Cost of living comparison
California is 4.0% more expensive than New Jersey.
If you lived in California instead of New Jersey, you would:
pay 7.3% more for restaurants
|
New Jersey
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.00
|
$21.02
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.19
|
$11.52
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.49
|
$2.71
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.02
|
$2.16
|
|
pay 0.1% less for groceries
|
New Jersey
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.89
|
$4.14
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.30
|
$6.95
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.36
|
$4.61
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.63
|
$4.33
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.77
|
$5.70
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.60
|
$2.34
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.90
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.10
|
$1.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.65
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.28
|
$1.39
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.59
|
$1.44
|
|
pay 5.9% less for transportation
|
New Jersey
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.49
|
$4.83
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$133.88
|
$62.05
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,750.31
|
$30,005.28
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.65
|
$20.07
|
|
pay 22.5% more for housing
|
New Jersey
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$58.37
|
$68.54
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,167.23
|
$2,371.29
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,865.29
|
$2,055.18
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$112.29
|
$171.68
|
|
pay 6.8% more for childcare
|
New Jersey
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,618.98
|
$1,682.51
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$28,166.67
|
$30,905.75
|
|
pay 3.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
New Jersey
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.72
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.97
|
$5.34
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.57
|
$10.91
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$54.75
|
$66.35
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.73
|
$14.41
|
|
pay 6.1% less for clothing
|
New Jersey
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$53.04
|
$52.77
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$45.58
|
$40.15
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.11
|
$85.15
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$124.03
|
$117.31
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about California or New Jersey. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.