Burb vs. burb

Narberth North Wales

Two Montgomery County contenders, $250K apart on a typical house, and two different ideas of a Saturday. The tale of the tape:

Quick verdict

  • Your dollar goes further in North Wales: homes around $475K against $725K.
  • Narberth takes the food question. More kitchens worth arguing about.
  • Narberth wins the browse. The shops are the afternoon.
  • Narberth has more on the marquee: stages, screens, festivals.

The read, side by side

Food scene
Nights out
Shops & browsing
Arts & festivals
Trails & outdoors
Family Saturdays
Train to the city
Main-street walk
Peace & quiet

Scored 0–5 by us, the way we’d brief a friend. Not by a formula.

The numbers

Narberth North Wales
CountyMontgomeryMontgomery
Typical home$725K$475K
TrainNarberth, about 25 minNorth Wales, about 45 min
Drive to Center City~15 min~45 min
SchoolsLower MerionNorth Penn
Population4,4923,426
In our guide55 places30 places

Home values: typical figures checked against Zillow and Redfin, mid-2026. Train times: typical scheduled rides to Jefferson Station, rounded. Verify before you commit to anything with a mortgage on it.

A Saturday in each

Narberth

  • Srinagar Indian Cuisine: Kashmiri and North Indian cooking on N Essex Ave, named for Kashmir's summer capital.
  • Narberth Bookshop: The independent bookshop on Haverford Ave, small and tightly curated by staff who actually read what they shelve.
  • Rolling Hill Park: A 103-acre township nature park in Gladwyne with hiking and equestrian trails.

The full Narberth guide →

North Wales

  • American Star Diner: The Welsh Road diner running round-the-clock, which settles where 2 a.m.
  • Ewenited Stitches: A yarn shop on East Montgomery with a pun for a name and skeins stacked to the ceiling.
  • Walnut Square Park: A small square on East Walnut, half a block from Tex Mex Connection and the shops.

The full North Wales guide →