Moving to New Jersey from New York
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from New York to New Jersey — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from New York to New Jersey, you would find that New Jersey is 7.1% more expensive than New York. A $75,000 salary in New York would need to be roughly $80,898 in New Jersey to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from New York to New Jersey.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $80,898
To maintain the same standard of living in New Jersey
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 4.7% more
Groceries
pay 7.6% more
Transportation
pay 3.8% more
Housing
pay 7.1% more
Childcare
pay 11.2% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 0.8% 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 New Jersey cost about 17% more than cities in New York.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from New York to New Jersey.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
New Jersey performs significantly 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 York generally does better on health & wellbeing, though New Jersey leads in diabetes 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 significantly 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 York generally does better on employment & economy, though New Jersey leads in median household income.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
New York generally does better on family life, though New Jersey leads in bachelor's degree or higher.
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 | Albany | Trenton |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 37°/19°F (2°/-7°C) | 44°/27°F (7°/-3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) | 71°/51°F (22°/10°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 78°/58°F (26°/14°C) | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) | 54°/36°F (12°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Albany | Trenton |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/15°F (-0.8°/-9.7°C) | 39°/23°F (3.9°/-4.9°C) |
| Feb | 35°/17°F (1.4°/-8.2°C) | 42°/26°F (5.7°/-3.4°C) |
| Mar | 44°/26°F (6.9°/-3.5°C) | 51°/32°F (10.5°/-0.1°C) |
| Apr | 58°/37°F (14.6°/2.9°C) | 61°/41°F (16.3°/5.0°C) |
| May | 69°/47°F (20.8°/8.4°C) | 72°/51°F (22.1°/10.3°C) |
| Jun | 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.6°C) | 81°/60°F (27.1°/15.7°C) |
| Jul | 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.3°C) | 85°/66°F (29.6°/18.9°C) |
| Aug | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.5°C) | 84°/64°F (28.7°/17.9°C) |
| Sep | 72°/52°F (22.3°/10.9°C) | 76°/56°F (24.5°/13.6°C) |
| Oct | 60°/40°F (15.4°/4.2°C) | 65°/44°F (18.3°/6.8°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.3°C) | 54°/37°F (12.5°/2.7°C) |
| Dec | 36°/21°F (2.1°/-6.0°C) | 43°/28°F (6.2°/-2.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in New Jersey than New York?
No — New Jersey is on average about 8% more expensive than New York. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to New Jersey?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $20,224 in New Jersey on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is New Jersey safe?
New Jersey performs significantly better than New York across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in New Jersey compared to New York?
New York generally does better on health & wellbeing, though New Jersey leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in New Jersey compared to New York?
The average high temperature in Trenton is 63°F, compared to 58°F in Albany. Trenton receives around 46.5 in of rainfall per year, while Albany gets 39.4 in.
