Cost of living comparison
compared to
California vs. New Jersey Cost of Living Summary
California is 0.4% more expensive than New Jersey.
- Restaurants
-
pay 5.8% more in California
- Groceries
-
pay 6.3% less in California
- Transportation
-
pay 0.3% more in California
- Housing
-
pay 14.3% more in California
- Childcare
-
pay 4.0% less in California
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.4% more in California
- Clothing
-
pay 11.0% less in California
The cost of housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and transportation in California are more expensive than in New Jersey. Expenses including clothing, groceries, and childcare are lower in California.
California vs. New Jersey Cost Breakdown
If you lived in California instead of New Jersey, you would:
pay 5.8% more for restaurants
|
New Jersey
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.95
|
$21.84
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.40
|
$12.33
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.60
|
$2.79
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.04
|
$2.17
|
|
New Jersey vs. California - Cost of restaurants
pay 6.3% less for groceries
|
New Jersey
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.17
|
$4.20
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.09
|
$6.77
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$4.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.24
|
$5.14
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.96
|
$6.05
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.76
|
$2.30
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.98
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$1.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.62
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.44
|
$1.50
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.60
|
$1.41
|
|
New Jersey vs. California - Cost of groceries
pay 0.3% more for transportation
|
New Jersey
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.24
|
$4.72
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$116.02
|
$63.04
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,841.50
|
$30,529.84
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.75
|
$21.43
|
|
New Jersey vs. California - Cost of transportation
pay 14.3% more for housing
|
New Jersey
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.68
|
$67.96
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,279.92
|
$2,385.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,885.98
|
$2,043.56
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$126.74
|
$171.94
|
|
New Jersey vs. California - Cost of housing
pay 4.0% less for childcare
|
New Jersey
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,023.96
|
$1,633.13
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,267.62
|
$30,339.97
|
|
New Jersey vs. California - Cost of childcare
pay 3.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
New Jersey
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.95
|
$7.31
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.20
|
$5.58
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.79
|
$10.92
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$52.90
|
$68.02
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.52
|
$14.99
|
|
New Jersey vs. California - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 11.0% less for clothing
|
New Jersey
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$57.64
|
$56.47
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$49.26
|
$40.47
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$99.28
|
$87.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$136.81
|
$119.94
|
|
New Jersey vs. California - 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: November 2025
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about California or New Jersey. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.