Reformed Dutch Church of Second River · Photo: Jim.henderson · CC0Even on the area’s higher pay, Belleville Township costs more to live in than 88% of U.S. towns
It ranks #214 of 468 in New Jersey for affordability. Up 3.7% in a year, 11% below the New Jersey typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area ($99K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Belleville Township’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($99K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 37% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 54% of renters.
In dollars
- $515Ktypical home, 11% below the New Jersey typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,300a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 113prices across the New York metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 149)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 4.2 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$99K, New York-area income
- 20%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 54%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across New Jersey: 52%Census 2020–24
- 37%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Belleville Township, in brief
Homes haven’t kept up with new residents
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Belleville Township gained 2,296 residents while 340 new homes were permitted: about 6.8 new residents per new home, against 2 across New Jersey. New homes ↓
2026 has already passed 2025
Through August, Belleville Township had permitted 167 new homes in 2026, more than the 33 in all of 2025. New homes ↓
A median income doesn’t stretch to the towns next door
At Belleville Township’s median income, the calculator’s budget of about $300K covers neither the typical home here ($515K) nor in any of the seven neighboring towns. The least expensive is Silver Lake at $448K. Can I afford it? ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Belleville Township’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Belleville Township is more affordable than 12% of U.S. towns, #214 of 468 in New Jersey. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with New Jersey: up 35.4% in five years, against 35.2% statewide (Zillow).
Up 3.7% in a year
About the same pace as New Jersey (4%).
Show as a table
| January | Belleville Township | New Jersey |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $263,000 | $313,000 |
| 2018 | $277,000 | $326,000 |
| 2019 | $294,000 | $339,000 |
| 2020 | $325,000 | $353,000 |
| 2021 | $360,000 | $389,000 |
| 2022 | $386,000 | $436,000 |
| 2023 | $407,000 | $466,000 |
| 2024 | $449,000 | $506,000 |
| 2025 | $486,000 | $544,000 |
| 2026 | $504,000 | $562,000 |
| September 2026 | $515,000 | $575,000 |
A typical Belleville Township home worth $259K in October 2016 is worth about $515K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 4.2 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Belleville Township’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $185K short of a typical Belleville Township home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300 a month here, $1,300 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, the New Jersey typical property tax (2.11% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300
Renters already here pay a median of $1,639, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Newark, NJ HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
33 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 33 new homes in Belleville Township in 2025: 4 single-family houses and 29 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $2.6 million to build. That's 0.9 per 1,000 residents, slower than across New Jersey (3.1). Over the past 10 years, Belleville Township has permitted 1,181 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Belleville Township gained 2,296 residents while 340 new homes were permitted: about 6.8 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. Across New Jersey: 2 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 167 | 0 | 167 | $24.3 million |
| 2025 | 33 | 4 | 29 | $2.6 million |
| 2024 | 84 | 1 | 83 | $8.4 million |
| 2023 | 294 | 2 | 292 | $39.4 million |
| 2022 | 142 | 0 | 142 | $15.8 million |
| 2021 | 307 | 4 | 303 | $5.3 million |
| 2020 | 37 | 1 | 36 | $4.9 million |
| 2019 | 239 | 1 | 238 | $39.9 million |
| 2018 | 25 | 1 | 24 | $1.2 million |
| 2017 | 4 | 0 | 4 | $404,000 |
| 2016 | 16 | 0 | 16 | $490,000 |
| 2015 | 13 | 0 | 13 | $1.3 million |
| 2014 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $257,000 |
| 2013 | 11 | 9 | 2 | $1.1 million |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 2 | 0 | 2 | $170,000 |
| 2010 | 26 | 26 | 0 | $3.2 million |
| 2009 | 22 | 17 | 5 | $1.7 million |
| 2008 | 48 | 31 | 17 | $4.6 million |
| 2007 | 99 | 65 | 34 | $9 million |
| 2006 | 177 | 37 | 140 | $16.8 million |
| 2005 | 54 | 20 | 34 | $1.6 million |
| 2004 | 12 | 8 | 4 | $1.3 million |
| 2003 | 23 | 13 | 10 | $2.6 million |
| 2002 | 8 | 0 | 8 | $508,000 |
| 2001 | 13 | 5 | 8 | $1.3 million |
| 2000 | 11 | 1 | 10 | $668,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs above the New Jersey norm
The median bill is $10,000+ (New Jersey: $9,590), 2.38%+ of a home’s value a year, against 2.11% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Belleville Township
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area, or New Jersey. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 113 | NJ 109 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 110 | NJ 107 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 127 | NJ 114 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 106 | NJ 104 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Belleville Township vs. its neighbors
Of the 7 towns here with a Zillow value, Belleville Township has the 2nd-lowest. Silver Lake has no Zillow value, so it is in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belleville Township | D | $515K | $421K | 2.38%+ | $2,300 |
| Newark | D | $481K | $374K | 1.94% | $1,930 |
| Silver Lake | – | — | $448K | 2.13% | $2,360 |
| North Arlington | D | $630K | $475K | 2.11%+ | $2,240 |
| Bloomfield Township | D | $606K | $471K | 2.12%+ | $2,490 |
| Nutley Township | D | $651K | $516K | 1.94%+ | $2,280 |
| Kearny | D | $579K | $459K | 2.18%+ | $2,510 |
| Lyndhurst Township | D | $652K | $524K | 1.91%+ | $2,290 |
“+”: the Census reports the tax bill only as $10,000 or more, so the rate is at least that. “—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents). “—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Belleville Township
Is Belleville Township expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Belleville Township costs more than 88% of U.S. towns: a D for cost of living, #214 of 468 in New Jersey. The typical home costs 4.2 years of the median household income of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area ($99K).
How much does a house cost in Belleville Township?
About $515K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.7% in a year. The New Jersey typical home is $575K.
What salary do you need to live in Belleville Township?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $154,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,600 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $92,000.
How much is rent in Belleville Township?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,300 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,639 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Belleville Township?
The median bill is $10,000+ a year, 2.38% of the median home value (New Jersey: $9,590, 2.11%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Belleville Township going up?
Yes: up 3.7% in the past year and 35.4% in five years, against 35.2% across New Jersey (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Belleville Township buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.