In recent years, a number of large new apartment buildings have been constructed in Princeton. How have they affected rental rates around the town? To find out, we reviewed rental rates for apartments listed online, and compared them to last year. We last did a similar survey in September 2024 (Report: Princeton, NJ Apartment Rents Increasing Less Than Home Prices in 2024).

“As of November 2025, the average rent in Princeton, NJ is $2,650 per month” according to listings website, apartments.com. That represents a 2.4% increase relative to 2024, when the equivalent figure was $2,589 / month. They estimate that studio apartments in Princeton rent at an average of $2,091 / month, and one-bedroom apartments at an average of $2,650. Another listings agency, Zillow.com, estimates that one-bedroom apartments in Princeton rent for an average of $2,411 in 2025. That figure would represent a 6.8% increase relative to last year, when Zillow reported that one-bedroom apartments in Princeton rented for an average of $2,257.

At some of the larger, ‘luxury’ apartment complexes in town, there is a mixed picture about rents. ‘The Alice‘, a new building next to the Princeton Shopping Center, seems to be renting at much higher rates relative to 2024, up by 25% in the last year. But the big Avalon Bay apartment developments show either very small increases in rent (up by 1.4% at ‘Avalon Princeton‘ on Witherspoon St) or lower rents compared to 2024 (down by 3% at ‘Avalon Princeton Circle‘ on Thanet Road).

A new Avalon Bay development, ‘Avalon Princeton on Harrison‘, opened this year at the south end of the Princeton Shopping Center, near ‘Princeton Pizza Star’. At the time of writing, no one-bedroom apartments are available, although the development should offer one-bedroom apartments at some point. Two-bedroom apartments are available, and they start at $3,390 / month.

Nassau Street Properties has updated rates for their available properties for the coming year. These apartments are typically in older buildings but can offer good value as they are often located in walkable neighborhoods in the heart of Princeton. Their average rate for one-bedroom apartments in Princeton, as shown below, is $2,667 / month. That is actually lower than the equivalent figure for 2024, which was $2,713 / month. Some of the units are advertised as a lower rate now compared to at the same time last year. Other units have increased in price by a relatively small amount.

Redfin has a number of apartment listings, including in smaller buildings. This is not a bad place to look for cheaper options. At the time of writing, they are listing a one-bedroom, one-bath unit on Pine Street for $1,835 / month. A 1-bed, 1-ba unit on Wiggins St is advertised for $2,000 / month. A studio in the older ‘Nassau Arms‘ apartment complex on Franklin Ave is available for $1,725 / month. Trulia offers apartment listings too, but none that are really cheaper than these.

At the time of writing, there do not seem to be any particular bargains available at Facebook Marketplace, and some listings there look like total scams. At Craigslist, several small 1-bedroom apartments are being offered for $1,100 / month, but it is hard to know if they are legit. Any renter would be strongly advised to check out the unit in person and insist on a proper contract before handing over any money. Rentals in Princeton are supposed to be registered with the town, and a call to the Office of Rental Housing Inspections might be a good idea to see if a unit has any available record.

In summary, rents in Princeton are still high, although some properties are a little bit cheaper now than they were last year. $2,500 / month is pretty average for a 1-bedroom apartment. Apartments can occasionally be got for less than that, and units in ‘luxury’ developments will be more expensive.

Note: Walkable Princeton does not rent apartments. The rates shown here were gathered by online search on November 16, 2025 and represent a good-faith effort to survey the local rental market at the current time. Actual rates and availability may vary.