Moving to Kansas from New Jersey
What to Expect
Considering a move from New Jersey to Kansas? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from New Jersey to Kansas, you would find that Kansas is 24.7% cheaper than New Jersey. A $75,000 salary in New Jersey would need to be roughly $53,173 in Kansas to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between New Jersey and Kansas.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $53,173
To maintain the same standard of living in Kansas
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 17.0% less
Groceries
pay 24.7% less
Transportation
pay 28.5% less
Housing
pay 20.5% less
Childcare
pay 44.8% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 18.1% less
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 Kansas cost about 25% less than cities in New Jersey.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Kansas compared to New Jersey.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
New Jersey performs better than Kansas 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
New Jersey performs better than Kansas across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Kansas performs significantly 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
New Jersey generally does better on infrastructure, though Kansas 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 Kansas 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 better than Kansas 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 | Topeka |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 44°/27°F (7°/-3°C) | 46°/25°F (8°/-4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 71°/51°F (22°/10°C) | 75°/53°F (24°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 86°/63°F (30°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/36°F (12°/2°C) | 54°/32°F (12°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Trenton | Topeka |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39°/23°F (3.9°/-4.9°C) | 39°/19°F (4.1°/-7.3°C) |
| Feb | 42°/26°F (5.7°/-3.4°C) | 44°/23°F (6.9°/-5.1°C) |
| Mar | 51°/32°F (10.5°/-0.1°C) | 56°/32°F (13.4°/0.1°C) |
| Apr | 61°/41°F (16.3°/5.0°C) | 66°/43°F (19.1°/5.9°C) |
| May | 72°/51°F (22.1°/10.3°C) | 75°/53°F (24.1°/11.8°C) |
| Jun | 81°/60°F (27.1°/15.7°C) | 84°/63°F (28.9°/17.0°C) |
| Jul | 85°/66°F (29.6°/18.9°C) | 90°/68°F (32.2°/19.9°C) |
| Aug | 84°/64°F (28.7°/17.9°C) | 89°/65°F (31.6°/18.6°C) |
| Sep | 76°/56°F (24.5°/13.6°C) | 80°/55°F (26.7°/13.0°C) |
| Oct | 65°/44°F (18.3°/6.8°C) | 67°/44°F (19.6°/6.6°C) |
| Nov | 54°/37°F (12.5°/2.7°C) | 54°/32°F (12.3°/0.2°C) |
| Dec | 43°/28°F (6.2°/-2.4°C) | 41°/21°F (4.9°/-5.9°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Kansas than New Jersey?
On average Kansas is about 29% less expensive than New Jersey, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Kansas?
Budget about $13,293 for 3 months in Kansas (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Kansas safe?
New Jersey performs better than Kansas across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Kansas compared to New Jersey?
New Jersey performs better than Kansas across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Kansas compared to New Jersey?
The average high temperature in Topeka is 66°F, compared to 63°F in Trenton. Topeka receives around 38.9 in of rainfall per year, while Trenton gets 46.5 in.
