Cost of living comparison

New Zealand

compared to

United States

Jersey City vs. Palmerston North Cost of Living Summary

Jersey City is 88.9% more expensive than Palmerston North.

Restaurants: pay 10.3% more in Jersey City
Groceries: pay 62.9% more in Jersey City
Transportation: pay 18.6% more in Jersey City
Housing: pay 2.7 times more in Jersey City
Childcare: pay 3.6 times more in Jersey City
Entertainment and Sports: pay 65.8% more in Jersey City
Clothing: pay 29.7% more in Jersey City

The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, clothing, and transportation in Jersey City are more expensive than in Palmerston North. Notably, childcare and housing are significantly more expensive in Jersey City.

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Jersey City vs. Palmerston North Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Jersey City instead of Palmerston North, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 10.3% more for restaurants

	Palmerston North	Jersey City
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$14.42 NZ$24.68	$18.00	+24.8%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$9.91 NZ$16.96	$13.00	+31.2%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$2.36 NZ$4.03	$2.28	-3.3%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.01 NZ$3.44	$1.78	-11.5%
Average			+10.3%

Palmerston North vs. Jersey City - Cost of restaurants

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pay 62.9% more for groceries

	Palmerston North	Jersey City
Bread 1 loaf	$1.99 NZ$3.41	$4.05	+103.1%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$3.89 NZ$6.66	$8.73	+124.2%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.12 NZ$12.17	$4.83	-32.2%
Eggs 1 dozen	$5.13 NZ$8.78	$5.33	+3.8%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.99 NZ$6.83	$5.62	+40.8%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.07 NZ$1.83	$2.87	+167.4%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.80 NZ$1.37	$0.89	+10.8%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.08 NZ$1.85	$2.16	+100.1%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.48 NZ$2.53	$2.37	+60.6%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.91 NZ$1.57	$1.41	+54.5%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.95 NZ$1.63	$1.51	+58.3%
Average			+62.9%

Palmerston North vs. Jersey City - Cost of groceries

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pay 18.6% more for transportation

	Palmerston North	Jersey City
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$6.11 NZ$10.45	$3.30	-46.0%
Monthly public transit pass	$70.50 NZ$120.62	$110.00	+56.0%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$22,211.80 NZ$38,004.63	$35,911.24	+61.7%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$18.92 NZ$32.38	$19.40	+2.5%
Average			+18.6%

Palmerston North vs. Jersey City - Cost of transportation

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pay 2.7 times more for housing

	Palmerston North	Jersey City
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$45.43 NZ$77.74	$63.75	+40.3%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$807.70 NZ$1,381.99	$3,437.50	+325.6%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$663.47 NZ$1,135.20	$2,442.86	+268.2%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$64.71 NZ$110.71	$103.54	+60.0%
Average			+173.5%

Palmerston North vs. Jersey City - Cost of housing

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pay 3.6 times more for childcare

	Palmerston North	Jersey City
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$961.55 NZ$1,645.22	$2,250.00	+134.0%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$4,843.04 NZ$8,286.49	$23,666.67	+388.7%
Average			+261.4%

Palmerston North vs. Jersey City - Cost of childcare

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pay 65.8% more for entertainment and sports

	Palmerston North	Jersey City
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$6.44 NZ$11.01	$7.00	+8.8%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.32 NZ$5.68	$5.50	+65.8%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$17.88 NZ$30.60	$11.98	-33.0%
Monthly membership at local gym	$22.69 NZ$38.83	$66.00	+190.8%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$8.65 NZ$14.81	$17.00	+96.4%
Average			+65.8%

Palmerston North vs. Jersey City - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 29.7% more for clothing

	Palmerston North	Jersey City
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$66.35 NZ$113.52	$67.90	+2.3%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$36.06 NZ$61.70	$63.33	+75.6%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$87.26 NZ$149.30	$77.50	-11.2%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$87.98 NZ$150.54	$133.75	+52.0%
Average			+29.7%

Palmerston North vs. Jersey City - Cost of clothing

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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: July 2026

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