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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Let's be honest: New Jersey isn't cheap. And broadly, but within that premium market, there are cities where your dollar stretches meaningfully further. Jersey proves it with a cost index of 178, the lowest in New Jersey, and we've ranked all 4 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensi…
#1 Ranked: Jersey — cost index 178, rent $3,048/mo, income $94,813
$927/mo rent gap across the ranking
0 of 4 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Let's be honest: New Jersey isn't cheap. And broadly, but within that premium market, there are cities where your dollar stretches meaningfully further. Jersey proves it with a cost index of 178, the lowest in New Jersey, and we've ranked all 4 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensive landscape.
Dive into Jersey's numbers: cost index 178 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — (67 points above national average), rent $3,048/month, income $94,813, and a home price of $653,810. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Healthcare is the cheapest category at 116, while Housing runs 178. With 291,657 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs. An outlier in the best sense.
The ranking uses a composite of 2026 data from Census Bureau population/income surveys, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary benchmarks, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Jersey (index 178, rent $3,048); Elizabeth (index 134, rent $2,293); Paterson (index 122, rent $2,088). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
The data doesn't lie, but it does surprise: $927/mo — we had to double-check this one — rent gap across the ranking. Rent ranges from $3,048/mo in Jersey to $2,121/mo in Newark — a monthly difference of $927, or $11,124 per year. When healthcare costs are this low, the savings ripple across every other category.
Flip the lens, and you get a different read: State context matters: New Jersey's 4 cities average a 140 cost index with $2,388/month median rent and $65,217 household income. Nation's highest property taxes and NYC proximity premiums. The trend data adds another dimension to this.
Bottom line: Jersey leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. That's about what we'd expect given the state context. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
Rent ranges from $3,048/mo in Jersey to $2,121/mo in Newark — a monthly difference of $927, or $11,124 per year.
Jersey (index 178) and Newark (index 124) sit 54 points apart on the cost index — proof that New Jersey is far from monolithic in affordability.
291,657 residents · New Jersey
Dive into Jersey's numbers: cost index 178 (67 points above national average), rent $3,048/month, income $94,813, and a home price of $653,810. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Healthcare is the cheapest category at 116, while Housing runs 178. With 291,657 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
135,829 residents · New Jersey
In plain English: Why Elizabeth ranks #2: the numbers tell a clear story. At 134 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 23% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $2,293/month while the median household pulls in $63,874/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 107, though Housing (134) lags behind. Home prices average $533,247 — $65,877 above the national median.
156,452 residents · New Jersey
So, Paterson. Cost index of 122, rent at $2,088/month. It's higher than the national average. Median income is $53,766, which is below the national median. Take it or leave it — the data is what it is.
304,960 residents · New Jersey
A closer look at Newark: the cost index of 124 breaks down to a Healthcare index of 105 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 124 (weakest). Median rent is $2,121/month — 12% above the national median — while household income sits at $48,416, meaning locals spend about 53% of income on rent. That exceeds the recommended 30% threshold — affordability here depends on earning above the median.
Jersey ranks #1 in New Jersey for this analysis with a cost index of 178 and median income of $94,813.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Jersey (ranked #1) has a cost index of 178 and rent of $3,048/mo, while Newark (ranked #4) has a cost index of 124 and rent of $2,121/mo — a 54-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Jersey is $3,048/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $1,153 above the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Jersey is $653,810, which is 6.9× the local median income. Most median-income households would stretch to buy at this ratio. The national median home price is $467,370.
New Jersey has a 10.75% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.625%, and the effective property tax rate is 2.08%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.