- South Orange (Village)$1,130,000141 sales
Median sale price, condo / townhouse
- Livingston$815,00047 sales · fewer than 50 sales
- South Orange (Village)$455,25022 sales · fewer than 50 sales
Monthly mortgage
- Livingston$7,088 / month
- South Orange (Village)$6,161 / month
Principal & interest only; excludes taxes and insurance. Based on the single-family median.
Source: GSMLS, 2025 closed sales
Property taxes
Average residential tax bill, 2025
- Livingston$18,469 / year$8,129 above the NJ average
- South Orange (Village)$22,720 / year$12,380 above the NJ average
- NJ average$10,340 / yearState total, same series as the town bills
Bills compare better than raw tax rates, because towns assess homes at different shares of market value.
Schools
Meeting ELA standards
- Livingston83.3% Above NJ average
- South Orange (Village)70.4% Above NJ average
- NJ state53.0%
Meeting math standards
- Livingston78.2% Above NJ average
- South Orange (Village)56.8% Above NJ average
- NJ state42.0%
4-year graduation rate
- Livingston98.7% Above NJ average
- South Orange (Village)93.2% Above NJ average
- NJ state91.8%
Chronic absenteeism
- Livingston4.3% Below NJ average
- South Orange (Village)8.1% Below NJ average
- NJ state14.4%
Student:teacher ratio
- Livingston12:1
- South Orange (Village)12:1
- NJ state12:1
Commute
NJ Transit adult monthly pass to NY Penn
- Livingston$223 / month
- South Orange (Village)$255 / month
Peak commute time
- Livingston61.2 min
- South Orange (Village)31 min
Full pages: Livingston · South Orange (Village). Find a local expert if you want help weighing these two towns.