A lot of families shop both sides of the New York–New Jersey line and end up comparing apples to oranges: a bigger tax bill here, a transfer fee there, a different closing process on each side. I'm licensed in both states and show homes in both every week, so here is the whole picture in one place, with the real numbers for 24 towns.
Rates are the median of the town rates shown in the table below: New York State 2024 full-value rates (county + town + school) for the Rockland and Orange towns; 2025 average tax bill ÷ average sale price for the Bergen towns (Alpine left out as an outlier). Village, fire, library and sewer districts, STAR and other exemptions all change the real bill for a specific house.
Take a $700,000 single-family home with 20% down and a $560,000 mortgage. Here is how the costs that depend on the state line stack up. Everything else (your rate, inspection, title, attorney fees) is about the same on both sides.
| Rockland or Orange, NY | Bergen, NJ | |
|---|---|---|
| Property tax, first year (typical rate) | $18,522 Rockland · $16,709 Orange | $13,979 |
| Mortgage recording tax (buyer) | about $4,480 (roughly 0.8% of the loan) | None |
| Transfer tax or fee (seller) | $2,800 NY State transfer tax (0.4%) | about $6,245 realty transfer fee |
| Extra fee on sales over $1 million | 1% "mansion tax," paid by the buyer | 1% to 3.5% sliding scale, paid by the seller since July 2025 |
| Who writes the contract | The seller's attorney, after the inspection | The agents, then a 3-business-day attorney review |
| Usual time from accepted offer to closing | 60 to 90 days | 45 to 60 days |
| Written buyer agreement before touring | Required by MLS rules | Required by state law since August 2024 |
Rounded, for comparison only. Mortgage recording tax shown as the buyer's usual share in Rockland and Orange after the lender's portion; it varies with the loan and the county. The NJ realty transfer fee uses the standard schedule for a non-senior seller. Not legal or tax advice; your attorney and accountant will confirm the numbers for your sale or purchase.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
Median sold price over the past 12 months, how fast homes went under contract, and the tax rate and yearly bill on a home at that median. Tap any town for its own page.
| Town | County | Median sold | Days on market | Tax rate | Taxes on the median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Mills, NY | Orange | $540K | 55 | 2.39% | $12,884 |
| Monroe, NY | Orange | $542K | 46 | 2.16% | $11,691 |
| Ridgefield Park, NJ | Bergen | $612K | 30 | 2.17% | $13,293 |
| Bogota, NJ | Bergen | $620K | 21 | 2.01% | $12,474 |
| Garnerville, NY | Rockland | $639K | 34 | 3.11% | $19,892 |
| Central Valley, NY | Orange | $640K | 46 | 2.39% | $15,277 |
| Hackensack, NJ | Bergen | $642K | 19 | 2.60% | $16,682 |
| Dumont, NJ | Bergen | $650K | 16 | 2.15% | $13,983 |
| Bergenfield, NJ | Bergen | $675K | 24 | 1.98% | $13,379 |
| Stony Point, NY | Rockland | $676K | 28 | 2.93% | $19,815 |
| Teaneck, NJ | Bergen | $681K | 21 | 2.08% | $14,141 |
| Pearl River, NY | Rockland | $700K | 20 | 2.65% | $18,536 |
| Nanuet, NY | Rockland | $750K | 22 | 2.99% | $22,425 |
| Englewood, NJ | Bergen | $750K | 28 | 1.77% | $13,260 |
| Tappan, NY | Rockland | $774K | 20 | 2.45% | $18,958 |
| Blauvelt, NY | Rockland | $776K | 20 | 2.45% | $19,020 |
| New City, NY | Rockland | $800K | 24 | 2.58% | $20,680 |
| Suffern, NY | Rockland | $820K | 34 | 2.24% | $18,384 |
| Nyack, NY | Rockland | $857K | 28 | 2.65% | $22,673 |
| Harrington Park, NJ | Bergen | $999K | 14 | 2.13% | $21,285 |
| Closter, NJ | Bergen | $1.25M | 21 | 1.36% | $17,033 |
| Cresskill, NJ | Bergen | $1.30M | 22 | 1.34% | $17,393 |
| Demarest, NJ | Bergen | $1.69M | 25 | 1.36% | $22,873 |
| Tenafly, NJ | Bergen | $1.71M | 22 | 1.73% | $29,604 |
Source: OneKey® MLS, single-family homes closed Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026, by post office town. Medians. Data believed accurate but not warranted. Pulled Sep 30, 2026. Source: New Jersey MLS (NJMLS), single-family homes closed Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026, by town. Medians. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Pulled Oct 7, 2026. NY tax rates: NYS 2024 full-value rates, county + town + school. Taxes: NJ Division of Taxation, 2025 Average Residential Statistics (average tax bill and average sale price by municipality). Actual taxes depend on the assessment and any deductions.
From Rockland it's mostly the bus: express coaches to the Port Authority from Nanuet, Suffern, New City and Stony Point, or the Pascack Valley train from Pearl River, Nanuet and Spring Valley to Secaucus and Hoboken with a transfer into Penn Station. Driving, the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge connects to Metro-North at Tarrytown. From Orange County it's the Short Line bus from Monroe, Central Valley and Highland Mills, or the Port Jervis train from Harriman. From eastern Bergen it's the George Washington Bridge bus from Englewood, Tenafly, Teaneck and Bergenfield into the bus terminal at 178th Street, or NJ Transit's Pascack Valley and Main/Bergen lines from Hackensack and the river towns. Door to door, most of these towns are 45 minutes to an hour and a quarter from Midtown at rush hour.
Check current schedules before you commit to a commute, and try it once at the real hour.
Tell me your number and the towns you're curious about, in either state, and I'll send new listings that fit from both MLSs, usually before the weekend. Or book a 20-minute call and we'll sort out which side makes sense for you.