Warren vs Watchung, by the numbers
Over the trailing twelve months to September 6, 2026, the median Warren sale was $1,182,500 against $1,045,000 in Watchung, a premium of about 13 percent. But per square foot the gap narrows to $44, $414 in Warren against $370. The median Warren sale was 2,870 square feet on 1.50 acres against 2,883 square feet on 1.50 acres in Watchung. And Watchung is the faster market, a median 19 days against Warren's 24, with 48 percent of sales clearing asking price against 37 percent in Warren. Watchung's median tax bill on sold homes is $17,092 against $14,332 in Warren, and as a share of the median sale price the burden runs 1.64 percent against Warren's 1.21.
These figures cover every residential property type sold through the Garden State MLS, including townhouses and condominiums, not detached houses alone. Both towns are drawn from the same Garden State MLS data over the same window, so every figure here is directly comparable, which separately sourced town profiles are not. Watchung figures cover Watchung Borough, Somerset County, the same county as Warren. Updated September 6, 2026.
The head to head
| Measure | Warren | Watchung |
|---|---|---|
| Closed sales | 180 | 64 |
| Median sale price | $1,182,500 | $1,045,000 |
| Median price per square foot | $414 | $370 |
| Median living area, sq ft | 2,870 | 2,883 |
| Median lot, acres, detached only | 1.50 | 1.50 |
| Median days on market | 24 | 19 |
| Sold over asking price | 37% | 48% |
| Attached share of sales | 23% | 13% |
| Median tax bill on sold homes | $14,332 | $17,092 |
| Tax as share of median price | 1.21% | 1.64% |
Median lot uses county parcel acreage for detached houses only. Tax as share of price is the median bill over the median price, the only form comparable across towns.
Five years, side by side
Calendar year medians since 2021. Warren's median rose about 47 percent across this span against about 45 percent in Watchung, with 2026 partial in both towns.
| Year | Warren sales | Warren median | Watchung sales | Watchung median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 267 | $839,000 | 111 | $775,000 |
| 2022 | 230 | $945,000 | 104 | $875,000 |
| 2023 | 199 | $979,000 | 54 | $951,750 |
| 2024 | 183 | $1,079,648 | 57 | $975,000 |
| 2025 | 180 | $1,137,500 | 59 | $995,000 |
| 2026 (through Sep 6) | 114 | $1,233,000 | 44 | $1,124,500 |
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Schools
The two towns share a high school: both are constituent members of Watchung Hills Regional, each with its own K-8 district below it. A move between them does not change where your teenager goes to school. Warren's districts, budgets and enrollment are on the Warren schools page.
Taxes
The dollar bill and the burden point the same way here. Watchung's median bill on sold homes is $17,092 and Warren's is $14,332, and measured against what homes actually sell for, Watchung runs 1.64 percent against Warren's 1.21 percent. Warren carries the lowest tax burden relative to price of the seven towns tracked on the comparison page. Why the certified rate and the effective burden cannot be chained together is explained on the Warren property taxes page.
These are medians of what sold, not appraisals of comparable houses. Watchung's attached share of sales is 13 percent against Warren's 23 percent, and a town whose inventory skews to townhouses shows a lower median without being cheaper for an equivalent home. Commute, schools fit and character decide most moves and none of them are in these tables. Twelve months in towns this size is also a modest sample, so expect the figures to move between updates.
The rest of the comparison set
Warren against all six neighbors on one table is on Warren vs nearby towns. Every current Warren figure is on Warren by the Numbers, and the market is tracked monthly on the market page.
- Garden State MLS closed sales for both municipalities, trailing twelve months to September 6, 2026 and calendar years 2021 through 2026, matched to county parcel records. Superseded listings excluded. Town names normalised across punctuation variants. Medians computed exactly. Analysis is original to this publication. Methods: data and methodology.
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Warren Township resident and full time broker, licensed in New Jersey since 2002. Warren, Local. is written from live Garden State MLS data, township records and primary sources. Every figure is traceable to a source listed above.