Moving to Hawaii from New Jersey
What to Expect
Considering a move from New Jersey to Hawaii? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from New Jersey to Hawaii, you would find that Hawaii is 19.5% more expensive than New Jersey. A $75,000 salary in New Jersey would need to be roughly $89,700 in Hawaii to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Honolulu averages 84°F vs 67°F in Newark, making it significantly warmer. Newark and Honolulu are about 4,950 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to Hawaii? Get a shortlist of towns in Hawaii that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is Hawaii cheaper than New Jersey?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 38.9% more
Groceries
pay 62.3% more
Transportation
pay 1.5% more
Housing
pay 13.5% more
Childcare
pay 9.7% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 6.5% 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.
What salary do you need in Hawaii?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $89,700
To maintain the same standard of living in Hawaii
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Hawaii compared to New Jersey.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
New Jersey generally does better on safety, though Hawaii 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 Hawaii leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
New Jersey performs better than Hawaii 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 Hawaii 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 Hawaii 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 generally does better on family life, though Hawaii leads in life expectancy.
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
Weather in Hawaii vs New Jersey
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Newark | Honolulu |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 48°/27°F (9°/-2°C) | 80°/67°F (27°/19°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 76°/51°F (24°/11°C) | 85°/71°F (29°/22°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/63°F (29°/17°C) | 89°/74°F (31°/24°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 58°/36°F (14°/2°C) | 84°/71°F (29°/22°C) |
View all months
| Month | Newark | Honolulu |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42°/24°F (5.6°/-4.4°C) | 80°/66°F (26.7°/19.1°C) |
| Feb | 46°/26°F (7.7°/-3.2°C) | 80°/66°F (26.8°/18.9°C) |
| Mar | 55°/32°F (12.7°/0.2°C) | 81°/68°F (27.3°/19.8°C) |
| Apr | 67°/42°F (19.4°/5.3°C) | 83°/69°F (28.2°/20.8°C) |
| May | 76°/51°F (24.6°/10.7°C) | 85°/71°F (29.2°/21.6°C) |
| Jun | 85°/61°F (29.5°/16.3°C) | 87°/73°F (30.6°/23.0°C) |
| Jul | 88°/66°F (31.2°/18.8°C) | 88°/74°F (31.1°/23.6°C) |
| Aug | 87°/65°F (30.4°/18.1°C) | 89°/75°F (31.5°/23.9°C) |
| Sep | 80°/57°F (26.5°/14.0°C) | 89°/74°F (31.4°/23.6°C) |
| Oct | 69°/45°F (20.4°/7.3°C) | 87°/73°F (30.4°/23.0°C) |
| Nov | 58°/36°F (14.2°/2.4°C) | 84°/71°F (28.8°/21.9°C) |
| Dec | 46°/28°F (7.8°/-2.2°C) | 81°/68°F (27.3°/20.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Hawaii than New Jersey?
On average Hawaii is around 20% pricier than New Jersey, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Hawaii?
Budget about $22,425 for 3 months in Hawaii (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Hawaii safe?
New Jersey generally does better on safety, though Hawaii leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in Hawaii compared to New Jersey?
New Jersey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Hawaii leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Hawaii compared to New Jersey?
The average high temperature in Honolulu is 84°F, compared to 67°F in Newark. Honolulu receives around 17.1 in of rainfall per year, while Newark gets 46.2 in.
