Moving to Georgia from New Jersey

moving to

What to Expect

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

If you moved from New Jersey to Georgia, you would find that Georgia is 17.8% cheaper than New Jersey. A $75,000 salary in New Jersey would need to be roughly $60,640 in Georgia to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Atlanta averages 72°F vs 63°F in Trenton, making it significantly warmer.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

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

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $60,640

To maintain the same standard of living in Georgia

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 10.4% less

Groceries

pay 21.0% less

Transportation

pay 14.3% less

Housing

pay 7.0% less

Childcare

pay 37.0% less

Entertainment and Sports

pay 17.9% less

See full cost of living breakdown

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 Georgia cost about 28% less than cities in New Jersey.

New Jersey

Compare cities head-to-head

Key Indicator Comparison

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

Is it safe?

Violent crime rateFBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

NJ
215
GA
343
Property crime rateFBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

NJ
1481
GA
1779

New Jersey performs better than Georgia across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rateUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

NJ
7.1%
GA
11.8%
Adult obesity rateCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

NJ
30.0%
GA
37.0%

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

What about housing?

Median home valueUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

NJ
$427,600
GA
$272,900
Median rentUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

NJ
$1,653
GA
$1,306

Georgia performs significantly better than New Jersey across all what about housing? metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet accessUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

NJ
91.9%
GA
89.5%
Average commuteUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

NJ
31 min
GA
28 min

New Jersey generally does better on infrastructure, though Georgia leads in average commute.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rateBureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

NJ
4.5%
GA
3.3%
GDP per capitaBureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

NJ
$70,788
GA
$61,706

New Jersey generally does better on employment & economy, though Georgia leads in unemployment rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancyOECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

NJ
77.5 yrs
GA
75.6 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higherUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

NJ
29%
GA
22%

New Jersey performs better than Georgia 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.

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

Avg. annual high / low

AtlantaRain: 49.7 in/yr (1263 mm)
72°/53°F

Avg. annual high / low

MonthsTrentonAtlanta
Jan–Mar44°/27°F (7°/-3°C)58°/39°F (14°/4°C)
Apr–Jun71°/51°F (22°/10°C)79°/60°F (26°/16°C)
Jul–Sep82°/62°F (28°/17°C)86°/69°F (30°/20°C)
Oct–Dec54°/36°F (12°/2°C)64°/45°F (17°/7°C)
View all months
MonthTrentonAtlanta
Jan39°/23°F (3.9°/-4.9°C)52°/34°F (11.3°/1.3°C)
Feb42°/26°F (5.7°/-3.4°C)57°/38°F (13.7°/3.2°C)
Mar51°/32°F (10.5°/-0.1°C)65°/44°F (18.1°/6.7°C)
Apr61°/41°F (16.3°/5.0°C)72°/51°F (22.5°/10.8°C)
May72°/51°F (22.1°/10.3°C)80°/60°F (26.6°/15.7°C)
Jun81°/60°F (27.1°/15.7°C)86°/68°F (30.2°/20.1°C)
Jul85°/66°F (29.6°/18.9°C)89°/71°F (31.7°/21.8°C)
Aug84°/64°F (28.7°/17.9°C)88°/71°F (31.2°/21.5°C)
Sep76°/56°F (24.5°/13.6°C)82°/65°F (27.9°/18.2°C)
Oct65°/44°F (18.3°/6.8°C)73°/54°F (22.6°/12.2°C)
Nov54°/37°F (12.5°/2.7°C)64°/44°F (17.6°/6.9°C)
Dec43°/28°F (6.2°/-2.4°C)54°/36°F (12.2°/2.5°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Georgia than New Jersey?

Generally yes: Georgia runs about 19% cheaper than New Jersey on average, though it depends heavily on the city.

How much money do I need to move to Georgia?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $15,160 in Georgia for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Georgia safe?

New Jersey performs better than Georgia across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Georgia compared to New Jersey?

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

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

The average high temperature in Atlanta is 72°F, compared to 63°F in Trenton. Atlanta receives around 49.7 in of rainfall per year, while Trenton gets 46.5 in.

Share this