Compare Jersey Shore Towns
Local Knowledge. Shore Results. Updated October 2026Every Jersey Shore town claims to be worth a look. This page skips the sales pitch and gets to the numbers: median home prices, property tax rates, and what separates one town from the next, side by side. Pick a pair below, or run your own comparison with the tool.
Compare Any Two Towns Yourself
Pick any two Jersey Shore towns and see them side by side: water access, walkability, pace and character, and the tradeoffs that come with each one. It takes about a minute.
Head-to-Head Comparisons
These are popular matchups, with current pricing and the tradeoffs that usually decide it.
Toms River vs Brick Township
Toms River's median list price runs $569,000, the same as Brick's, so the bigger difference is daily life. Toms River is the county seat. Brick has a direct bus line to Manhattan.
Lacey vs Barnegat
Lacey's median list price of $599,000 runs about $139,000 above Barnegat's $459,950. Lacey's lagoon neighborhoods with private docks drive most of that gap. Barnegat gives you newer construction for less.
Stafford vs Little Egg Harbor
Next-door neighbors with lagoons in both, about $190,000 apart on median list price. Stafford has the LBI bridge and the shopping. Little Egg Harbor is quieter and has the lower average tax bill.
Barnegat vs Stafford
Stafford's median list price of $615,000 runs about $155,000 above Barnegat's $459,950, and the two towns share Ocean Acres. Stafford has the Beach Haven West lagoons and the only road onto LBI. Barnegat gives you newer construction for less.
Brick vs Point Pleasant
Point Pleasant's median list price of $910,000 runs about $341,000 above Brick's $569,000. Point Pleasant's canal and Manasquan River homes with private docks drive most of that gap. Brick gives you more kinds of waterfront at more price points.
Jackson vs Howell
Howell's median list price of $659,900 sits only about $11,000 above Jackson's $649,250, so price alone won't decide it. Howell's average tax bill runs about $850 higher. Howell has NJ Transit park and ride lots with buses to New York, and Jackson has I-195 access and rural acreage in Cassville.
Red Bank vs Fair Haven
Fair Haven's median list price of $2,434,500 runs about $1.7 million above Red Bank's $715,450, on just 8 active listings. Fair Haven's quiet river streets and tight inventory drive most of that gap. Red Bank gives you a walkable downtown and a train station for less.
Manchester vs Berkeley
Berkeley's median list price of $369,000 runs about $169,000 above Manchester's $199,950. Lower-priced homes in Manchester's age-restricted communities, including land-lease co-ops in parts of Crestwood Village, pull its median down. Berkeley adds Barnegat Bay lagoons, private docks and two Parkway exits.
Holmdel vs Middletown
Holmdel's median list price of $1,400,000 runs about $621,000 above Middletown's $779,000. Holmdel's large-lot subdivisions and custom estates drive most of that gap. Middletown gives you bay and river frontage, a train to New York and a much wider range of prices.
Long Branch vs Asbury Park
Long Branch's median list price of $1,097,500 runs about $263,000 above Asbury Park's $834,950. Elberon and West End estate homes and the oceanfront condos around Pier Village drive most of that gap. Asbury Park packs the boardwalk, Cookman Avenue and the train station into a smaller city for less.
Seaside Heights vs Seaside Park
Seaside Park's median list price of $1,600,000 runs about $725,000 above Seaside Heights' $875,095, on small inventories in both towns. Seaside Park is the quiet, residential side of the border, with Island Beach State Park at its south end. Seaside Heights gives you the boardwalk for less.
Forked River vs Waretown
Both sit on Barnegat Bay, with prices about $10,000 apart. Forked River has the bigger lagoon market. Waretown has more county parkland and a large active-adult community.
Middletown vs Howell
Middletown's median list price of $830,000 runs well above Howell's $649,750. Waterfront inventory and commuter rail access, which Howell doesn't have, drive most of that gap.
Point Pleasant vs Point Pleasant Beach
Same name, two different towns. Point Pleasant Beach's median runs about 46% higher than Point Pleasant proper, and the boardwalk is the main reason.
Berkeley Township vs Keyport
These two sit almost $185,000 apart on median price. Berkeley gives you more house and a lower tax bill. Keyport gives you a walkable Bayshore downtown.
Don't See Your Two Towns?
I add more comparisons regularly. If the two towns you're deciding between aren't here yet, try the full comparison tool to check any two Jersey Shore towns yourself, or reach out and I'll pull the numbers for you.
Matt Quinn, United Real Estate Associates
(609) 709-2742
matt@mattquinnsellshomes.com