Cost of living comparison
compared to
New Jersey vs. Los Angeles Cost of Living Summary
New Jersey is 2.2% cheaper than Los Angeles.
- Restaurants
-
pay 10.7% less in New Jersey
- Groceries
-
pay 1.3% more in New Jersey
- Transportation
-
pay 0.5% more in New Jersey
- Housing
-
pay 12.2% less in New Jersey
- Childcare
-
pay 7.9% more in New Jersey
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 1.6% less in New Jersey
- Clothing
-
pay 0.9% less in New Jersey
The cost of childcare, groceries, and transportation in New Jersey are more expensive than in Los Angeles. Expenses including housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and clothing are lower in New Jersey.
New Jersey vs. Los Angeles Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New Jersey instead of Los Angeles, you would:
pay 10.7% less for restaurants
|
Los Angeles
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$19.95
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.00
|
$12.40
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.83
|
$2.60
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.26
|
$2.04
|
|
Los Angeles vs. New Jersey - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.3% more for groceries
|
Los Angeles
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.52
|
$4.17
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.67
|
$8.09
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.71
|
$4.78
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$7.43
|
$5.24
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.55
|
$5.96
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.60
|
$2.76
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.27
|
$0.98
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.00
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.17
|
$2.62
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.44
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.22
|
$1.60
|
|
Los Angeles vs. New Jersey - Cost of groceries
pay 0.5% more for transportation
|
Los Angeles
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$3.24
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$93.48
|
$116.02
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,727.50
|
$32,841.50
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.01
|
$19.75
|
|
Los Angeles vs. New Jersey - Cost of transportation
pay 12.2% less for housing
|
Los Angeles
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$74.01
|
$62.68
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,536.54
|
$2,279.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,984.71
|
$1,885.98
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$155.53
|
$126.74
|
|
Los Angeles vs. New Jersey - Cost of housing
pay 7.9% more for childcare
|
Los Angeles
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,762.50
|
$2,023.96
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,000.00
|
$27,267.62
|
|
Los Angeles vs. New Jersey - Cost of childcare
pay 1.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
Los Angeles
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$6.95
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.76
|
$5.20
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.50
|
$12.79
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.45
|
$52.90
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$18.00
|
$16.52
|
|
Los Angeles vs. New Jersey - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.9% less for clothing
|
Los Angeles
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$61.25
|
$57.64
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.15
|
$49.26
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$100.09
|
$99.28
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$149.85
|
$136.81
|
|
Los Angeles 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: December 2025
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