Voorhees vs. Cherry Hill: The Battle of Camden County’s Top Suburbs

If you are looking to buy a home in South Jersey, there is a very high probability that your search has narrowed down to two heavy hitters: Voorhees and Cherry Hill.

It’s a tough choice. These two towns are neighbors – sharing a jagged border along Kresson Road – and on paper, they look incredibly similar. Both offer easy access to Philadelphia, extensive park systems, and robust housing markets. However, once you spend a few weekends driving through neighborhoods and grabbing coffee in each town, you realize they have distinct “personalities.”

Cherry Hill is the bustling, energetic commercial hub of South Jersey. It’s where the action is. Voorhees, on the other hand, is the slightly quieter, receding suburb known as the “Medical Mile.” Choosing between them usually comes down to how much hustle and bustle you want right outside your driveway versus how much quiet you prefer.

Let’s break down the numbers, the schools, and the daily commute to help you decide.

Cost of Living & Property Taxes

Let’s start with the topic that makes every New Jersey homebuyer sweat: property taxes. If you are moving here from out of state, brace yourself. If you are moving from elsewhere in Jersey, you know the drill.

When you look at the raw data, Cherry Hill often surprises buyers with a slightly lower effective tax rate – typically hovering around 2.66%.

How does a town with so many amenities keep the rate lower than its neighbors? The answer is commercial real estate. Cherry Hill has a massive commercial tax base, anchored by the Cherry Hill Mall, big-box retailers, and corporate centers. These businesses pay a significant chunk of the town’s expenses, which subsidizes the residential tax burden slightly.

Voorhees, by comparison, usually sees a higher effective tax rate, often sitting near 3.06%. While Voorhees has plenty of businesses, it relies more heavily on residential property taxes to fund its budget.

However, don’t let the rate fool you. A lower rate doesn’t always mean a cheaper bill. Because homes in sought-after sections of Cherry Hill (especially the East side) can have higher assessed values, the actual dollar amount you write on the check is often comparable. In both towns, it is very common to see average tax bills exceeding $10,000 annually.

When it comes to home prices, Cherry Hill offers a much wider spectrum. You can find everything from a $350,000 starter rancher to a luxury estate priced well over $1,000,000. Voorhees inventory tends to be a bit more concentrated in the middle. You will see a lot of mid-sized single-family homes and townhomes, particularly near the Town Center, with fewer ultra-luxury estates than you might find in Cherry Hill’s most exclusive pockets.

If you are trying to budget for your move, looking at a guide on South Jersey home buying costs is a smart next step to understand closing fees beyond just the listing price.

Education: Eastern Regional vs. Cherry Hill East

For many buyers, the school district is the deciding factor. This is where the differences between the two towns become very specific.

In Cherry Hill, geography is everything. The township is divided into two high school attendance zones: Cherry Hill High School West and Cherry Hill High School East.

• Cherry Hill West serves the western side of town (closer to the mall and Haddonfield).
• Cherry Hill East serves the eastern side (closer to Voorhees and Marlton).

Cherry Hill East is widely considered the academic powerhouse of the district, often showing higher test scores (around 70% reading proficiency) and ranking highly in state metrics. Because of this, homes in the “East” zone often command a premium. If you are looking at homes for sale in Cherry Hill, you must verify which zone a specific house falls into – do not assume.

Voorhees keeps things simpler. The entire township feeds into one high school: Eastern Regional High School. Eastern also serves students from neighboring Gibbsboro and Berlin.

While Eastern Regional is a highly rated “A” school with a massive campus and incredible athletic facilities, its test scores (hovering around 56% reading proficiency) generally trail slightly behind Cherry Hill East.

The structure of the younger grades differs, too. Cherry Hill is a unified K-12 district. Voorhees has a separate K-8 school district before sending students to the regional high school. Both towns offer excellent access to education, but if you are looking for the absolute highest statistical rankings, the data usually points toward the East side of Cherry Hill.

Commuting to Philadelphia: PATCO and Highways

If you work in Center City Philadelphia, your commute is going to dictate your quality of life. Both towns are excellent commuter hubs, but they offer different advantages depending on how you travel.

Cherry Hill is physically closer to the city. If you drive, you have easier access to the Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross Bridges via Route 70 and Route 38. However, “easier” is a relative term. Route 70 is notorious for congestion.

For train commuters, Cherry Hill is home to the Woodcrest Station on the PATCO Speedline. This is arguably the best station in the system for drivers because it has direct ramp access from I-295. You can hop off the highway and be on the train in minutes.

Voorhees adds about 10 to 15 minutes to the drive if you are heading to the bridges. However, Voorhees residents have a great asset in the Ashland Station on the PATCO line. Unlike the massive concrete island of Woodcrest, Ashland feels more like a neighborhood station.

At a glance:

• Cherry Hill Commute: approx. 15 – 20 minutes to the bridge (without traffic); Woodcrest Station is a major hub.
• Voorhees Commute: approx. 25 – 30 minutes to the bridge; Ashland Station offers a quieter ride.
• The Traffic Factor: Cherry Hill suffers from heavy volume on Route 70 and Route 38. Voorhees deals with Route 73, which is busy but generally moves better than the gridlock often found near the Cherry Hill Mall.

Lifestyle & Amenities: Mall Madness vs. Medical Mile

What does Saturday afternoon look like in these towns?

Cherry Hill is the commercial giant. If you love having everything at your fingertips, this is the place. The Cherry Hill Mall is a regional destination with high-end anchors like Nordstrom and Apple. You have a Wegmans, a Whole Foods, and seemingly every chain restaurant in existence along Route 70.

The trade-off for this convenience is traffic. Living in Cherry Hill means accepting that your local roads are also major thoroughfares for the rest of South Jersey. It feels busy. It feels urban-suburban.

Voorhees is the “Medical Mile.” The town’s identity has shifted over the last decade to focus heavily on healthcare, anchored by the massive Virtua Voorhees Hospital campus. This has brought a lot of medical professionals to the area.

Voorhees is quieter. The nightlife is more subdued, focusing on local spots and places like Iron Hill Brewery rather than the high-end steakhouses you find in Cherry Hill. The former Echelon Mall, now known as the Voorhees Town Center, is in the middle of a long transition into a mixed-use residential and retail space. It doesn’t attract the crowds that Cherry Hill does, which many residents prefer.

You also have great access to green space in Voorhees, specifically Connolly Park and the local athletic fields. It feels slightly more like a traditional “bedroom community” than the commercial powerhouse next door.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are property taxes cheaper in Voorhees or Cherry Hill?

Technically, Cherry Hill usually has a lower effective tax rate (around 2.66%) compared to Voorhees (around 3.06%) due to its commercial tax base. However, because home assessments can be higher in Cherry Hill, the actual annual tax bill is often very similar—frequently exceeding $10,000 in both towns.

Is Eastern Regional High School better than Cherry Hill East?

Both are highly rated “A” schools, but Cherry Hill High School East typically scores higher in standardized testing and college readiness metrics. Eastern Regional is competitive and offers excellent facilities, but statistically, Cherry Hill East often holds the edge in academic rankings.

Does Voorhees have a downtown?

Voorhees does not have a traditional historic “Main Street” downtown like Haddonfield or Collingswood. It has the Voorhees Town Center (formerly Echelon Mall), which is a mixed-use area with some shops, apartments, and municipal offices, but it is more of a redeveloped commercial hub than a walkable downtown village.