Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Fort Lee, New Jersey
A $422,000 home here costs
$3,643per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $2,170. The real number is $1,474 higher every month — 68% more than the payment most buyers budget for.
Where every dollar goes
Only the first line is a mortgage payment. Change any assumption above and every figure below recalculates.
Fort Lee against Bergen County and New Jersey
| Measure | Fort Lee | Bergen County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $422,200 | $593,200 |
| Median property tax | $8,899 | $10,001 |
| Effective tax rate | 2.108% | 1.686% |
| Median gross rent | $2,255 | $1,863 |
| Population | 39,818 | 954,717 |
The weather behind that power bill
Fort Lee sits in Bergen County, which averages a high of 87.0°F in its hottest month and a low of 25.7°F in its coldest, with 46.29" of precipitation a year and 28% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 1,255 cooling and 4,735 heating degree days, which is what sets the $209 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Bergen County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Bergen County
Full Bergen County cost breakdown · Every county in New Jersey
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Fort Lee?
A $422,000 home in Fort Lee, New Jersey costs approximately $3,643 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $2,170 principal and interest, $741 property tax, $103 homeowners insurance, $277 utilities and $352 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Fort Lee?
Fort Lee has an effective property tax rate of 2.108%, based on a median home value of $422,200 and median real estate taxes of $8,899. That is higher than the Bergen County average of 1.686%.
What is the average home price in Fort Lee?
The median owner-occupied home value in Fort Lee, New Jersey is $422,200, against $593,200 across Bergen County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Fort Lee?
Median gross rent in Fort Lee is $2,255 a month, against $3,643 to own the median home all in. Renting costs less month to month here, though renting builds no equity.
Sources & methodology
- Median home value, real estate taxes, gross rent and population for Fort Lee — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for New Jersey.
- Electricity price — EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A.
- Mortgage rate — Freddie Mac PMMS, refreshed weekly.
- Maintenance (1%/yr) and water and sewer ($68/mo) are national estimates. Every assumption above is editable.