New Brunswick vs Princeton, NJ
Property taxes, schools, NJ Transit pass and monthly cost for New Brunswick and Princeton, side by side with sources.
At a glance
- Lower tax billNew Brunswick, $7,101 a year
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New Brunswick has the lower 2025 average residential tax bill: $7,101 a year, $16,272 less than $23,373 in Princeton. New Brunswick is below the NJ average of $10,340 and Princeton is above it.
- Peak commuteNew Brunswick 51 min vs Princeton 53 min
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Peak commute is 51 minutes in New Brunswick and 53 minutes in Princeton, 2 minutes shorter in New Brunswick.
- NJ Transit passNew Brunswick $477 vs Princeton $549
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The NJ Transit monthly pass to NY Penn is $477 in New Brunswick and $549 in Princeton, $72 more.
- Higher school resultsPrinceton: 4-year graduation, ELA, math
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On the district results, Princeton's district is higher on 4-year graduation (92.8% vs 79.5%), ELA (76.9% vs 27.5%) and math (73.3% vs 15.1%).
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
- New Brunswick$3,628 / monthMortgage $2,290 · Property tax $732 · Insurance $129 · NJ Transit pass $477 · on a $420,000 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.
Home prices
Median sale price, single-family
- New Brunswick$420,00011 sales
Monthly mortgage
- New Brunswick$2,290 / month
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
- New Brunswick$7,101 / year$3,239 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.
Schools
Meeting ELA standards
- New Brunswick27.5% Below NJ average
- Princeton76.9% Above NJ average
- NJ state53.0%
Meeting math standards
- New Brunswick15.1% Below NJ average
- Princeton73.3% Above NJ average
- NJ state42.0%
4-year graduation rate
- New Brunswick79.5% Below NJ average
- Princeton92.8% Above NJ average
- NJ state91.8%
Chronic absenteeism
- New Brunswick19.8% Above NJ average
- Princeton8.2% Below NJ average
- NJ state14.4%
Student:teacher ratio
- New Brunswick11:1
- Princeton11:1
- NJ state12:1
Commute
NJ Transit adult monthly pass to NY Penn
- New Brunswick$477 / month
- Princeton$549 / month
Peak commute time
- New Brunswick51 min
More info
Typical from New Brunswick: 55.5 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 8 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.
Full pages: New Brunswick · Princeton. Find a local expert if you want help weighing these two towns.