Moving to New Jersey from Mississippi
What to Expect
Considering a move from Mississippi to New Jersey? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Mississippi to New Jersey, you would find that New Jersey is 46.4% more expensive than Mississippi. A $75,000 salary in Mississippi would need to be roughly $110,000 in New Jersey to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Trenton averages 63°F vs 76°F in Jackson, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Mississippi and New Jersey.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $110,000
To maintain the same standard of living in New Jersey
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 14.5% more
Groceries
pay 38.1% more
Transportation
pay 16.3% more
Housing
pay 85.7% more
Childcare
pay 81.0% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 48.0% 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 34% more than cities in Mississippi.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in New Jersey compared to Mississippi.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Mississippi generally does better on safety, though New Jersey leads in property 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 performs significantly better than Mississippi across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Mississippi 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
Mississippi 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 Mississippi leads in unemployment rate.
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 Mississippi across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Jackson | Trenton |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 62°/41°F (17°/5°C) | 44°/27°F (7°/-3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 83°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 71°/51°F (22°/10°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/70°F (32°/21°C) | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 67°/46°F (20°/8°C) | 54°/36°F (12°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Jackson | Trenton |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56°/37°F (13.6°/2.7°C) | 39°/23°F (3.9°/-4.9°C) |
| Feb | 61°/40°F (16.1°/4.6°C) | 42°/26°F (5.7°/-3.4°C) |
| Mar | 68°/47°F (20.2°/8.2°C) | 51°/32°F (10.5°/-0.1°C) |
| Apr | 76°/54°F (24.4°/12.1°C) | 61°/41°F (16.3°/5.0°C) |
| May | 83°/63°F (28.3°/17.1°C) | 72°/51°F (22.1°/10.3°C) |
| Jun | 89°/69°F (31.8°/20.8°C) | 81°/60°F (27.1°/15.7°C) |
| Jul | 92°/72°F (33.1°/22.4°C) | 85°/66°F (29.6°/18.9°C) |
| Aug | 92°/72°F (33.1°/22.2°C) | 84°/64°F (28.7°/17.9°C) |
| Sep | 87°/66°F (30.3°/18.9°C) | 76°/56°F (24.5°/13.6°C) |
| Oct | 77°/55°F (25.1°/12.8°C) | 65°/44°F (18.3°/6.8°C) |
| Nov | 67°/45°F (19.7°/7.3°C) | 54°/37°F (12.5°/2.7°C) |
| Dec | 58°/39°F (14.7°/3.9°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 Mississippi?
On average New Jersey is around 46% pricier than Mississippi, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to New Jersey?
Budget about $27,500 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?
Mississippi generally does better on safety, though New Jersey leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in New Jersey compared to Mississippi?
New Jersey performs significantly better than Mississippi across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in New Jersey compared to Mississippi?
The average high temperature in Trenton is 63°F, compared to 76°F in Jackson. Trenton receives around 46.5 in of rainfall per year, while Jackson gets 54.3 in.
