Moving to New Jersey from Iowa
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Iowa to New Jersey — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Iowa to New Jersey, you would find that New Jersey is 39.2% more expensive than Iowa. A $75,000 salary in Iowa would need to be roughly $106,090 in New Jersey to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Iowa to New Jersey.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $106,090
To maintain the same standard of living in New Jersey
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 15.3% more
Groceries
pay 39.1% more
Transportation
pay 64.2% more
Housing
pay 56.2% more
Childcare
pay 59.9% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 21.3% 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 52% more than cities in Iowa.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How Iowa and New Jersey stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Iowa generally does better on safety, though New Jersey leads in violent crime rate.
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 Iowa leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Iowa 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
Iowa 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 generally does better on employment & economy, though Iowa leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Iowa generally does better on family life, though New Jersey leads in bachelor's degree or higher.
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 | Des Moines | Trenton |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) | 44°/27°F (7°/-3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 71°/51°F (22°/10°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) | 54°/36°F (12°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Des Moines | Trenton |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) | 39°/23°F (3.9°/-4.9°C) |
| Feb | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) | 42°/26°F (5.7°/-3.4°C) |
| Mar | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) | 51°/32°F (10.5°/-0.1°C) |
| Apr | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) | 61°/41°F (16.3°/5.0°C) |
| May | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) | 72°/51°F (22.1°/10.3°C) |
| Jun | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) | 81°/60°F (27.1°/15.7°C) |
| Jul | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) | 85°/66°F (29.6°/18.9°C) |
| Aug | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) | 84°/64°F (28.7°/17.9°C) |
| Sep | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) | 76°/56°F (24.5°/13.6°C) |
| Oct | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) | 65°/44°F (18.3°/6.8°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) | 54°/37°F (12.5°/2.7°C) |
| Dec | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°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 Iowa?
Day-to-day costs in New Jersey run about 41% higher than Iowa 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 $26,522 in New Jersey for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is New Jersey safe?
Iowa generally does better on safety, though New Jersey leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in New Jersey compared to Iowa?
New Jersey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Iowa leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in New Jersey compared to Iowa?
The average high temperature in Trenton is 63°F, compared to 60°F in Des Moines. Trenton receives around 46.5 in of rainfall per year, while Des Moines gets 36.0 in.
