Cost of living comparison
compared to
New Jersey vs. Virginia Cost of Living Summary
New Jersey is 9.6% more expensive than Virginia.
- Restaurants
-
pay 0.4% more in New Jersey
- Groceries
-
pay 4.8% more in New Jersey
- Transportation
-
pay 18.2% more in New Jersey
- Housing
-
pay 11.2% more in New Jersey
- Childcare
-
pay 6.5% more in New Jersey
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 13.0% more in New Jersey
- Clothing
-
pay 13.2% more in New Jersey
The cost of transportation, clothing, entertainment and sports, housing, childcare, and groceries in New Jersey are more expensive than in Virginia.
New Jersey vs. Virginia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New Jersey instead of Virginia, you would:
pay 0.4% more for restaurants
|
Virginia
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.95
|
$19.95
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.32
|
$12.40
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
|
$2.60
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.23
|
$2.04
|
|
Virginia vs. New Jersey - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.8% more for groceries
|
Virginia
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.66
|
$4.17
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.57
|
$8.09
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.86
|
$4.78
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.30
|
$5.24
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.27
|
$5.96
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.78
|
$2.76
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.98
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.60
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.90
|
$2.62
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.44
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.56
|
$1.60
|
|
Virginia vs. New Jersey - Cost of groceries
pay 18.2% more for transportation
|
Virginia
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.14
|
$3.24
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$81.69
|
$116.02
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,360.29
|
$32,841.50
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.32
|
$19.75
|
|
Virginia vs. New Jersey - Cost of transportation
pay 11.2% more for housing
|
Virginia
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.63
|
$62.68
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,767.25
|
$2,279.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,444.78
|
$1,885.98
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$139.02
|
$126.74
|
|
Virginia vs. New Jersey - Cost of housing
pay 6.5% more for childcare
|
Virginia
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,687.43
|
$2,023.96
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$29,254.08
|
$27,267.62
|
|
Virginia vs. New Jersey - Cost of childcare
pay 13.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Virginia
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.97
|
$6.95
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.35
|
$5.20
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.83
|
$12.79
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$56.35
|
$52.90
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.65
|
$16.52
|
|
Virginia vs. New Jersey - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 13.2% more for clothing
|
Virginia
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.65
|
$57.64
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.78
|
$49.26
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.01
|
$99.28
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$114.93
|
$136.81
|
|
Virginia 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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