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

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, 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 .

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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