Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domainEven on the area’s higher pay, Byram Township costs more to live in than 78% of U.S. towns
It ranks #87 of 468 in New Jersey for affordability. Up 3.5% in a year, 21% 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. Byram 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: 25% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 44% of renters.
In dollars
- $456Ktypical home, 21% below the New Jersey typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,340a 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
- 3.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$99K, New York-area income
- 19%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 25%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Byram Township
Nearly every household owns
95% of Byram Township households own their home, against 64% across New Jersey. There are only 134 renter households, so rentals are scarce. Property taxes ↓
Very little new building
Byram Township permitted 66 new homes over the past 10 years, about 0.8 a year per 1,000 residents. Across New Jersey, the pace in 2025 was 3.1. In 2025, Byram Township permitted 2. New homes ↓
Fewer people, more homes
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Byram Township lost 322 residents while 71 new homes were permitted. New homes ↓
A median income goes further next door
At Byram Township’s median income, the calculator’s budget of about $442K falls short here but covers the typical home in Byram Center ($367K) and Port Morris ($410K). 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 (2025 partly estimated); incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Byram Township’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Byram Township is more affordable than 22% of U.S. towns, #87 of 468 in New Jersey. Property tax pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with New Jersey: up 32.3% in five years, against 35.2% statewide (Zillow).
Up 32.3% in five years
About the same pace as New Jersey (35.2%).
Show as a table
| January | Byram Township | New Jersey |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $245,000 | $313,000 |
| 2018 | $253,000 | $326,000 |
| 2019 | $260,000 | $339,000 |
| 2020 | $276,000 | $353,000 |
| 2021 | $312,000 | $389,000 |
| 2022 | $350,000 | $436,000 |
| 2023 | $366,000 | $466,000 |
| 2024 | $404,000 | $506,000 |
| 2025 | $436,000 | $544,000 |
| 2026 | $442,000 | $562,000 |
| September 2026 | $456,000 | $575,000 |
A typical Byram Township home worth $244K in October 2016 is worth about $456K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 3.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Byram Township’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $141K short of a typical Byram Township home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,340 a month here, $1,000 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Byram Township’s typical property tax (2.51% 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 $2,340
Renters already here pay a median of $1,561, 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 (Warren County, 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.
2 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 2 new homes in Byram Township in 2025, all single-family houses. That's 0.2 per 1,000 residents, slower than across New Jersey (3.1). Over the past 10 years, Byram Township has permitted 66 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Byram Township's population fell by 322 even though 71 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. 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) | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $900,000 |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $800,000 |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $118,000 |
| 2022 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2021 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2020 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $3 million |
| 2019 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| 2018 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| 2017 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $2.8 million |
| 2016 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $2.8 million |
| 2015 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $2.4 million |
| 2014 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $2.5 million |
| 2013 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2012 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2011 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $758,000 |
| 2010 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2009 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $307,000 |
| 2008 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $728,000 |
| 2007 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $5 million |
| 2006 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $3.6 million |
| 2005 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $3.1 million |
| 2004 | 22 | 22 | 0 | $4.3 million |
| 2003 | 22 | 22 | 0 | $3.5 million |
| 2002 | 34 | 34 | 0 | $5.5 million |
| 2001 | 28 | 28 | 0 | $4.8 million |
| 2000 | 26 | 26 | 0 | $4.2 million |
Byram Township's permit office reported 6 of 12 months in 2025; the Census estimated the rest.
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 $9,780 (New Jersey: $9,590), 2.51% 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 Byram 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.
Byram Township vs. its neighbors
Of the 4 towns here with a Zillow value, Byram Township has the 3rd-lowest. Mount Olive Township and Roxbury Township and Port Morris and Byram Center have no Zillow value, so they are 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Byram Township | C− | $456K | $390K | 2.51% | $2,340 |
| Hopatcong | C− | $453K | $341K | 2.22% | $2,290 |
| Mount Olive Township | C− | — | $487K | 2.05%+ | $2,240 |
| Byram Center | – | — | $367K | 2.46% | $2,510 |
| Stanhope | C− | $449K | $377K | 2.60% | $2,510 |
| Port Morris | – | — | $410K | 2.06% | $2,370 |
| Roxbury Township | D | — | $466K | 2.15%+ | $2,750 |
| Andover Township | C− | $567K | $413K | 2.36% | $2,030 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures. “+”: 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).
Questions about the cost of living in Byram Township
Is Byram Township expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Byram Township costs more than 78% of U.S. towns: a C− for cost of living, #87 of 468 in New Jersey. The typical home costs 3.9 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 Byram Township?
About $456K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.5% in a year. The New Jersey typical home is $575K.
What salary do you need to live in Byram Township?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $143,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,340 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $94,000.
How much is rent in Byram Township?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,340 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,561 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Byram Township?
The median bill is $9,780 a year, 2.51% of the median home value (New Jersey: $9,590, 2.11%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Byram Township going up?
Yes: up 3.5% in the past year and 32.3% in five years, against 35.2% across New Jersey (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Byram 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.