Moving From New York to New Jersey

Thinking about moving from New York to New Jersey. This is a common occurrence these days. Due to the lower cost of living in New Jersey compared to New York City and the availability of more spacious housing options, many people decide to replace New York with New Jersey. The best thing is that, because of the various modes of transportation and good connection between the two states, you can enjoy all the benefits of living in New Jersey but still keep your well-paid NYC job. But is it all that perfect? In the following article, Best Cross Country Movers will reveal all the pros and cons of relocating from New York to New Jersey.

Things to think about before moving from New York to New Jersey

Whenever you are moving to a new place, particularly when that new place is located in another state, you need to be careful. As the old saying goes, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. And that is exactly why you need to watch out. If you are already considering hiring interstate movers in New York and moving to New Jersey that means that you probably already found numerous reasons why that might be a good idea. But, there are certainly going to be things that you won’t like. To ensure that you are making the right decision and to properly weigh in all the aspects of this move, you need to check:

• Cost of living
• Taxes
• Job market
• Transportation
• Schools
• Safety
• Healthcare
• Climate
• Culture

Cost of living

The cost of living is one of the main reasons why people are moving from New York to New Jersey in great numbers. Naturally, the fact that people are moving in that direction speaks for itself. New Jersey is a much cheaper state. The cost of living for one person per month in New Jersey is $2,031, while in New York that number is $2,848. If you are a family of four, for one month in New Jersey you will need around $4,602 opposite to the $6,032 that you had to spend in New York. Now we already spoke about housing costs. Therefore, let’s take a look at the differences concerning home values and rents as well as what types of homes are typical in NY and NJ.

Housing costs in New York and New Jersey

The biggest difference you will see when relocating between the two states is in housing costs.  In this segment, New York City is particularly notorious. However, strangely, if we look at the median prices in the state of New York and compare them with prices in New Jersey, it turns out that prices are higher in The Garden State. The median home value in New York at the beginning of 2023 was $405,327 while in New Jersey that number was $440,368. Now, of course, most people that are moving from New York to New Jersey are trying to escape NYC’s prices.

And, if we look at the Big Apple alone, we see that the median home value here is $760,000 – much higher than in the rest of the state of New York. When it comes to renting prices, the median rent in NYC is $3,400. But what about other NY cities? Look at the prices down below and you will see that lowering your housing costs by relocating from New York to New Jersey is not as straightforward as it seems. Besides New York City, most other NY cities are cheaper in this regard than similar-sized cities in New Jersey.

Average housing costs in larger NY cities

• NYC median home price – $760,000
• NYC average rent – $3,600
• Albany median home price – $229.500
• Albany average rent – $1,200
• Buffalo median home price – $154,000
• Buffalo average rent – $1,025
• Rochester median home price – $129,000
• Rochester average rent – $995
• Syracuse median home price – $123,000
• Syracuse average rent – $900
• Yonkers median home price – $408,000
• Yonkers average rent – $1,950

Average housing costs in larger NJ cities

• Newark median home price – $410,000
• Newark average rent – $1,499
• Jersey City median home price – $587,000
• Jersey City average rent – $3,325
• Paterson median home price – $413,000
• Paterson average rent – $1,575
• Elizabeth median home price – $500,000
• Elizabeth average rent – $2,089
• Lakewood median home price – $400,000
• Lakewood average rent – $1,300
• Edison median home price – $476,000
• Edison average rent – $1,800

Average home sizes

Besides prices it is home size is also a thing that pushes some people toward this type of move. As we all know, New York City is particularly notorious when it comes to cramped living spaces. The whole state, in fact, has a problem in this regard. For example, the state of New York is the ranker 49th when it comes to average living space. The average home size here is 1,490 square feet while in New Jersey it is 1,740 square feet.

Will you at least feel relief when it comes to taxes?

As you can see, if you are, for example, living in Albany, lowering your living costs by simply hiring interstate movers in Albany and moving to New Jersey won’t be that easy.  And there is another thing that you certainly won’t like – taxes. Property tax rates in NJ, for example, are among the highest in the nation – 2.26%. On the other hand, the same tax in the state of New York is 1.62% while in NYC it is 0.98%.

When it comes to income taxes, in New York, you have a tax that depends on your taxable income and filing status. You have nine income tax rates that range from 4% to 10.9%. In New Jersey, on the other hand, there is a thing called graduated individual income tax that ranges from 1.40% to 10.75%. That is another segment where you won’t feel much of a relief after moving from New York to New Jersey.

What can you expect in the job market?

The job market is another thing that you need to pay special attention to when changing states. However, since most people that relocate from NY to NJ plan to keep their old job maybe that is not that important. Still, for those that plan to hire interstate movers in New Jersey, relocate their home, and find a new job there it is important to know that job markets in these two states are pretty different. For example, NY’s economy is centered around finance, media, technology, and tourism. While in New Jersey biggest industries are pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and finance.

Transportation differences you will feel after relocating from NY to NJ

We already mentioned that most people that make this move continue to commute between the two states. If you are planning to do so as well, you will have various public transportation options like trains, buses, and ferries. Also, many people drive or use ride-sharing services to cross the state line. However, those are not so convenient options because of the common traffic congestion. If you are hiring interstate movers in Buffalo and don’t plan to keep working in New York, that is a whole other story. In that case, you should probably get a car. NJ’s transportation system is more car-dependent, with a higher percentage of commuters driving to work.

NJ Transit provides commuter rail and bus service throughout the state and into NY, but the system is not as extensive as you are used to seeing in NYC. If you are planning to buy a car, know that the average price for a new gasoline vehicle in Garden State is $30,000. Electric vehicles, on the other hand, can cost up to $80,000. Another thing that you need to keep in mind is that owning and operating a vehicle daily can significantly increase your living costs. The average cost of owning and operating a vehicle in the US is $2,200 while in the state of New Jersey, it is $2,400.

Better education awaits you in the “Garden State”

When it comes to education that is one segment in which you will certainly feel an improvement. Especially if you plan to send your kids to private schools. In terms of K-12 education, NJ consistently ranks among the top states in the country for student achievement and has a higher high school graduation rate than NY. NJ also has a higher percentage of students who attend private schools, while NY has a higher percentage of students who attend public schools.

Still, both states have many prestigious colleges and universities, including Ivy League institutions such as Columbia University in NY and Princeton University in NJ. However, NY has more colleges and universities overall, including the State University of New York (SUNY) system, which has 64 campuses throughout the state.

Feel lower crime rates in NJ

If you are moving with kids, besides education, you also need to think about safety. And even though both states do not have high crime rates, New Jersey ranks better in this regard. NJ has a lower overall crime rate and lower violent crime rate than NY, although the two states have similar rates of property crime.

Enjoy cheaper healthcare in New Jersey

Healthcare is another important factor that you need to consider before moving to a new state. Thankfully, in this case, both states have well-developed healthcare systems with world-class hospitals, medical centers, and research institutions. Both states also have robust health insurance markets, and residents can choose from a variety of health plans offered by national and regional insurers.

As far as hospitals are concerned, NJ has several top-ranked hospitals, such as Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Hackensack University Medical Center, and is known for its specialty care facilities, particularly in cancer treatment. Unfortunately, healthcare costs in both states can be high, and access to care can vary depending on location and income. Still, after hiring cross country movers in NYC and moving to New Jersey, your healthcare costs will decrease. The average healthcare insurance plan in New York costs around $484 while in New Jersey it is around $451.

Are there any major climate differences?

Another important thing that you need to keep an eye on when moving interstate is climate. Thankfully, that is not the case when you are moving from New York to New Jersey. The two states have fairly similar climates so you will not have to go through a period of tough acclimatization like you would in some other cases. Most importantly, you do not have to worry about changing your entire closet because you are moving to a warmer or colder climate.

Still, even though there are many similarities in NY and NJ climates, there are certain differences as well. So think about them before you hire Rochester cross country movers. Maybe you will find that New Jersey’s higher humidity or more frequent precipitation bother you.

Where to move if you want a rich cultural offer

Some people also find culture to be very important when changing state. And that particularly stands for New Yorkers. However, if you are not coming from NYC but instead hiring cross country movers in Syracuse, you will have a satisfying cultural scene in almost all NJ cities. If you are coming from NYC and you are used to rich cultural offers, see if you can relocate to Newark or Jersey City.

These two cities particularly stand out from other NJ cities when it comes to culture. There you will find a thriving music scene, with venues such as the Prudential Center and the Stone Pony hosting concerts by top performers. NJ also has a growing arts and theater community, with venues such as the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and the Paper Mill Playhouse.

Things are not that simple

And that is practically all you need to know before moving from New York to New Jersey. As you can see, things are not as straightforward as they seem at first glance. For example, you can lower your living costs significantly but only if you are coming from NYC. If you are hiring cross country movers in Yonkers, your living cost will most probably remain the same. Only if you are coming from Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, or Syracuse, you can expect a significant decrease in your living expenses.