Moving to New Jersey from Illinois
What to Expect
Considering a move from Illinois to New Jersey? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Illinois to New Jersey, you would find that New Jersey is 19.6% more expensive than Illinois. A $75,000 salary in Illinois would need to be roughly $94,480 in New Jersey to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Illinois and New Jersey.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $94,480
To maintain the same standard of living in New Jersey
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 12.8% more
Groceries
pay 28.3% more
Transportation
pay 19.7% more
Housing
pay 27.7% more
Childcare
pay 24.6% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 15.0% more
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 37% more than cities in Illinois.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in New Jersey compared to Illinois.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
New Jersey performs significantly better than Illinois across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
New Jersey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Illinois leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Illinois performs better than New Jersey across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Illinois generally does better on infrastructure, though New Jersey leads in internet access.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
New Jersey performs significantly better than Illinois across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
New Jersey performs significantly better than Illinois 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.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Springfield | Trenton |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 42°/25°F (6°/-4°C) | 44°/27°F (7°/-3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 74°/52°F (23°/11°C) | 71°/51°F (22°/10°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/61°F (29°/16°C) | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 52°/33°F (11°/1°C) | 54°/36°F (12°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Springfield | Trenton |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35°/19°F (1.6°/-7.4°C) | 39°/23°F (3.9°/-4.9°C) |
| Feb | 40°/23°F (4.4°/-5.2°C) | 42°/26°F (5.7°/-3.4°C) |
| Mar | 52°/32°F (11.2°/0.1°C) | 51°/32°F (10.5°/-0.1°C) |
| Apr | 65°/42°F (18.1°/5.8°C) | 61°/41°F (16.3°/5.0°C) |
| May | 75°/53°F (23.8°/11.4°C) | 72°/51°F (22.1°/10.3°C) |
| Jun | 83°/62°F (28.4°/16.6°C) | 81°/60°F (27.1°/15.7°C) |
| Jul | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.6°C) | 85°/66°F (29.6°/18.9°C) |
| Aug | 85°/64°F (29.4°/17.6°C) | 84°/64°F (28.7°/17.9°C) |
| Sep | 79°/55°F (26.1°/12.6°C) | 76°/56°F (24.5°/13.6°C) |
| Oct | 66°/44°F (19.1°/6.6°C) | 65°/44°F (18.3°/6.8°C) |
| Nov | 52°/34°F (11.3°/1.1°C) | 54°/37°F (12.5°/2.7°C) |
| Dec | 38°/22°F (3.5°/-5.3°C) | 43°/28°F (6.2°/-2.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in New Jersey than Illinois?
On average New Jersey is around 26% pricier than Illinois, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to New Jersey?
Budget about $23,620 for 3 months in New Jersey (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is New Jersey safe?
New Jersey performs significantly better than Illinois across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in New Jersey compared to Illinois?
New Jersey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Illinois leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in New Jersey compared to Illinois?
The average high temperature in Trenton is 63°F, compared to 63°F in Springfield. Trenton receives around 46.5 in of rainfall per year, while Springfield gets 37.4 in.
