Moving to District of Columbia from New Jersey
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from New Jersey to District of Columbia — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from New Jersey to District of Columbia, you would find that District of Columbia is 16.5% more expensive than New Jersey. A $75,000 salary in New Jersey would need to be roughly $87,300 in District of Columbia to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from New Jersey to District of Columbia.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $87,300
To maintain the same standard of living in District of Columbia
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 24.3% more
Groceries
pay 7.9% more
Transportation
pay 4.9% more
Housing
pay 17.1% more
Childcare
pay 67.9% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 31.9% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
How New Jersey and District of Columbia 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
New Jersey performs better than District of Columbia 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
District of Columbia performs significantly better than New Jersey across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
New Jersey performs better than District of Columbia across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
New Jersey generally does better on infrastructure, though District of Columbia leads in average commute.
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 District of Columbia leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
District of Columbia performs significantly better than New Jersey 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 | Trenton | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 44°/27°F (7°/-3°C) | 48°/28°F (9°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 71°/51°F (22°/10°C) | 75°/51°F (24°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 85°/62°F (29°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/36°F (12°/2°C) | 57°/35°F (14°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Trenton | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39°/23°F (3.9°/-4.9°C) | 42°/24°F (5.8°/-4.5°C) |
| Feb | 42°/26°F (5.7°/-3.4°C) | 46°/26°F (8.0°/-3.3°C) |
| Mar | 51°/32°F (10.5°/-0.1°C) | 56°/33°F (13.1°/0.5°C) |
| Apr | 61°/41°F (16.3°/5.0°C) | 67°/42°F (19.3°/5.6°C) |
| May | 72°/51°F (22.1°/10.3°C) | 75°/51°F (23.9°/10.7°C) |
| Jun | 81°/60°F (27.1°/15.7°C) | 84°/61°F (28.8°/16.1°C) |
| Jul | 85°/66°F (29.6°/18.9°C) | 88°/65°F (31.1°/18.6°C) |
| Aug | 84°/64°F (28.7°/17.9°C) | 87°/64°F (30.3°/17.9°C) |
| Sep | 76°/56°F (24.5°/13.6°C) | 79°/56°F (26.3°/13.5°C) |
| Oct | 65°/44°F (18.3°/6.8°C) | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.6°C) |
| Nov | 54°/37°F (12.5°/2.7°C) | 58°/35°F (14.2°/1.8°C) |
| Dec | 43°/28°F (6.2°/-2.4°C) | 46°/27°F (7.8°/-2.7°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in District of Columbia than New Jersey?
Day-to-day costs in District of Columbia run about 16% higher than New Jersey on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to District of Columbia?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $21,825 in District of Columbia for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is District of Columbia safe?
New Jersey performs better than District of Columbia across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in District of Columbia compared to New Jersey?
District of Columbia performs significantly better than New Jersey across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in District of Columbia compared to New Jersey?
The average high temperature in Washington is 66°F, compared to 63°F in Trenton. Washington receives around 41.5 in of rainfall per year, while Trenton gets 46.5 in.
