Cost of living comparison
compared to
Jersey City vs. Washington Cost of Living Summary
Jersey City is 7.1% cheaper than Washington.
- Restaurants
-
pay 21.1% less in Jersey City
- Groceries
-
pay 2.4% less in Jersey City
- Transportation
-
pay 13.0% more in Jersey City
- Housing
-
pay 3.3% more in Jersey City
- Childcare
-
pay 28.1% less in Jersey City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 12.9% less in Jersey City
- Clothing
-
pay 1.3% less in Jersey City
The cost of transportation and housing in Jersey City are more expensive than in Washington. Expenses including childcare, restaurants, entertainment and sports, groceries, and clothing are lower in Jersey City.
Jersey City vs. Washington Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Jersey City instead of Washington, you would:
pay 21.1% less for restaurants
|
Washington
|
Jersey City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$18.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.20
|
$2.28
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.79
|
$1.78
|
|
Washington vs. Jersey City - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.4% less for groceries
|
Washington
|
Jersey City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.43
|
$4.05
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.04
|
$8.73
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.19
|
$4.83
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.55
|
$5.33
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.74
|
$5.62
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.95
|
$2.87
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$0.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$2.16
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.00
|
$2.37
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.35
|
$1.41
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.64
|
$1.51
|
|
Washington vs. Jersey City - Cost of groceries
pay 13.0% more for transportation
|
Washington
|
Jersey City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.53
|
$3.30
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$77.50
|
$110.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,699.74
|
$35,911.24
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.73
|
$19.40
|
|
Washington vs. Jersey City - Cost of transportation
pay 3.3% more for housing
|
Washington
|
Jersey City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$69.41
|
$63.75
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,568.48
|
$3,437.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,088.16
|
$2,442.86
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$146.54
|
$103.54
|
|
Washington vs. Jersey City - Cost of housing
pay 28.1% less for childcare
|
Washington
|
Jersey City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,650.00
|
$2,250.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$40,166.67
|
$23,666.67
|
|
Washington vs. Jersey City - Cost of childcare
pay 12.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
Washington
|
Jersey City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.07
|
$5.50
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.00
|
$11.98
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$103.76
|
$66.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.75
|
$17.00
|
|
Washington vs. Jersey City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.3% less for clothing
|
Washington
|
Jersey City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$76.00
|
$67.90
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$48.40
|
$63.33
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$104.31
|
$77.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$133.22
|
$133.75
|
|
Washington vs. Jersey City - 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
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Jersey City or Washington. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.