Here's how much money a single adult needs to live in NJ

If you’re a single adult trying to live comfortably in New Jersey, brace yourself.

According to a new study from SmartAsset, you’ll need to make $108,992 a year just to cover the basics, live without panic, and maybe have a little fun now and then. That number puts us right up there among the top 10 most expensive states in the country.

Let’s be honest: New Jersey has always had a cost-of-living problem.

Between property taxes, housing, tolls, and the price of everything from gas to groceries, nothing here is cheap. But seeing it broken down into a specific number like that really drives it home.

And if you’re thinking, “Well, it’s bad everywhere,” you’re not wrong — but it’s still not this bad. In Pennsylvania, it takes about $95,000 a year to live comfortably. In Delaware, it’s around $97K. Even in Florida, where everything else seems to be going off the rails, you’d still need slightly less—about $97,386—to make ends meet comfortably.

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Canva / TSM illustration

Meanwhile, in West Virginia, the most affordable state in the country according to the same study, you only need $80,829.

If you do the math, you’ll realize that’s almost 30,000 less than what you need to stay above water here in NJ.

What is considered living comfortably?

The study defined “comfortable” using the 50/30/20 budgeting rule, which is that 50% of your income goes to needs, 30% to wants, and 20% to savings or paying off debt. That might sound good, but what it really means is that if you’re making the median salary of 62,000 a year, like many of us are, you’re just not hitting those percentages.

You’re just treading water.

So next time someone from out of state asks why you always seem a little on edge, tell them it costs six figures just to survive here without roommates. And even then, you might need to borrow their Netflix password!

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Gallery Credit: Judi Franco

NJ school districts with the highest median teacher salaries

These were the highest median teacher salaries during the 2022-23 school year budget, according to data compiled by the New Jersey Department of Education. We begin with districts whose median salaries are at least $95,000 and work our way up to the highest median salary.

Gallery Credit: New Jersey 101.5

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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