Cost of living comparison
compared to
New Jersey vs. Pennsylvania Cost of Living Summary
New Jersey is 19.8% more expensive than Pennsylvania.
- Restaurants
-
pay 11.3% more in New Jersey
- Groceries
-
pay 12.2% more in New Jersey
- Transportation
-
pay 22.1% more in New Jersey
- Housing
-
pay 24.8% more in New Jersey
- Childcare
-
pay 26.3% more in New Jersey
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 22.6% more in New Jersey
- Clothing
-
pay 19.5% more in New Jersey
The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, transportation, clothing, and groceries in New Jersey are more expensive than in Pennsylvania.
New Jersey vs. Pennsylvania Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New Jersey instead of Pennsylvania, you would:
pay 11.3% more for restaurants
|
Pennsylvania
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.35
|
$19.95
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.53
|
$12.40
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.39
|
$2.60
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.85
|
$2.04
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. New Jersey - Cost of restaurants
pay 12.2% more for groceries
|
Pennsylvania
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.50
|
$4.17
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.29
|
$8.09
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.21
|
$4.78
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.15
|
$5.24
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.39
|
$5.96
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.62
|
$2.76
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.73
|
$0.98
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.11
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.50
|
$2.62
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.36
|
$1.44
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.59
|
$1.60
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. New Jersey - Cost of groceries
pay 22.1% more for transportation
|
Pennsylvania
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.27
|
$3.24
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.77
|
$116.02
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,293.42
|
$32,841.50
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.76
|
$19.75
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. New Jersey - Cost of transportation
pay 24.8% more for housing
|
Pennsylvania
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.32
|
$62.68
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,401.89
|
$2,279.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,229.68
|
$1,885.98
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$142.67
|
$126.74
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. New Jersey - Cost of housing
pay 26.3% more for childcare
|
Pennsylvania
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,240.98
|
$2,023.96
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,464.89
|
$27,267.62
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. New Jersey - Cost of childcare
pay 22.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Pennsylvania
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$6.95
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.04
|
$5.20
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.28
|
$12.79
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.69
|
$52.90
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.09
|
$16.52
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. New Jersey - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 19.5% more for clothing
|
Pennsylvania
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.59
|
$57.64
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.05
|
$49.26
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.26
|
$99.28
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$104.87
|
$136.81
|
|
Pennsylvania 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: November 2025
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