Cost of living comparison
compared to
New Jersey vs. North Carolina Cost of Living Summary
New Jersey is 22.8% more expensive than North Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 15.2% more in New Jersey
- Groceries
-
pay 13.6% more in New Jersey
- Transportation
-
pay 24.2% more in New Jersey
- Housing
-
pay 21.2% more in New Jersey
- Childcare
-
pay 35.5% more in New Jersey
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 29.0% more in New Jersey
- Clothing
-
pay 20.7% more in New Jersey
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, transportation, housing, clothing, and restaurants in New Jersey are more expensive than in North Carolina.
New Jersey vs. North Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New Jersey instead of North Carolina, you would:
pay 15.2% more for restaurants
|
North Carolina
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.06
|
$19.95
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.47
|
$12.40
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.28
|
$2.60
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$2.04
|
|
North Carolina vs. New Jersey - Cost of restaurants
pay 13.6% more for groceries
|
North Carolina
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.79
|
$4.17
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.80
|
$8.09
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.73
|
$4.78
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.98
|
$5.24
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.20
|
$5.96
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.47
|
$2.76
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.71
|
$0.98
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.62
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.74
|
$1.44
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.80
|
$1.60
|
|
North Carolina vs. New Jersey - Cost of groceries
pay 24.2% more for transportation
|
North Carolina
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.98
|
$3.24
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$60.67
|
$116.02
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,588.64
|
$32,841.50
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.99
|
$19.75
|
|
North Carolina vs. New Jersey - Cost of transportation
pay 21.2% more for housing
|
North Carolina
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.77
|
$62.68
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,488.15
|
$2,279.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,261.77
|
$1,885.98
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.31
|
$126.74
|
|
North Carolina vs. New Jersey - Cost of housing
pay 35.5% more for childcare
|
North Carolina
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,261.89
|
$2,023.96
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,633.15
|
$27,267.62
|
|
North Carolina vs. New Jersey - Cost of childcare
pay 29.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
North Carolina
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.12
|
$6.95
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.82
|
$5.20
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.77
|
$12.79
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$48.40
|
$52.90
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.98
|
$16.52
|
|
North Carolina vs. New Jersey - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 20.7% more for clothing
|
North Carolina
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.30
|
$57.64
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.76
|
$49.26
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.37
|
$99.28
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$111.01
|
$136.81
|
|
North Carolina 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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