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 3.9% cheaper than New Jersey. A $75,000 salary in New Jersey would need to be roughly $72,100 in New York to maintain the same lifestyle. Newark and New York City are about 10 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to New York? Get a shortlist of towns in New York that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is New York cheaper than New Jersey?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 5.7% more
Groceries
pay 7.1% less
Transportation
pay 1.8% less
Housing
pay 7.3% less
Childcare
pay 5.5% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 0.1% 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.
What salary do you need in New York?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $72,100
To maintain the same standard of living in New York
Calculate with your salary →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 4% 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.
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 New York vs New Jersey
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Newark | New York City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 48°/27°F (9°/-2°C) | 43°/30°F (6°/-1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 76°/51°F (24°/11°C) | 70°/54°F (21°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/63°F (29°/17°C) | 81°/66°F (27°/19°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 58°/36°F (14°/2°C) | 54°/41°F (12°/5°C) |
View all months
| Month | Newark | New York City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42°/24°F (5.6°/-4.4°C) | 38°/27°F (3.5°/-2.8°C) |
| Feb | 46°/26°F (7.7°/-3.2°C) | 42°/29°F (5.3°/-1.7°C) |
| Mar | 55°/32°F (12.7°/0.2°C) | 50°/35°F (9.8°/1.8°C) |
| Apr | 67°/42°F (19.4°/5.3°C) | 61°/45°F (16.2°/7.1°C) |
| May | 76°/51°F (24.6°/10.7°C) | 71°/54°F (21.6°/12.2°C) |
| Jun | 85°/61°F (29.5°/16.3°C) | 79°/64°F (26.3°/17.6°C) |
| Jul | 88°/66°F (31.2°/18.8°C) | 84°/69°F (28.9°/20.4°C) |
| Aug | 87°/65°F (30.4°/18.1°C) | 83°/68°F (28.1°/19.9°C) |
| Sep | 80°/57°F (26.5°/14.0°C) | 75°/61°F (24.0°/16.0°C) |
| Oct | 69°/45°F (20.4°/7.3°C) | 64°/50°F (17.7°/10.0°C) |
| Nov | 58°/36°F (14.2°/2.4°C) | 54°/42°F (12.1°/5.3°C) |
| Dec | 46°/28°F (7.8°/-2.2°C) | 43°/32°F (6.1°/0.0°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 4% 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 $18,025 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 New York City is 62°F, compared to 67°F in Newark. New York City receives around 49.9 in of rainfall per year, while Newark gets 46.2 in.
