The 20 most affordable cities in New Jersey to buy a house

Homeownership is fundamental to the American dream. It offers wealth, security, community, and countless other benefits. Yet for many New Jersey residents, the dream feels increasingly out of reach—even as incomes rise and mortgage rates fall. Near-record prices have made homes hard to come by and often even harder to afford, leaving buyers and sellers stuck and younger generations priced out.

But affordable pockets still exist. In cities across the state, residents can comfortably spend around 30% of their income or less on housing, which is widely considered the affordable threshold.

To find out where these cities are, Redfin Real Estate ranked the most affordable cities in New Jersey, based on their local payment to income ratios. All data is an average for the January-October 2025 period. To see the most affordable cities in the country, read this recent Redfin article.

#1. Fair Lawn, New Jersey
- Payment to income ratio: 37.6%
- Median sale price: $725,314
- Median household income: $147,952
- Income needed to buy: $185,218
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $4,630
- See homes for sale in Fair Lawn on Redfin.com

#2. Toms River, New Jersey
- Payment to income ratio: 39.2%
- Median sale price: $489,689
- Median household income: $95,759
- Income needed to buy: $125,048
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,126
- See homes for sale in Toms River on Redfin.com

#3. Sayreville, New Jersey
- Payment to income ratio: 40.4%
- Median sale price: $520,474
- Median household income: $98,629
- Income needed to buy: $132,910
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,323
- See homes for sale in Sayreville on Redfin.com

#4. Bergenfield, New Jersey
- Payment to income ratio: 41.3%
- Median sale price: $668,441
- Median household income: $124,083
- Income needed to buy: $170,695
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $4,267
- See homes for sale in Bergenfield on Redfin.com

#5. Rahway, New Jersey
- Payment to income ratio: 42.7%
- Median sale price: $506,642
- Median household income: $90,852
- Income needed to buy: $129,378
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,234
- See homes for sale in Rahway on Redfin.com

#6. Westfield, New Jersey
- Payment to income ratio: 43.6%
- Median sale price: $1,210,493
- Median household income: $212,700
- Income needed to buy: $309,115
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $7,728
- See homes for sale in Westfield on Redfin.com

#7. Old Bridge, New Jersey
- Payment to income ratio: 44.0%
- Median sale price: $614,594
- Median household income: $106,934
- Income needed to buy: $156,944
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,924
- See homes for sale in Old Bridge on Redfin.com

#8. Linden, New Jersey
- Payment to income ratio: 44.6%
- Median sale price: $529,413
- Median household income: $91,036
- Income needed to buy: $135,192
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,380
- See homes for sale in Linden on Redfin.com

#9. Clifton, New Jersey
- Payment to income ratio: 45.3%
- Median sale price: $585,548
- Median household income: $99,003
- Income needed to buy: $149,527
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,738
- See homes for sale in Clifton on Redfin.com

#10. Carteret, New Jersey
- Payment to income ratio: 46.3%
- Median sale price: $529,320
- Median household income: $87,553
- Income needed to buy: $135,169
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,379
- See homes for sale in Carteret on Redfin.com

#11. Ridgewood, New Jersey
- Payment to income ratio: 47.3%
- Median sale price: $1,342,070
- Median household income: $217,250
- Income needed to buy: $342,715
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $8,568
- See homes for sale in Ridgewood on Redfin.com

#12. Kearny, New Jersey
- Payment to income ratio: 52.1%
- Median sale price: $566,008
- Median household income: $83,212
- Income needed to buy: $144,537
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,613
- See homes for sale in Kearny on Redfin.com

#13. Hackensack, New Jersey
- Payment to income ratio: 53.9%
- Median sale price: $578,191
- Median household income: $82,212
- Income needed to buy: $147,649
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,691
- See homes for sale in Hackensack on Redfin.com

#14. Bayonne, New Jersey
- Payment to income ratio: 54.3%
- Median sale price: $575,628
- Median household income: $81,285
- Income needed to buy: $146,994
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,675
- See homes for sale in Bayonne on Redfin.com

#15. Garfield, New Jersey
- Payment to income ratio: 59.1%
- Median sale price: $584,013
- Median household income: $75,701
- Income needed to buy: $149,135
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,728
- See homes for sale in Garfield on Redfin.com

#16. Englewood, New Jersey
- Payment to income ratio: 60.0%
- Median sale price: $793,938
- Median household income: $101,398
- Income needed to buy: $202,742
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $5,069
- See homes for sale in Englewood on Redfin.com

#17. Princeton, New Jersey
- Payment to income ratio: 60.8%
- Median sale price: $1,461,148
- Median household income: $184,113
- Income needed to buy: $373,123
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $9,328
- See homes for sale in Princeton on Redfin.com

#18. Paramus, New Jersey
- Payment to income ratio: 68.8%
- Median sale price: $1,255,112
- Median household income: $139,707
- Income needed to buy: $320,509
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $8,013
- See homes for sale in Paramus on Redfin.com

#19. Fort Lee, New Jersey
- Payment to income ratio: 74.5%
- Median sale price: $1,026,434
- Median household income: $105,535
- Income needed to buy: $262,113
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $6,553
- See homes for sale in Fort Lee on Redfin.com

#20. Cliffside Park, New Jersey
- Payment to income ratio: 85.4%
- Median sale price: $1,058,220
- Median household income: $94,960
- Income needed to buy: $270,230
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $6,756
- See homes for sale in Cliffside Park on Redfin.com