Cost of living comparison
compared to
New Jersey vs. Wisconsin Cost of Living Summary
New Jersey is 23.9% more expensive than Wisconsin.
- Restaurants
-
pay 11.2% more in New Jersey
- Groceries
-
pay 29.4% more in New Jersey
- Transportation
-
pay 37.5% more in New Jersey
- Housing
-
pay 42.8% more in New Jersey
- Childcare
-
pay 3.8% more in New Jersey
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 24.6% more in New Jersey
- Clothing
-
pay 17.8% more in New Jersey
The cost of housing, transportation, groceries, entertainment and sports, clothing, and restaurants in New Jersey are more expensive than in Wisconsin.
New Jersey vs. Wisconsin Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New Jersey instead of Wisconsin, you would:
pay 11.2% more for restaurants
|
Wisconsin
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.68
|
$19.95
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.05
|
$12.40
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.63
|
$2.60
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.98
|
$2.04
|
|
Wisconsin vs. New Jersey - Cost of restaurants
pay 29.4% more for groceries
|
Wisconsin
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.29
|
$4.17
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.16
|
$8.09
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.52
|
$4.78
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.12
|
$5.24
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.37
|
$5.96
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.11
|
$2.76
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$0.98
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.90
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.13
|
$2.62
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.02
|
$1.44
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.23
|
$1.60
|
|
Wisconsin vs. New Jersey - Cost of groceries
pay 37.5% more for transportation
|
Wisconsin
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.13
|
$3.24
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$50.85
|
$116.02
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,550.59
|
$32,841.50
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.78
|
$19.75
|
|
Wisconsin vs. New Jersey - Cost of transportation
pay 42.8% more for housing
|
Wisconsin
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.49
|
$62.68
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,194.55
|
$2,279.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$970.14
|
$1,885.98
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$134.51
|
$126.74
|
|
Wisconsin vs. New Jersey - Cost of housing
pay 3.8% more for childcare
|
Wisconsin
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,662.39
|
$2,023.96
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$31,803.36
|
$27,267.62
|
|
Wisconsin vs. New Jersey - Cost of childcare
pay 24.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Wisconsin
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.51
|
$6.95
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.99
|
$5.20
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.26
|
$12.79
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$46.71
|
$52.90
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.06
|
$16.52
|
|
Wisconsin vs. New Jersey - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 17.8% more for clothing
|
Wisconsin
|
New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.31
|
$57.64
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.83
|
$49.26
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.73
|
$99.28
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.46
|
$136.81
|
|
Wisconsin 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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