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 4.1% more expensive than New York. A $75,000 salary in New York would need to be roughly $78,100 in New Jersey to maintain the same lifestyle. New York City and Newark are about 10 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to New Jersey? Get a shortlist of towns in New Jersey that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is New Jersey cheaper than New York?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 5.4% less
Groceries
pay 7.6% more
Transportation
pay 1.8% more
Housing
pay 7.8% more
Childcare
pay 5.3% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 0.1% 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.
What salary do you need in New Jersey?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $78,100
To maintain the same standard of living in New Jersey
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 Jersey cost about 4% 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.
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 Jersey vs New York
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | New York City | Newark |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 43°/30°F (6°/-1°C) | 48°/27°F (9°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 70°/54°F (21°/12°C) | 76°/51°F (24°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/66°F (27°/19°C) | 85°/63°F (29°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/41°F (12°/5°C) | 58°/36°F (14°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | New York City | Newark |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38°/27°F (3.5°/-2.8°C) | 42°/24°F (5.6°/-4.4°C) |
| Feb | 42°/29°F (5.3°/-1.7°C) | 46°/26°F (7.7°/-3.2°C) |
| Mar | 50°/35°F (9.8°/1.8°C) | 55°/32°F (12.7°/0.2°C) |
| Apr | 61°/45°F (16.2°/7.1°C) | 67°/42°F (19.4°/5.3°C) |
| May | 71°/54°F (21.6°/12.2°C) | 76°/51°F (24.6°/10.7°C) |
| Jun | 79°/64°F (26.3°/17.6°C) | 85°/61°F (29.5°/16.3°C) |
| Jul | 84°/69°F (28.9°/20.4°C) | 88°/66°F (31.2°/18.8°C) |
| Aug | 83°/68°F (28.1°/19.9°C) | 87°/65°F (30.4°/18.1°C) |
| Sep | 75°/61°F (24.0°/16.0°C) | 80°/57°F (26.5°/14.0°C) |
| Oct | 64°/50°F (17.7°/10.0°C) | 69°/45°F (20.4°/7.3°C) |
| Nov | 54°/42°F (12.1°/5.3°C) | 58°/36°F (14.2°/2.4°C) |
| Dec | 43°/32°F (6.1°/0.0°C) | 46°/28°F (7.8°/-2.2°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 4% 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 $19,525 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 Newark is 67°F, compared to 62°F in New York City. Newark receives around 46.2 in of rainfall per year, while New York City gets 49.9 in.
