Cost of living comparison
compared to
New Jersey vs. San Diego Cost of Living Summary
New Jersey is 4.7% cheaper than San Diego.
- Restaurants
-
pay 13.8% less in New Jersey
- Groceries
-
pay 10.4% more in New Jersey
- Transportation
-
pay 8.4% more in New Jersey
- Housing
-
pay 28.1% less in New Jersey
- Childcare
-
pay 5.2% more in New Jersey
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 10.3% less in New Jersey
- Clothing
-
pay 4.6% less in New Jersey
The cost of groceries, transportation, and childcare in New Jersey are more expensive than in San Diego. Expenses including housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and clothing are lower in New Jersey.
New Jersey vs. San Diego Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New Jersey instead of San Diego, you would:
pay 13.8% less for restaurants
|
San Diego
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.00
|
$19.95
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$15.00
|
$12.40
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.03
|
$2.60
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.50
|
$2.04
|
|
San Diego vs. New Jersey - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.4% more for groceries
|
San Diego
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.57
|
$4.17
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.36
|
$8.09
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$4.78
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.84
|
$5.24
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.07
|
$5.96
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.22
|
$2.76
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.98
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.26
|
$2.62
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.42
|
$1.44
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.12
|
$1.60
|
|
San Diego vs. New Jersey - Cost of groceries
pay 8.4% more for transportation
|
San Diego
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.76
|
$3.24
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$72.00
|
$116.02
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,965.00
|
$32,841.50
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.40
|
$19.75
|
|
San Diego vs. New Jersey - Cost of transportation
pay 28.1% less for housing
|
San Diego
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$82.19
|
$62.68
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,033.00
|
$2,279.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,538.64
|
$1,885.98
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$205.84
|
$126.74
|
|
San Diego vs. New Jersey - Cost of housing
pay 5.2% more for childcare
|
San Diego
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,750.00
|
$2,023.96
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$28,750.00
|
$27,267.62
|
|
San Diego vs. New Jersey - Cost of childcare
pay 10.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Diego
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$6.95
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.90
|
$5.20
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.00
|
$12.79
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$73.21
|
$52.90
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.50
|
$16.52
|
|
San Diego vs. New Jersey - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.6% less for clothing
|
San Diego
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.72
|
$57.64
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$58.44
|
$49.26
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$105.68
|
$99.28
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$126.25
|
$136.81
|
|
San Diego 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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