New Jersey rent guide
The Cheapest Cities to Rent in New Jersey (June 2026)
Data as of Jun 9, 2026 · 606 rentals across 158 New Jersey cities
Rent in New Jersey is really a map of one thing: how close you are to New York City. The Hudson County waterfront across from Manhattan (Hoboken, Jersey City, Fort Lee) is some of the priciest rent in the country, while the Philadelphia side of the state, the Trenton area, and the inner Essex and Union County suburbs are genuinely affordable. We track every apartment we can find and rank the cities below by their typical rent, straight from live listings.
The lowest typical rent right now is in Cherry Hill (about $1,645/mo), while Hoboken sits at the top ($3,471/mo). For most renters the big call is the Hudson waterfront versus everywhere else; the bedroom count you need takes it from there.
New Jersey cities by typical rent, cheapest first
| # | City | Typical | From | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cherry Hill | $1,645 | $1,450 | 6 |
| 2 | Ewing | $1,750 | $1,615 | 5 |
| 3 | West Orange | $1,800 | $1,518 | 5 |
| 4 | Elizabeth | $1,850 | $1,017 | 31 |
| 5 | Lakewood | $1,862 | $983 | 6 |
| 6 | Irvington | $1,900 | $1,249 | 12 |
| 7 | Union | $1,937 | $1,549 | 5 |
| 8 | Edison | $1,965 | $1,700 | 5 |
| 9 | Montclair | $1,980 | $1,192 | 12 |
| 10 | Bloomfield | $1,983 | $1,109 | 16 |
| 11 | Piscataway | $2,003 | $1,929 | 6 |
| 12 | Kearny | $2,015 | $1,800 | 5 |
| 13 | Long Branch | $2,023 | $1,925 | 8 |
| 14 | East Orange | $2,025 | $1,395 | 16 |
| 15 | Woodbridge | $2,025 | $1,495 | 7 |
| 16 | Hackensack | $2,063 | $1,040 | 14 |
| 17 | Perth Amboy | $2,077 | $1,153 | 8 |
| 18 | Passaic | $2,100 | $1,775 | 5 |
| 19 | Paterson | $2,200 | $1,100 | 8 |
| 20 | Bayonne | $2,200 | $1,725 | 25 |
| 21 | Clifton | $2,210 | $1,764 | 6 |
| 22 | Rahway | $2,220 | $1,801 | 6 |
| 23 | Newark | $2,250 | $1,297 | 25 |
| 24 | Toms River | $2,377 | $1,423 | 5 |
| 25 | Summit | $2,395 | $1,400 | 7 |
| 26 | Morristown | $2,463 | $1,220 | 10 |
| 27 | North Bergen | $2,490 | $1,975 | 7 |
| 28 | Princeton | $2,525 | $2,004 | 7 |
| 29 | Springfield | $2,590 | $1,574 | 5 |
| 30 | West New York | $2,768 | $1,450 | 8 |
| 31 | Fort Lee | $2,795 | $1,100 | 7 |
| 32 | Jersey City | $2,900 | $1,320 | 87 |
| 33 | Hoboken | $3,471 | $2,565 | 16 |
How we rank them
“Typical” is the median rent across everything we track in a city, so half the listings are cheaper and half pricier. “From” is the single cheapest unit listed right now. We include cities with at least five live listings and exclude single rooms and senior housing. Small-city medians can swing on a few listings, so the bigger markets are the most stable. Refreshes when our data does (last updated Jun 9, 2026).
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest city to rent in New Jersey?
By typical (median) rent it's Cherry Hill, around $1,645/mo, then Ewing and West Orange. The value is on the Philadelphia side of the state (the Camden and Cherry Hill area), around Trenton, and in the inner Essex and Union County suburbs, all far cheaper than the Hudson waterfront. The ranking rebuilds from live listings, so it moves with the market.
Where is rent most expensive in New Jersey?
Hoboken tops the list at about $3,471/mo. The priciest rents in the state are the Hudson County towns directly across from Manhattan, Hoboken, Jersey City, West New York and Fort Lee, where a PATH ride into the city pushes rents toward NYC levels.
Is South Jersey cheaper than North Jersey?
Generally yes, because price in New Jersey tracks how close you are to New York City. The Philadelphia-side markets (Camden County, Cherry Hill) and the Trenton area are some of the lowest rents in the state, while the North Jersey towns on the Hudson are the highest. The inner Essex and Union suburbs (West Orange, Irvington, Elizabeth, Union) are the middle-ground value if you still need NYC access.
How do I find the cheapest rent in New Jersey?
Start in the value markets at the top of the table below, filter to the bedroom count you actually need, and sort by price. The single cheapest unit in a city (the "from" price) is often hundreds below the median, so the specific building matters as much as the city.
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