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Scotch Plains vs Woodbridge, NJ

Property taxes, schools, NJ Transit pass and monthly cost for Scotch Plains and Woodbridge, side by side with sources.

At a glance

Woodbridge has the lower 2025 average residential tax bill: $9,597 a year, $6,221 less than $15,818 in Scotch Plains. Woodbridge is below the NJ average of $10,340 and Scotch Plains is above it.

The median single-family sale price is $556,000 in Woodbridge and $960,000 in Scotch Plains, $404,000 more (GSMLS, 2025 closed sales).

Peak commute is 48.4 minutes in Scotch Plains and 36 in Woodbridge, 12.4 minutes shorter in Woodbridge.

On the district results, Scotch Plains' district is higher on 4-year graduation (97.0% vs 94.1%), ELA (71.0% vs 42.4%) and math (63.0% vs 35.6%).

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
  • Scotch PlainsNo NJ Transit rail station in town; residents typically use Fanwood station in Fanwood Borough
  • Woodbridge$4,428 / monthMortgage $3,031 · Property tax $1,035 · NJ Transit pass $362 · on a $556,000 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.

Sources: GSMLS (As of 2025) · Freddie Mac PMMS (Updated October 2026) · NJ Division of Taxation (Updated January 2026) · NJ Transit (Updated July 2026)

Home prices

Median sale price, single-family

Median sale price, condo / townhouse

Monthly mortgage

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

  • Scotch Plains$15,818 / year$5,478 above the NJ average
  • Woodbridge$9,597 / year$743 below 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.

Sources: NJ Division of Taxation (Updated February 2026)

Schools

Meeting ELA standards

Meeting math standards

4-year graduation rate

Chronic absenteeism

Student:teacher ratio

DistrictsScotch Plains: Scotch Plains-Fanwood School DistrictWoodbridge: Woodbridge Township 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

  • Scotch PlainsNo NJ Transit rail station in town; residents typically use Fanwood station in Fanwood Borough
  • Woodbridge$362 / month

Peak commute time

Sources: NJ Transit (Updated July 2026) · NJ Transit GTFS (via Mobility Database) (As of Scheduled service Wed 2026-11-18; bus feed service dates 2026-10-20 to 2027-04-17; downloaded 2026-11-01 / As of Scheduled service Wed 2026-11-18; rail feed service dates 2026-09-15 to 2027-03-13; downloaded 2026-11-01)

Full pages: Scotch Plains · Woodbridge. Find a local expert if you want help weighing these two towns.

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