Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Carolina vs. New Jersey Cost of Living Summary
North Carolina is 15.6% cheaper than New Jersey.
- Restaurants
-
pay 13.2% less in North Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 9.8% less in North Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 13.1% less in North Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 11.8% less in North Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 23.7% less in North Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 20.6% less in North Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 16.9% less in North Carolina
Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, clothing, restaurants, transportation, and housing are lower in North Carolina.
North Carolina vs. New Jersey Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Carolina instead of New Jersey, you would:
pay 13.2% less for restaurants
|
New Jersey
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.95
|
$17.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.40
|
$10.47
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.60
|
$2.28
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.04
|
$1.82
|
|
New Jersey vs. North Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 9.8% less for groceries
|
New Jersey
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.17
|
$3.79
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.09
|
$6.80
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$3.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.24
|
$3.98
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.96
|
$5.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.76
|
$2.47
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.98
|
$0.71
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.62
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.44
|
$1.74
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.60
|
$1.80
|
|
New Jersey vs. North Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 13.1% less for transportation
|
New Jersey
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.24
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$116.02
|
$60.67
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,841.50
|
$33,588.64
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.75
|
$19.99
|
|
New Jersey vs. North Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 11.8% less for housing
|
New Jersey
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.68
|
$72.77
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,279.92
|
$1,488.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,885.98
|
$1,261.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$126.74
|
$132.31
|
|
New Jersey vs. North Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 23.7% less for childcare
|
New Jersey
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,023.96
|
$1,261.89
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,267.62
|
$24,633.15
|
|
New Jersey vs. North Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 20.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
New Jersey
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.95
|
$5.12
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.20
|
$4.82
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.79
|
$7.77
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$52.90
|
$48.40
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.52
|
$12.98
|
|
New Jersey vs. North Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 16.9% less for clothing
|
New Jersey
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$57.64
|
$49.30
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$49.26
|
$37.76
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$99.28
|
$88.37
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$136.81
|
$111.01
|
|
New Jersey vs. North Carolina - 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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