Moving to New Jersey from Arizona

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What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Arizona to New Jersey — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Arizona to New Jersey, you would find that New Jersey is 28.0% more expensive than Arizona. A $75,000 salary in Arizona would need to be roughly $90,884 in New Jersey to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Trenton averages 63°F vs 87°F in Phoenix, making it significantly cooler.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Arizona to New Jersey.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $90,884

To maintain the same standard of living in New Jersey

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 1.2% more

Groceries

pay 30.5% more

Transportation

pay 31.9% more

Housing

pay 4.6% more

Childcare

pay 85.1% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 22.3% more

See full cost of living breakdown

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

Cost of living by city

Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).

On average, cities in New Jersey cost about 28% more than cities in Arizona.

Arizona

Mesa66%

New Jersey

Compare cities head-to-head

Key Indicator Comparison

How Arizona and New Jersey stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rateFBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

AZ
398
NJ
215
Property crime rateFBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

AZ
1752
NJ
1481

New Jersey performs significantly better than Arizona across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rateUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

AZ
10.0%
NJ
7.1%
Adult obesity rateCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

AZ
33.6%
NJ
30.0%

New Jersey performs significantly better than Arizona across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What about housing?

Median home valueUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

AZ
$358,900
NJ
$427,600
Median rentUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

AZ
$1,431
NJ
$1,653

Arizona performs better than New Jersey across all what about housing? metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet accessUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

AZ
90.5%
NJ
91.9%
Average commuteUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

AZ
26 min
NJ
31 min

Arizona generally does better on infrastructure, though New Jersey leads in internet access.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rateBureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

AZ
4.0%
NJ
4.5%
GDP per capitaBureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

AZ
$58,628
NJ
$70,788

New Jersey generally does better on employment & economy, though Arizona leads in unemployment rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancyOECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

AZ
76.3 yrs
NJ
77.5 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higherUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

AZ
21%
NJ
29%

New Jersey performs significantly better than Arizona across all family life metrics.

Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

PhoenixRain: 8.2 in/yr (208 mm)
87°/63°F

Avg. annual high / low

TrentonRain: 46.5 in/yr (1180 mm)
63°/44°F

Avg. annual high / low

MonthsPhoenixTrenton
Jan–Mar73°/49°F (23°/10°C)44°/27°F (7°/-3°C)
Apr–Jun95°/69°F (35°/20°C)71°/51°F (22°/10°C)
Jul–Sep103°/80°F (40°/27°C)82°/62°F (28°/17°C)
Oct–Dec77°/54°F (25°/12°C)54°/36°F (12°/2°C)
View all months
MonthPhoenixTrenton
Jan69°/46°F (20.3°/7.6°C)39°/23°F (3.9°/-4.9°C)
Feb72°/49°F (22.1°/9.3°C)42°/26°F (5.7°/-3.4°C)
Mar78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C)51°/32°F (10.5°/-0.1°C)
Apr86°/60°F (29.9°/15.7°C)61°/41°F (16.3°/5.0°C)
May95°/69°F (34.8°/20.6°C)72°/51°F (22.1°/10.3°C)
Jun104°/77°F (39.9°/25.1°C)81°/60°F (27.1°/15.7°C)
Jul106°/83°F (41.0°/28.1°C)85°/66°F (29.6°/18.9°C)
Aug104°/82°F (40.1°/27.8°C)84°/64°F (28.7°/17.9°C)
Sep100°/75°F (37.8°/24.1°C)76°/56°F (24.5°/13.6°C)
Oct89°/64°F (31.8°/18.0°C)65°/44°F (18.3°/6.8°C)
Nov76°/52°F (24.7°/11.1°C)54°/37°F (12.5°/2.7°C)
Dec67°/45°F (19.6°/7.1°C)43°/28°F (6.2°/-2.4°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in New Jersey than Arizona?

Day-to-day costs in New Jersey run about 21% higher than Arizona on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to New Jersey?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $22,721 in New Jersey for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is New Jersey safe?

New Jersey performs significantly better than Arizona across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in New Jersey compared to Arizona?

New Jersey performs significantly better than Arizona across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What's the weather like in New Jersey compared to Arizona?

The average high temperature in Trenton is 63°F, compared to 87°F in Phoenix. Trenton receives around 46.5 in of rainfall per year, while Phoenix gets 8.2 in.

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