Moving to New York from New Jersey
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from New Jersey to New York — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from New Jersey to New York, you would find that New York is 5.8% cheaper than New Jersey. A $75,000 salary in New Jersey would need to be roughly $69,532 in New York to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from New Jersey to New York.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $69,532
To maintain the same standard of living in New York
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 4.4% less
Groceries
pay 6.8% less
Transportation
pay 2.8% less
Housing
pay 5.0% less
Childcare
pay 10.1% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.1% 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 York cost about 14% less than cities in New Jersey.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from New Jersey to New York.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
New Jersey performs better than New York 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 generally does better on health & wellbeing, though New York leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
New York generally does better on what about housing?, though New Jersey leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
New Jersey performs better than New York across all infrastructure metrics.
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 New York 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 New York leads in life expectancy.
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 | Albany |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 44°/27°F (7°/-3°C) | 37°/19°F (2°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 71°/51°F (22°/10°C) | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 78°/58°F (26°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/36°F (12°/2°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Trenton | Albany |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39°/23°F (3.9°/-4.9°C) | 31°/15°F (-0.8°/-9.7°C) |
| Feb | 42°/26°F (5.7°/-3.4°C) | 35°/17°F (1.4°/-8.2°C) |
| Mar | 51°/32°F (10.5°/-0.1°C) | 44°/26°F (6.9°/-3.5°C) |
| Apr | 61°/41°F (16.3°/5.0°C) | 58°/37°F (14.6°/2.9°C) |
| May | 72°/51°F (22.1°/10.3°C) | 69°/47°F (20.8°/8.4°C) |
| Jun | 81°/60°F (27.1°/15.7°C) | 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.6°C) |
| Jul | 85°/66°F (29.6°/18.9°C) | 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.3°C) |
| Aug | 84°/64°F (28.7°/17.9°C) | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.5°C) |
| Sep | 76°/56°F (24.5°/13.6°C) | 72°/52°F (22.3°/10.9°C) |
| Oct | 65°/44°F (18.3°/6.8°C) | 60°/40°F (15.4°/4.2°C) |
| Nov | 54°/37°F (12.5°/2.7°C) | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.3°C) |
| Dec | 43°/28°F (6.2°/-2.4°C) | 36°/21°F (2.1°/-6.0°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in New York than New Jersey?
Yes — New York is on average about 7% cheaper than New Jersey. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to New York?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $17,383 in New York on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is New York safe?
New Jersey performs better than New York across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in New York compared to New Jersey?
New Jersey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though New York leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in New York compared to New Jersey?
The average high temperature in Albany is 58°F, compared to 63°F in Trenton. Albany receives around 39.4 in of rainfall per year, while Trenton gets 46.5 in.
