Living in Montclair, NJ
Suburb in New Jersey
Montclair is a suburb in New Jersey, home to about 40,000 people, with 14.0 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, you can walk or take transit almost everywhere. Life moves at a very fast pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is Montclair a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Big job market: about 14.0 million people live within 31 mi
- Strong healthcare: 26 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Highly educated: 72% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, and 13 research universities are within 31 mi
- Easy flying: EWR is 9 mi away
👎 Cons
- Pricey housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $939k, and rent is $2,760 a month
- Higher taxes: about $2,267 state income tax per resident, 1.18% property tax
- Few dog parks: 32 within 9 mi
- Cloudier than most places
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Montclair ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Montclair: common questions
What is the cost of living in Montclair?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $939k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $2,760 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 113, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Montclair?
New Jersey collects about $2,267 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 1.18% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Montclair safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.4× in FBI 2019 data).
How are the schools in Montclair?
Public schools in Montclair test well above the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 12 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Montclair?
Montclair has cold winters: winter days average around 41°F and summer days around 83°F, with roughly 28″ of snow a year.
Does Montclair get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding: 11 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.39 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Montclair?
The nearest major airport is EWR, about 9 mi away.
How Montclair scores
Each bar compares Montclair 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 Montclair
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 Montclair right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.