Cost of living comparison
compared to
District of Columbia vs. New Jersey Cost of Living Summary
District of Columbia is 14.4% more expensive than New Jersey.
- Restaurants
-
pay 20.5% more in District of Columbia
- Groceries
-
pay 1.9% more in District of Columbia
- Transportation
-
pay 7.7% less in District of Columbia
- Housing
-
pay 12.4% more in District of Columbia
- Childcare
-
pay 39.1% more in District of Columbia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 26.2% more in District of Columbia
- Clothing
-
pay 8.2% more in District of Columbia
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, restaurants, housing, clothing, and groceries in District of Columbia are more expensive than in New Jersey.
District of Columbia vs. New Jersey Cost Breakdown
If you lived in District of Columbia instead of New Jersey, you would:
pay 20.5% more for restaurants
|
New Jersey
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.95
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.40
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.60
|
$3.20
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.04
|
$2.79
|
|
New Jersey vs. District of Columbia - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.9% more for groceries
|
New Jersey
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.17
|
$4.43
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.09
|
$8.04
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$4.19
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.24
|
$4.55
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.96
|
$7.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.76
|
$2.95
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.98
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.62
|
$3.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.44
|
$1.35
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.60
|
$1.64
|
|
New Jersey vs. District of Columbia - Cost of groceries
pay 7.7% less for transportation
|
New Jersey
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.24
|
$3.53
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$116.02
|
$77.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,841.50
|
$35,699.74
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.75
|
$16.73
|
|
New Jersey vs. District of Columbia - Cost of transportation
pay 12.4% more for housing
|
New Jersey
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.68
|
$69.41
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,279.92
|
$2,568.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,885.98
|
$2,088.16
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$126.74
|
$146.54
|
|
New Jersey vs. District of Columbia - Cost of housing
pay 39.1% more for childcare
|
New Jersey
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,023.96
|
$2,650.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,267.62
|
$40,166.67
|
|
New Jersey vs. District of Columbia - Cost of childcare
pay 26.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
New Jersey
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.95
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.20
|
$6.07
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.79
|
$13.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$52.90
|
$103.76
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.52
|
$16.75
|
|
New Jersey vs. District of Columbia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 8.2% more for clothing
|
New Jersey
|
District of Columbia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$57.64
|
$76.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$49.26
|
$48.40
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$99.28
|
$104.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$136.81
|
$133.22
|
|
New Jersey vs. District of Columbia - 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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