Living in Berkeley, NJ
Small city in New Jersey
Berkeley is a small city in New Jersey, home to about 44,000 people, with 660,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, most trips are by car. Life moves at a relaxed pace, and homes are mostly houses with yards.
Is Berkeley a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Safe: violent crime is 0.3× the US rate (FBI 2019)
- Mild summers: highs around 83°F
- Strong healthcare: 3 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Low natural disaster risk: 9 federally declared disasters since 2000
👎 Cons
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
- Higher taxes: about $2,267 state income tax per resident, 1.42% property tax
- Fewer graduates: 22% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
- Fewer family amenities than most places
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Berkeley ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Berkeley: common questions
What is the cost of living in Berkeley?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $322k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $3,040 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 113, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Berkeley?
New Jersey collects about $2,267 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 1.42% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Berkeley safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.3× in FBI 2019 data).
How are the schools in Berkeley?
Public schools in Berkeley test close to the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 13 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Berkeley?
Berkeley has cool winters: winter days average around 44°F and summer days around 83°F, with roughly 10″ of snow a year.
Does Berkeley get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding and strong wind: 9 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.32 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Berkeley?
The nearest major airport is EWR, about 53 mi away.
How Berkeley scores
Each bar compares Berkeley with the other 1,990 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Berkeley
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 24 aspects.
The circle is each place's all-round score out of 100: the average of its 15 quality scores, from red (poor) to green (excellent).
Nearby
See all the best places to live in New Jersey.
Is Berkeley right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.