New Jersey vs New York: Cost of Living, Taxes, Rent and Safety Compared
Weighing a move between New Jersey and New York? Here’s how they compare on the numbers that decide most moves, from the same public data Locustep uses to rank all 50 states.
Rent: a typical two-bedroom is $134 a month cheaper in New Jersey ($2,268 vs $2,402) — $1,608 a year, 6% less.
Income tax: New Jersey’s top rate is 10.75%, against 10.9% in New York.
State and local taxes: a median-income household would pay 14.3% of income in New Jersey vs 14.6% in New York — income, property and sales tax together.
Everyday costs: close — 104.9 in New Jersey and 105.3 in New York (U.S. = 100), housing excluded.
Pay: median household income is $104,294 in New Jersey and $85,820 in New York.
Safety: New Jersey has the lower violent crime rate (217.7 vs 380.2 per 100,000).
Weather: winter afternoons average 43°F in Newark and 42°F in New York City; summer afternoons 85°F and 83°F.
Shaded cells are the lower-cost, higher-income or lower-risk figure. Indexes: U.S. average = 100.
What it means for your budget
Rent alone: moving from New Jersey to New York changes a typical two-bedroom rent by +$134 a month (+$1,608 a year); the move the other way flips the sign. Taxes, pay, insurance and the move itself shift too, and how much depends on your income, your household and the city you pick.
That’s exactly what Locustep’s Net-Impact Report works out: your take-home pay after state and local taxes in both places, rent or buy for your budget, insurance and moving costs, and the month the move pays for itself.
Which state fits you better?
On Locustep’s directional scores, New York leads on walkability. Which of those matters depends entirely on you.
Where people look in each state
New Jersey
Jersey City
$2,792/mo two-bedroom
Jersey City is dense, diverse and directly across the Hudson from Manhattan, with a PATH commute of minutes and skyline views. Expensive but cheaper than New York, with a strong food scene and rapid high-rise development.
Newark
$2,233/mo two-bedroom
Newark is New Jersey's largest city — a major airport and port, several universities, and the cheapest housing with genuine Manhattan train access. Gritty, diverse, and in the middle of long-running redevelopment.
Hoboken
$2,792/mo two-bedroom
Hoboken is a compact, walkable, young, expensive square mile on the Hudson with brownstones, bars and a fast PATH ride to Manhattan. Flood-prone, dense, and heavily populated by twenty- and thirty-somethings.
New York is the densest, most transit-dependent and most culturally saturated place in the country — you can live well without a car and eat anything at any hour. Housing costs are extreme, space is minimal, and the pace is relentless.
Buffalo
$1,423/mo two-bedroom
Buffalo is an affordable Great Lakes city with extraordinary architecture, a strong food identity and famously heavy lake-effect snow. Winters are the defining fact; housing is among the cheapest in the Northeast.
Rochester
$1,416/mo two-bedroom
Rochester is a former Kodak and Xerox city with strong universities, a music conservatory and very low housing costs. Snowy, quietly liveable, and close to the Finger Lakes.
On rent, New Jersey is cheaper: a typical two-bedroom is $2,268 a month against $2,402 (HUD FY2027). Everyday costs, housing excluded, index at 104.9 in New Jersey and 105.3 in New York (U.S. = 100). Whether you come out ahead also depends on your pay and taxes in each state.
Which has lower taxes, New Jersey or New York?
New Jersey. A married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 14.3% of it in state and local taxes, against 14.6% in New York (Locustep estimate). Top income-tax rates are 10.75% in New Jersey and 10.9% in New York.
Is New Jersey safer than New York?
By violent crime, New Jersey is lower: 217.7 per 100,000 residents against 380.2 (FBI, 2024). On natural hazards, FEMA puts New Jersey at the 54th percentile and New York at the 12th (lower is safer).
Which has better weather, New Jersey or New York?
It depends what you want. Winter afternoons average 43°F in Newark and 42°F in New York City; summer afternoons 85°F and 83°F (NOAA 1991–2020). New Jersey: four distinct seasons. New York: four distinct seasons.