Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Rockaway, New Jersey
A $428,000 home here costs
$3,767per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $2,200. The real number is $1,567 higher every month — 71% 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.
Rockaway against Morris County and New Jersey
| Measure | Rockaway | Morris County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $427,800 | $557,000 |
| Median property tax | $9,931 | $10,001 |
| Effective tax rate | 2.321% | 1.796% |
| Median gross rent | $1,496 | $1,860 |
| Population | 6,589 | 510,375 |
The weather behind that power bill
Rockaway sits in Morris County, which averages a high of 85.2°F in its hottest month and a low of 22.9°F in its coldest, with 44.88" of precipitation a year and 29% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 973 cooling and 5,272 heating degree days, which is what sets the $209 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Morris County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Morris County
Full Morris County cost breakdown · Every county in New Jersey
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Rockaway?
A $428,000 home in Rockaway, New Jersey costs approximately $3,767 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $2,200 principal and interest, $828 property tax, $105 homeowners insurance, $277 utilities and $357 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Rockaway?
Rockaway has an effective property tax rate of 2.321%, based on a median home value of $427,800 and median real estate taxes of $9,931. That is higher than the Morris County average of 1.796%.
What is the average home price in Rockaway?
The median owner-occupied home value in Rockaway, New Jersey is $427,800, against $557,000 across Morris County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Rockaway?
Median gross rent in Rockaway is $1,496 a month, against $3,767 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 Rockaway — 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.