Pine Beach's housing stock reflects its resort beginnings. The borough's grid of streets is lined with a mix of early- and mid-20th-century bungalows, cottages, and modest ranches, many on small, tidy lots within walking distance of the river. Over the decades, seasonal cottages have been expanded or replaced with year-round homes, and a limited amount of newer construction fills in along the avenues. Waterfront parcels and river-view lots along the northern edge are a defining feature, while interior streets offer a more traditional suburban feel. Because the borough is small and fully built out, inventory is tight, and buyers are typically drawn to the river access and the close-knit, walkable setting.

Pine Beach is laid out as a compact grid rather than a set of distinct subdivisions. The northern streets front the Toms River, where the borough's beach, boat access, and waterfront homes anchor the community. The central avenues hold the majority of the housing on quiet, tree-lined blocks, while Atlantic City Boulevard marks the southern edge and carries the borough's small commercial presence. Beyond the borough line, Beachwood and South Toms River lie to the west, Island Heights and Ocean Gate across the river, and Toms River to the north. This arrangement keeps Pine Beach self-contained and walkable while placing the broader region's amenities just outside its borders.

Life in Pine Beach centers on the water. Residents use the borough's river beach for swimming and sunning in warm months, keep boats along the Toms River, and launch into Barnegat Bay for fishing and crabbing. The borough is quiet and family-oriented, with neighborhood events and a small-town rhythm that contrasts with the livelier boardwalk towns across the bay. Nearby Toms River supplies shopping, dining, and entertainment, while Seaside Heights and Lavallette offer boardwalks and ocean beaches a short drive east. It is a community where a riverfront summer afternoon and a short trip to the bay or ocean define the local pace.

Pine Beach is part of the Toms River Regional School District, one of Ocean County's larger public systems. The borough's own Pine Beach Elementary School on Pennsylvania Avenue serves local students in kindergarten through fifth grade, keeping the earliest grades close to home. Students continue on to the district's intermediate, middle, and high schools in Toms River. The regional arrangement gives Pine Beach families access to a full K–12 program and a broad range of extracurriculars through the district, while the neighborhood elementary school preserves a small-community feel. Private and parochial options are available in the surrounding towns.

Pine Beach sits a short distance from both U.S. Route 9, which runs along the borough's southern edge as Atlantic City Boulevard, and the Garden State Parkway, the Jersey Shore's principal north–south highway. The parkway connects residents north toward Toms River, Lakewood, and the New York metro area, and south toward Atlantic City and the southern Shore. Route 9 provides a local alternative through the bayside towns. There is no rail service in the borough; NJ Transit bus routes serve the area, but most travel is by car. For commuters, the parkway is the workhorse, while the Route 37 corridor eastward reaches the barrier-island beaches.

The Toms River is Pine Beach's primary recreation asset, with a borough beach for swimming and shoreline for boating, fishing, and crabbing, all opening toward Barnegat Bay. County parks nearby—Cattus Island, Berkeley Island, and Jakes Branch—offer trails, bayfront views, and playgrounds, while Traders Cove Marina and Park sits across the river. The barrier islands of Seaside Heights, Lavallette, and Island Beach State Park lie a short drive east for ocean beaches and boardwalks. The Pine Barrens begin just inland, adding hiking and paddling options. This mix of river, bay, ocean, and pinelands gives residents a full Shore recreation range within minutes.