New York vs New Jersey: which really costs more?
Neighboring high-tax states where the difference decides which side of the Hudson people live on.
New Jersey
- State income tax
- 3.54%
- Rank of 51
- 27
- Combined sales tax
- 6.63%
- Rank of 51
- 30
Income tax shown is the effective state rate on a $75,000 salary for a single filer; sales tax is the combined state and local rate in each state's representative county. Both figures come from the same verified datasets the calculator uses.
What things actually cost in each
Gross income required at a $75,000 salary, using each category's default assumptions — sorted by the biggest difference between the two states.
| Category | New York | New Jersey | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car purchase | $143,586 | $144,521 | $935 cheaper in New York |
| Wedding | $50,533 | $50,102 | $431 cheaper in New Jersey |
| Car payment or lease | $17,936 | $18,174 | $238 cheaper in New York |
| Funeral | $12,317 | $12,504 | $187 cheaper in New York |
| Coffee habit | $27,589 | $27,407 | $182 cheaper in New Jersey |
| Phone plan | $10,609 | $10,770 | $161 cheaper in New York |
| Rent | $2,771 | $2,813 | $42 cheaper in New York |
| Childcare | $1,694 | $1,719 | $26 cheaper in New York |
| Hotel stay | $1,077 | $1,093 | $16 cheaper in New York |
| Health insurance premium | $693 | $703 | $11 cheaper in New York |
| Student loan payment | $616 | $625 | $9 cheaper in New York |
| Domestic flight | $505 | $512 | $8 cheaper in New York |
| Pet annual cost | $2,587 | $2,580 | $7 cheaper in New Jersey |
| Laptop or phone purchase | $2,005 | $2,000 | $5 cheaper in New Jersey |
| Utilities | $323 | $328 | $5 cheaper in New York |
| Weekly groceries | $269 | $274 | $4 cheaper in New York |
| Car insurance | $254 | $258 | $4 cheaper in New York |
| Cannabis (legal states) | $109 | $111 | $2 cheaper in New York |
| Internet service | $108 | $109 | $2 cheaper in New York |
| Gas fill-up | $69 | $70 | $1 cheaper in New York |
| Haircut | $65 | $66 | $1 cheaper in New York |
| Rideshare trip | $34 | $34 | $1 cheaper in New York |
| Restaurant dinner | $160 | $160 | $0 cheaper in New Jersey |
| Food delivery | $59 | $59 | $0 cheaper in New York |
| Gym membership | $75 | $75 | $0 cheaper in New Jersey |
| Streaming bundle | $75 | $75 | $0 cheaper in New Jersey |
| Concert ticket | $228 | $228 | $0 cheaper in New Jersey |
| Soft drinks | $40 | $40 | $0 cheaper in New Jersey |
| Pizza delivery | $62 | $62 | $0 cheaper in New York |
| Fast food meal | $20 | $20 | $0 cheaper in New Jersey |
| Bar drink | $18 | $18 | $0 cheaper in New Jersey |
| Cigarettes or vape | $15 | $15 | $0 cheaper in New Jersey |
Across the 32 categories we can compute for both states, New York comes out cheaper more often. That is not the whole picture — housing costs, wages, and property tax vary far more than sales tax does, and none of those are modeled here. See limitations.