Living here
Cost of living in Jersey City
Housing is much more expensive than the US average. Rents, home prices, taxes and how far a paycheck goes.
Median rent
$1,902/mo
41% above US
Median home value
$534,500
76% above US
Median household income
$94,813
21% above US
Rent as share of income
24%
US 21%
Home price to income
5.6×
US 3.9×
Sales tax
6.625%
Rent by number of bedrooms
HUD 2027 fair market rents for Jersey City, NJ HUD Metro FMR Area (gross rent including utilities, near the 40th percentile of local rents). Source: HUD USER.
How Jersey City compares
- Jersey City$1,902
- New Jersey$1,653
- United States$1,348
- Newark$1,330
- Edison$1,885
- Princeton$2,448
- Atlantic City$1,084
- Jersey City$534,500
- New Jersey$427,600
- United States$303,400
- Newark$337,800
- Edison$481,700
- Princeton$1,040,400
- Atlantic City$189,600
Taxes
Compare with nearby cities
Life in Jersey City
Questions
Is Jersey City expensive to live in?
Housing in Jersey City is much more expensive than the national average: median rent is $1,902 (41% above US) and the median home value is $534,500 (76% above US).
How much is rent in Jersey City?
The median gross rent is $1,902 a month. HUD’s 2027 fair market rents for the area are studio $2,462, 1 bedroom $2,514, 2 bedrooms $2,792, 3 bedrooms $3,392, 4 bedrooms $3,976.
How much of their income do renters spend in Jersey City?
At the median, a year’s rent ($22,824) equals about 24% of the median household income ($94,813); nationally it’s about 21%.
What are taxes like in Jersey City?
Sales tax is 6.625% and property taxes run about 1.54% of home value a year.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates; HUD fair market rents; NJ Division of Taxation, Sales and Use Tax page (last updated 11/04/2026): 6.625% statewide rate.