Princeton vs South Orange (Village), NJ
Property taxes, schools, NJ Transit pass and monthly cost for Princeton and South Orange (Village), side by side with sources.
At a glance
- Lower tax billSouth Orange (Village), $22,720 a year
More info
South Orange (Village) has the lower 2025 average residential tax bill: $22,720 a year, $653 less than $23,373 in Princeton. Both are above the NJ average of $10,340.
- Peak commutePrinceton 53 min vs South Orange (Village) 31 min
More info
Peak commute is 53 minutes in Princeton and 31 minutes in South Orange (Village), 22 minutes shorter in South Orange (Village).
- NJ Transit passSouth Orange (Village) $255 vs Princeton $549
More info
The NJ Transit monthly pass to NY Penn is $255 in South Orange (Village) and $549 in Princeton, $294 more.
- Higher school resultsPrinceton: ELA, math; South Orange (Village): 4-year graduation
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On the district results, Princeton's district is higher on ELA (76.9% vs 70.4%) and math (73.3% vs 56.8%); South Orange (Village)'s district is higher on 4-year graduation (93.2% vs 92.8%).
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
- South Orange (Village)$8,870 / monthMortgage $6,161 · Property tax $2,325 · Insurance $129 · NJ Transit pass $255 · on a $1,130,000 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
- South Orange (Village)$1,130,000141 sales
Median sale price, condo / townhouse
- South Orange (Village)$455,25022 sales
Monthly mortgage
- South Orange (Village)$6,161 / 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
- Princeton$23,373 / year$13,033 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
More info
Bills compare better than raw tax rates, because towns assess homes at different shares of market value.
Schools
Meeting ELA standards
- Princeton76.9% Above NJ average
- South Orange (Village)70.4% Above NJ average
- NJ state53.0%
Meeting math standards
- Princeton73.3% Above NJ average
- South Orange (Village)56.8% Above NJ average
- NJ state42.0%
4-year graduation rate
- Princeton92.8% Above NJ average
- South Orange (Village)93.2% Above NJ average
- NJ state91.8%
Chronic absenteeism
- Princeton8.2% Below NJ average
- South Orange (Village)8.1% Below NJ average
- NJ state14.4%
Student:teacher ratio
- Princeton11:1
- South Orange (Village)12:1
- NJ state12:1
Commute
NJ Transit adult monthly pass to NY Penn
- Princeton$549 / month
- South Orange (Village)$255 / month
Peak commute time
- 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.
- South Orange (Village)31 min
More info
Typical from South Orange: 35 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: Princeton · South Orange (Village). Find a local expert if you want help weighing these two towns.