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South Orange (Village) vs Union Twp, NJ

Property taxes, schools, NJ Transit pass and monthly cost for South Orange (Village) and Union Twp, side by side with sources.

At a glance

Union Twp has the lower 2025 average residential tax bill: $10,849 a year, $11,871 less than $22,720 in South Orange (Village). Both are above the NJ average of $10,340.

The median single-family sale price is $597,500 in Union Twp and $1,130,000 in South Orange (Village), $532,500 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), Union Twp comes to $4,643 a month and South Orange (Village) to $8,741, a gap of $4,098.

Peak commute is 31 minutes in South Orange (Village) and 36 in Union Twp, 5 minutes shorter in South Orange (Village); the NJ Transit monthly pass to NY Penn costs $255 in both.

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

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
Union Twp$4,643 / monthMortgage $3,258 · Property tax $1,130 · NJ Transit pass $255 · on a $597,500 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

South Orange (Village)$1,130,000141 sales
Union Twp$597,500354 sales

Median sale price, condo / townhouse

South Orange (Village)$455,25022 sales · fewer than 50 sales
Union Twp$380,00052 sales

Monthly mortgage

South Orange (Village)$6,161 / month
Union Twp$3,258 / 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

South Orange (Village)$22,720 / year$12,380 above the NJ average
Union Twp$10,849 / year$509 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.

Sources: NJ Division of Taxation (Updated February 2026)

Schools

Meeting ELA standards

South Orange (Village)70.4% Above NJ average
Union Twp47.9% Below NJ average
NJ state53.0%

Meeting math standards

South Orange (Village)56.8% Above NJ average
Union Twp29.9% Below NJ average
NJ state42.0%

4-year graduation rate

South Orange (Village)93.2% Above NJ average
Union Twp95.1% Above NJ average
NJ state91.8%

Chronic absenteeism

South Orange (Village)8.1% Below NJ average
Union Twp17.5% Above NJ average
NJ state14.4%

Student:teacher ratio

South Orange (Village)12:1
Union Twp13:1
NJ state12:1

DistrictsSouth Orange (Village): South Orange-Maplewood School DistrictUnion Twp: Township of Union 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

South Orange (Village)$255 / month
Union Twp$255 / month

Peak commute time

South Orange (Village)31 min
Union Twp36 min

Sources: NJ Transit (Updated July 2026) · NJ Transit GTFS (via Mobility Database) (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: South Orange (Village) · Union Twp. Find a local expert if you want help weighing these two towns.