Cost of living comparison
compared to
New Jersey vs. Germany Cost of Living Summary
New Jersey is 47.6% more expensive than Germany overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 6.0% less in New Jersey
- Groceries
-
pay 53.3% more in New Jersey
- Transportation
-
pay 0.7% more in New Jersey
- Housing
-
pay 77.4% more in New Jersey
- Childcare
-
pay 2.9 times more in New Jersey
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 29.5% more in New Jersey
- Clothing
-
pay 7.9% less in New Jersey
The cost of childcare, housing, groceries, entertainment and sports, and transportation in New Jersey are more expensive than in Germany. Expenses including clothing and restaurants are lower in New Jersey. Notably, childcare and housing are significantly more expensive in New Jersey.
New Jersey vs. Germany Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New Jersey instead of Germany, you would:
pay 6.0% less for restaurants
|
Germany
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.25
€14.01
|
$19.95
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.88
€10.24
|
$12.40
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.29
€2.84
|
$2.60
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.93
€2.53
|
$2.04
|
|
Germany vs. New Jersey - Cost of restaurants
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pay 53.3% more for groceries
|
Germany
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.25
€1.94
|
$4.17
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.39
€6.37
|
$8.09
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.79
€4.13
|
$4.78
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.84
€3.31
|
$5.24
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.58
€5.67
|
$5.96
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.45
€1.25
|
$2.76
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.82
€0.71
|
$0.98
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.05
€0.91
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.20
€1.90
|
$2.62
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.71
€0.61
|
$1.44
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.72
€0.62
|
$1.60
|
|
Germany vs. New Jersey - Cost of groceries
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pay 0.7% more for transportation
|
Germany
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.59
€6.55
|
$3.24
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$62.94
€54.28
|
$116.02
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,651.13
€27,293.63
|
$32,841.50
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$27.45
€23.67
|
$19.75
|
|
Germany vs. New Jersey - Cost of transportation
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pay 77.4% more for housing
|
Germany
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$48.64
€41.94
|
$62.68
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$874.65
€754.23
|
$2,279.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$695.68
€599.90
|
$1,885.98
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$258.10
€222.57
|
$126.74
|
|
Germany vs. New Jersey - Cost of housing
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pay 2.9 times more for childcare
|
Germany
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$497.10
€428.67
|
$2,023.96
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,538.74
€14,261.81
|
$27,267.62
|
|
Germany vs. New Jersey - Cost of childcare
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pay 29.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Germany
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.05
€4.36
|
$6.95
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.95
€3.40
|
$5.20
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.74
€8.40
|
$12.79
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$40.02
€34.51
|
$52.90
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.41
€12.42
|
$16.52
|
|
Germany vs. New Jersey - Cost of entertainment and sports
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pay 7.9% less for clothing
|
Germany
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$91.81
€79.17
|
$57.64
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$46.05
€39.71
|
$49.26
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$102.53
€88.42
|
$99.28
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$134.07
€115.61
|
$136.81
|
|
Germany vs. New Jersey - Cost of clothing
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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: December 2025
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cost of living in Germany vs. United States.
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