Local Knowledge. Shore Results.
Toms River and Brick sell at almost the same price. Toms River gives you a downtown and barrier island beaches, and Brick is quieter, built around its lagoons and rivers.
Toms River and Brick come up together more than almost any other pairing I get. Both are big, both touch water in more than one way, and both show up in a buyer's search around the same price point.
So people assume the two towns are basically interchangeable, just pick whichever has the house you like. They're not. I've walked buyers through both sides of Barnegat Bay enough times to know the daily experience is different in ways a listing photo won't show you.
Two of Ocean County's Biggest Towns
Toms River Township is New Jersey's 8th most populous municipality, with more than 95,000 residents. Brick Township is the state's 13th largest and the third largest in Ocean County, with about 73,600 residents as of the 2020 census.
Toms River also carries a role Brick doesn't: it's the county seat, so downtown has the Ocean County courthouse, the main branch of the county library, and the Ocean County Historical Museum. That gives Toms River an actual civic center that Brick's layout doesn't have.
How Each Town Handles the Water
Toms River's water side splits into two different experiences. On the mainland, neighborhoods like Silverton sit on Silver Bay, and North, East, and West Dover fill in the rest. Then there's Toms River's own slice of the barrier island, Dover Beaches North and Ortley Beach, directly across the bay from downtown but a different world once you're out there.
Brick's water runs through the Metedeconk River, the Manasquan River, and a network of Barnegat Bay lagoon neighborhoods. The township also has its own barrier peninsula section along the ocean, but it's physically cut off from the rest of Brick. You have to cross the Mantoloking Bridge to reach it, it isn't a quick trip from the mainland side the way Ortley Beach is from downtown Toms River.
Brick also has real recreation built around its inland water. The Brick Reservoir is a 120-acre park with a 1.6-mile trail loop, and Windward Beach Park sits right on the Metedeconk. Toms River has Cattus Island County Park on Barnegat Bay, with its own nature trails and butterfly garden, so both towns give you somewhere to walk that isn't just a sidewalk.
Toms River gives you the most variety of any single town in the county.
The Commute Difference
If getting into Manhattan matters to you, Brick has an edge most of Ocean County doesn't: direct NJ Transit bus service to the Port Authority, with a trip that runs roughly 75 to 120 minutes depending on the route and time of day. Toms River residents commute too, but without that same direct line, it usually means driving to a park and ride or a train station outside town first.
What It Actually Costs Right Now
As of October 2026, the median active listing is $569,000 in both Toms River Township and Brick Township. What actually surprised me once I pulled the numbers: the average property tax bill in Brick, about $8,093, comes in lower than Toms River's average of $8,528, even though the two towns list at the same median price.
The effective tax rates are close, 1.523% in Toms River versus 1.575% in Brick, so the gap isn't the rate itself. It comes down to how individual homes are assessed. Either way, get the actual tax line on any specific house before you compare towns on price alone.
Which One Actually Fits You
Toms River gives you the most variety of any single town in the county. You can be lagoon-front on the mainland, walk to an actual downtown business district, or live on a real barrier island beach block in Ortley Beach.
Brick is more contained and quieter day to day, built around the reservoir, the Metedeconk, and its lagoon neighborhoods, and it's one of the few towns in Ocean County where you can skip the drive and take a bus straight into the city.
Want the median price, tax rate, and full data table side by side? Compare Toms River and Brick pricing, or run your own comparison for any two Jersey Shore towns.
Read the full Toms River Township guide | Read the full Brick Township guide
Trying to figure out which side of the bay actually fits how you live, not just what fits the budget? Reach out directly or call (609) 709-2742.
Matthew Quinn, United Real Estate Associates
(609) 709-2742
matt@mattquinnsellshomes.com