Moving to New Jersey from Virginia

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What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Virginia to New Jersey — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Virginia to New Jersey, you would find that New Jersey is 9.6% more expensive than Virginia. A $75,000 salary in Virginia would need to be roughly $81,588 in New Jersey to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Virginia to New Jersey.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $81,588

To maintain the same standard of living in New Jersey

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 0.4% more

Groceries

pay 4.8% more

Transportation

pay 18.2% more

Housing

pay 11.2% more

Childcare

pay 6.5% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 13.0% more

See full cost of living breakdown

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 24% more than cities in Virginia.

Compare cities head-to-head

Key Indicator Comparison

How Virginia and New Jersey stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rateFBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

VA
232
NJ
215
Property crime rateFBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

VA
1628
NJ
1481

New Jersey performs significantly better than Virginia across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rateUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

VA
6.7%
NJ
7.1%
Adult obesity rateCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

VA
35.3%
NJ
30.0%

New Jersey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Virginia leads in uninsured rate.

What about housing?

Median home valueUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

VA
$360,700
NJ
$427,600
Median rentUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

VA
$1,514
NJ
$1,653

Virginia performs better than New Jersey across all what about housing? metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet accessUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

VA
90.1%
NJ
91.9%
Average commuteUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

VA
28 min
NJ
31 min

Virginia generally does better on infrastructure, though New Jersey leads in internet access.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rateBureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

VA
3.4%
NJ
4.5%
GDP per capitaBureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

VA
$69,111
NJ
$70,788

New Jersey generally does better on employment & economy, though Virginia leads in unemployment rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancyOECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

VA
77.6 yrs
NJ
77.5 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higherUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

VA
28%
NJ
29%

Virginia 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.

RichmondRain: 43.6 in/yr (1108 mm)
70°/48°F

Avg. annual high / low

TrentonRain: 46.5 in/yr (1180 mm)
63°/44°F

Avg. annual high / low

MonthsRichmondTrenton
Jan–Mar53°/32°F (12°/0°C)44°/27°F (7°/-3°C)
Apr–Jun78°/55°F (26°/13°C)71°/51°F (22°/10°C)
Jul–Sep86°/65°F (30°/19°C)82°/62°F (28°/17°C)
Oct–Dec61°/39°F (16°/4°C)54°/36°F (12°/2°C)
View all months
MonthRichmondTrenton
Jan47°/28°F (8.6°/-2.1°C)39°/23°F (3.9°/-4.9°C)
Feb51°/31°F (10.7°/-0.8°C)42°/26°F (5.7°/-3.4°C)
Mar60°/37°F (15.6°/2.8°C)51°/32°F (10.5°/-0.1°C)
Apr70°/46°F (21.3°/7.8°C)61°/41°F (16.3°/5.0°C)
May78°/55°F (25.5°/12.8°C)72°/51°F (22.1°/10.3°C)
Jun86°/65°F (30.1°/18.1°C)81°/60°F (27.1°/15.7°C)
Jul90°/69°F (32.1°/20.5°C)85°/66°F (29.6°/18.9°C)
Aug88°/67°F (30.9°/19.7°C)84°/64°F (28.7°/17.9°C)
Sep81°/60°F (27.3°/15.6°C)76°/56°F (24.5°/13.6°C)
Oct71°/48°F (21.7°/9.1°C)65°/44°F (18.3°/6.8°C)
Nov61°/39°F (16.3°/4.1°C)54°/37°F (12.5°/2.7°C)
Dec51°/31°F (10.4°/-0.3°C)43°/28°F (6.2°/-2.4°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in New Jersey than Virginia?

Day-to-day costs in New Jersey run about 9% higher than Virginia on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to New Jersey?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $20,397 in New Jersey for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is New Jersey safe?

New Jersey performs significantly better than Virginia across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in New Jersey compared to Virginia?

New Jersey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Virginia leads in uninsured rate.

What's the weather like in New Jersey compared to Virginia?

The average high temperature in Trenton is 63°F, compared to 70°F in Richmond. Trenton receives around 46.5 in of rainfall per year, while Richmond gets 43.6 in.

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