Berkeley Heights, NJ real estate: the numbers, explained.

Home values in Berkeley Heights

Zillow Home Value Index (all homes, middle tier, smoothed, seasonally adjusted) for the Zillow region “Berkeley Heights”, September 30 of each year. Source: Zillow Research.

Zillow’s Home Value Index for Berkeley Heights was $961,365 as of September 30, 2026, up 7.8% from a year earlier and up 36% over five years. Over ten years the index rose 57%. ZHVI models a typical home value. It isn’t the price of any specific house.

The NJ Division of Taxation’s 2026 Average Residential Statistics show an average residential sale price of $919,336 across 118 sales used in that report. Averages can be pulled up or down by a few sales, which is one reason it can differ from Zillow’s index.

The Census Bureau’s survey puts the median value of owner-occupied homes, as estimated by owners, at $789,400 (2020–2024 average), compared with a Union County town median of $533,300.

Berkeley Heights property taxes

Berkeley Heights’s 2025 general tax rate was 4.401 per $100 of assessed value, and its effective tax rate was 1.82%, lower than the Union County town median of 2.113% and lower than the statewide municipal median of 2.141%. That ranks it #4 lowest of 21 Union County municipalities by effective rate. The average residential tax bill was $14,154 on an average assessment of $321,610 across 4,496 residential properties.

Applied to the typical home value of $961,365, the effective rate implies roughly $17,497 a year ($1,458 a month) in property tax. The Division publishes the effective rate for comparing towns, not for computing a specific bill, so use it as a ballpark.

What it costs to own vs. rent

For a $961,365 home with 20% down ($192,273) and a 30-year fixed loan at 7.18%, Freddie Mac’s national average for the week of November 5, 2026, principal and interest come to about $5,210 a month. With estimated property tax that’s about $6,668, before insurance, any HOA fee and utilities. For comparison, the Census median gross rent in Berkeley Heights is $2,203 and Zillow’s observed rent index (asking rents, Sept. 2026) is $3,336.

Run my numbers for Berkeley HeightsRent vs buy here

Who lives in Berkeley Heights

About 13,426 people live in Berkeley Heights. 93.3% of occupied homes are owner-occupied (county town median 68.3%), so the market is mostly owner-occupied single homes. 83.6% of housing units are single-family detached houses. The median resident age is 46, and 76.5% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. Median household income is $204,658, higher than the county town median of $119,464.

The median home in Berkeley Heights was built in 1966. Much of the housing predates 1978, so buyers should plan for older-home checks: lead-based paint disclosure, an oil-tank sweep if the house ever had oil heat, knob-and-tube or older electrical, galvanized plumbing, and a sewer-line scope. See the NJ inspection checklist.

Commuting from Berkeley Heights

Workers in Berkeley Heights average 36.8 minutes each way (those who don’t work from home), longer than the Union County town median of 31.5 minutes. 12% commute by public transportation, so transit is a real option for some commuters and 26.9% work from home.

See all NJ towns ranked by transit commuting.

Schools

I don’t republish unofficial school scores. For Berkeley Heights, start with the New Jersey Department of Education’s School Performance Reports, then confirm the exact school assignment for any address with the district, since some NJ towns send students to regional or neighboring high schools. See how to research NJ schools.

Downtown, food and things to do

The best way to judge Berkeley Heights’s restaurants, parks and weekend life is in person. Visit on a weeknight and a Saturday morning, check the town recreation calendar and walk the blocks you’d live on. My town scouting checklist shows what to look for.

My take for buyers, sellers and renters

• Buyers: a below-county-median effective tax rate stretches your budget further here than in many Union towns. Compare with the town comparison tool.
• Sellers: values are up 36% in five years, so many owners have significant equity. See your number in the seller net sheet.

Nearby towns at a similar price