Moving to New Jersey from China

moving to

What to Expect

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

If you moved from China to New Jersey, you would find that New Jersey is 3.8 times more expensive than China overall. A CN¥507,720 salary in China would need to be roughly $188,686 in New Jersey to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

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

What does your salary buy?

CN¥507,720 $188,686

To maintain the same standard of living in New Jersey

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 5.6 times more

Groceries

pay 3.2 times more

Transportation

pay 3.3 times more

Housing

pay 6.5 times more

Childcare

pay 3.5 times more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 3.3 times more

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 CNY = 0.1477 USD (June 2026)

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 184% more than cities in China.

China

Shanghai 36%
Ningbo 31%
Xiamen 28%
Jinan 27%

New Jersey

Princeton 87%

Compare cities head-to-head

Get free moving quotes to New Jersey

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

Real numbers on people moving from China to New Jersey, and how the trend has changed.

Moved in 2023
57,240 ↓ 16% vs 2022

people moved from China to United States · OECD (latest data available)

Who's moving to United States?

Top countries of origin for United States's foreign-born residents.

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

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

How's the healthcare?

Adult obesity rate The World Factbook, 2022

share of adults with obesity

CN
6.2%
NJ
30.0%

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

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access The World Factbook, 2023

share of households with internet

CN
73.0%
NJ
91.9%

New Jersey performs significantly better than China across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate The World Factbook, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

CN
4.7%
NJ
4.5%
GDP per capita The World Factbook, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

CN
$22,100
NJ
$70,788

New Jersey generally does better on employment & economy, though China leads in poverty rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy The World Factbook, 2020

average years of life at birth

CN
76.1 yrs
NJ
77.5 yrs

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

Data: The World Factbook

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Beijing Rain: 22.8 in/yr (578 mm)
64° / 44°F

Avg. annual high / low

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

Avg. annual high / low

Months Beijing Trenton
Jan–Mar 42°/22°F (6°/-6°C) 44°/27°F (7°/-3°C)
Apr–Jun 78°/55°F (26°/13°C) 71°/51°F (22°/10°C)
Jul–Sep 83°/66°F (29°/19°C) 82°/62°F (28°/17°C)
Oct–Dec 51°/32°F (11°/0°C) 54°/36°F (12°/2°C)
View all months
Month Beijing Trenton
Jan 35°/15°F (1.6°/-9.4°C) 39°/23°F (3.9°/-4.9°C)
Feb 39°/20°F (4.0°/-6.9°C) 42°/26°F (5.7°/-3.4°C)
Mar 52°/31°F (11.3°/-0.6°C) 51°/32°F (10.5°/-0.1°C)
Apr 68°/45°F (19.9°/7.2°C) 61°/41°F (16.3°/5.0°C)
May 80°/56°F (26.4°/13.2°C) 72°/51°F (22.1°/10.3°C)
Jun 87°/65°F (30.3°/18.2°C) 81°/60°F (27.1°/15.7°C)
Jul 87°/71°F (30.8°/21.6°C) 85°/66°F (29.6°/18.9°C)
Aug 85°/69°F (29.5°/20.4°C) 84°/64°F (28.7°/17.9°C)
Sep 78°/58°F (25.8°/14.2°C) 76°/56°F (24.5°/13.6°C)
Oct 66°/45°F (19.0°/7.3°C) 65°/44°F (18.3°/6.8°C)
Nov 50°/31°F (10.1°/-0.4°C) 54°/37°F (12.5°/2.7°C)
Dec 38°/20°F (3.3°/-6.9°C) 43°/28°F (6.2°/-2.4°C)

Data: China Meteorological Administration China Meteorological Administration, National Weather Service National Weather Service

Visitor Visa Requirements

Short-stay tourist visa rules between China and United States. To live, work, or study long-term in United States, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check United States's immigration authority.

China passport

China passport holder visiting United States

Visa Required
China passport holders need a visa to enter United States.
United States passport

United States passport holder visiting China

Visa Required
United States passport holders need a visa to enter China.

Data: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in New Jersey than China?

Day-to-day costs in New Jersey run about 152% higher than China 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 CN¥507,720 comparable salary, that's around $47,172 in New Jersey for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from New Jersey?

Working remotely from New Jersey's major cities is generally feasible. The legal layer matters more — visa category, employer policy on overseas employees, and tax residency in China and New Jersey.

How is healthcare in New Jersey compared to China?

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

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

The average high temperature in Trenton is 63°F, compared to 64°F in Beijing. Trenton receives around 46.5 in of rainfall per year, while Beijing gets 22.8 in.

What language do they speak in New Jersey?

The official language in New Jersey is English. In China, the official language is Chinese.

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At a Glance

CN
Population 1,410,539,758 8,791,894
Currency Chinese Yuan (CN¥) United States Dollar ($)
Languages Chinese English
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +86 +1
Time zones 1 11
Emergency number 110 911