Cost of living comparison
compared to
New Jersey vs. California Cost of Living Summary
New Jersey is 3.1% more expensive than California.
New Jersey vs. California Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New Jersey instead of California, you would:
pay 5.3% less for restaurants
California | New Jersey | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $21.84 | $19.95 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $12.33 | $12.40 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.79 | $2.60 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.17 | $2.04 | |
California vs. New Jersey - Cost of restaurants
pay 7.4% more for groceries
California | New Jersey | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $4.20 | $4.17 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.77 | $8.09 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.73 | $4.78 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $5.14 | $5.24 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $6.05 | $5.96 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.30 | $2.76 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.92 | $0.98 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.91 | $2.20 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.38 | $2.62 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.50 | $1.44 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.41 | $1.60 | |
California vs. New Jersey - Cost of groceries
pay 13.1% more for transportation
California | New Jersey | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.72 | $3.24 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $63.04 | $116.02 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $30,529.84 | $32,841.50 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $21.43 | $19.75 | |
California vs. New Jersey - Cost of transportation
pay 11.6% less for housing
California | New Jersey | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $67.96 | $62.68 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $2,385.40 | $2,279.92 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $2,043.56 | $1,885.98 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $171.94 | $126.74 | |
California vs. New Jersey - Cost of housing
pay 6.9% more for childcare
California | New Jersey | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,633.13 | $2,023.96 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $30,339.97 | $27,267.62 | |
California vs. New Jersey - Cost of childcare
pay 1.3% less for entertainment and sports
California | New Jersey | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $7.31 | $6.95 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.58 | $5.20 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $10.92 | $12.79 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $68.02 | $52.90 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $14.99 | $16.52 | |
California vs. New Jersey - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 12.8% more for clothing
California | New Jersey | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $56.47 | $57.64 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $40.47 | $49.26 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $87.50 | $99.28 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $119.94 | $136.81 | |
California vs. New Jersey - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
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