Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Edison, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Edison, NJ: $3,122 a month against $4,941 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $21,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
151

Cost of Living Index in Edison, NJ
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Edison, NJ Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,941

/mo nomad

Edison, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,122

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New York, NY and in Edison, NJ

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in New York, NY and in Edison, NJ actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,941 in New York, NY versus $3,122 in Edison, NJ.

New York, NY $4,941
Edison, NJ $3,122

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,225 in New York, NY versus $4,397 in Edison, NJ.

New York, NY $7,225
Edison, NJ $4,397

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,509 in New York, NY versus $5,671 in Edison, NJ.

New York, NY $9,509
Edison, NJ $5,671

Living in New York, NY is roughly 58% more expensive than in Edison, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New York, NY 263% above, Edison, NJ 129% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.55 $28.55

$18.26 $18.26

56.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$59.8 $59.8

98.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.04 $15.04

$9.17 $9.17

64.01%

Cappuccino

$6.53 $6.53

$4.08 $4.08

60.05%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 $3.96

$1.03 $1.03

284.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 $3.01

$0.98 $0.98

207.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 $8.16

$3.44 $3.44

137.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.84 $9.84

$6.82 $6.82

44.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.00 $1.00

37.00%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.22 $3.22

54.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$6.14 $6.14

27.20%

Eggs

$5.97 $5.97

$2.54 $2.54

135.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$13.49 $13.49

40.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.04 $18.04

$10.34 $10.34

74.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.05 $19.05

$19.70 $19.70

-3.30%

Apples (1kg)

$6.76 $6.76

$5.93 $5.93

14.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.54 $1.54

47.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.83 $6.83

$4.32 $4.32

58.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$5.40 $5.40

31.30%

Potato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$3.01 $3.01

40.20%

Onion (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$3.11 $3.11

49.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$3.10 $3.10

-7.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.96 $1.96

32.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.77 $18.77

$10.05 $10.05

86.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.13 $20.13

$14.72 $14.72

36.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.76 $1.76

96.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.54 $3.54

13.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 $2.91

$5.84 $5.84

-50.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

$199 $199

-30.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.05 $3.05

0.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 $2.12

$0.91 $0.91

132.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.96 $41.96

$42.35 $42.35

-0.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$0.90 $0.90

30.00%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.5K $34.5K

$27.5K $27.5K

25.54%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.9K $25.9K

$26.4K $26.4K

-1.92%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$219 $219

$170 $170

28.78%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$74.2 $74.2

$51.4 $51.4

44.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$50.6 $50.6

38.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 $112

$21.98 $21.98

409.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$74.9 $74.9

Cinema Ticket

$22.14 $22.14

$14.98 $14.98

47.80%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$3,558 $3,558

$2,006 $2,006

77.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$62.2K $62.2K

$15.8K $15.8K

293.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.6 $75.6

$50.8 $50.8

48.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 $51.2

$80.2 $80.2

-36.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 $123

$61.1 $61.1

101.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$88.5 $88.5

57.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,499 $4,499

$2,171 $2,171

107.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,078 $3,078

$1,772 $1,772

73.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,447 $9,447

$3,129 $3,129

201.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,190 $5,190

$2,722 $2,722

90.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.1K $18.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,693 $6,693

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,220 $5,220

$6,960 $6,960

-25.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

6.42

6.85%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for New York, NY: October 26, 2026

Last update for Edison, NJ: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 62.3%

Edison, NJ

$1.8K 56.8% 42.4% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$563 11.4%

Edison, NJ

$408 13.1% 27.6% $155

Eating Out

New York, NY

$440 8.9%

Edison, NJ

$261 8.4% 40.6% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.4%

Edison, NJ

$272 8.7% 25.2% $92

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$175 3.6%

Edison, NJ

$126 4.1% 28% $49

Getting Around

New York, NY

$164 3.3%

Edison, NJ

$230 7.4% 39.8% $65

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$156 3.2%

Edison, NJ

$52 1.7% 66.8% $104

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $4,499 in New York, NY and $2,171 in Edison, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edison, NJ pays 33% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $118 in New York, NY vs $60 in Edison, NJ for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $563 vs $408 per month, with Edison, NJ cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇸 Edison, NJ

🕒 Local time

18:15 6:15 PM

Same time as New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

107,588

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

New York, NY vs Edison, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,941 in New York, NY and $3,122 in Edison, NJ, so Edison, NJ is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in New York, NY. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $4,499 in New York, NY versus $2,171 in Edison, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in New York, NY runs roughly 30% less than in Edison, NJ. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $3,558 in New York, NY versus $2,006 in Edison, NJ. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Edison, NJ is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.