State comparison
Connecticut vs New Jersey: which state is better to live in?
Connecticut costs a median household about $2,900 a year less in state and local taxes than New Jersey, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $7,071 a year against $10,650 in New Jersey.
Connecticut
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 10 categories
New Jersey
High tax burden · COL index 121
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Connecticut vs New Jersey
Connecticut has a graduated income tax topping out at 6.99%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,352 a year. New Jersey has a graduated income tax topping out at 10.75%, which works out to 3.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,628 a year. New Jersey wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.79% of home value a year in Connecticut and 2.13% in New Jersey (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $7,071 against $10,650, so Connecticut has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.35% in Connecticut and 6.60% in New Jersey; Connecticut is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $11,843 a year in Connecticut, $14,755 in New Jersey. Connecticut is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Connecticut's cost of living index is 114 and New Jersey's is 121, where 100 is the national average; Connecticut is about 6% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $395K in Connecticut and $500K in New Jersey (Zillow, 2024), a $105K gap in Connecticut's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,800 a month in Connecticut and $2,200 in New Jersey.
Home insurance averages $1,600 a year in Connecticut and $1,400 in New Jersey, so New Jersey is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 203 incidents per 100,000 residents in Connecticut and 213 in New Jersey (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Connecticut is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 5% lower. Property crime is 1,380 per 100,000 in Connecticut against 1,368 in New Jersey, again favoring New Jersey.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.8 years in Connecticut and 79 in New Jersey (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.8-year edge for Connecticut. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Connecticut's health system 3rd of 50 and New Jersey's 19th, so Connecticut scores better on care.
5.9% of Connecticut residents have no health insurance against 6.8% in New Jersey, which favors Connecticut. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Connecticut's K-12 schools 3rd in the country and New Jersey's 2nd, 1 places apart in New Jersey's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Connecticut went to Harris by 12 points and New Jersey went to Harris by 6 points.
Connecticut has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; New Jersey has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $15.69 an hour in Connecticut and $15.13 in New Jersey.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Connecticut (hurricane, flood, blizzard) and moderate in New Jersey (hurricane, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 32 in Connecticut and 35 in New Jersey (under 50 is good), favoring Connecticut.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
10
Connecticut
6
New Jersey
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Connecticut or New Jersey better to live in?
Connecticut wins more of the measures that decide a move. Connecticut on taxes ($11,843 a year for a median household against $14,755); Connecticut on everyday costs (index 114 against 121); Connecticut on safety (203 violent crimes per 100,000 against 213); New Jersey on schools (ranked 2nd against 3rd).
Which is cheaper, Connecticut or New Jersey?
Connecticut is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 114 against 121. The median home is $395K in Connecticut and $500K in New Jersey (2024). On state and local taxes Connecticut saves a median household about $2,900 a year.
Does Connecticut or New Jersey have lower taxes?
Connecticut. A household earning $74,580 pays about $11,843 a year in Connecticut ($3,352 income tax, $7,071 property tax on the median home and $1,421 in sales tax) and $14,755 in New Jersey ($2,628 income tax, $10,650 property tax on the median home and $1,477 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Connecticut or New Jersey?
Connecticut, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 203 per 100,000 residents in Connecticut and 213 in New Jersey; property crime is 1,380 against 1,368.
Which has better schools, Connecticut or New Jersey?
New Jersey. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Connecticut 3rd of 50 for K-12 and New Jersey 2nd.
Is Connecticut or New Jersey better for retirees?
New Jersey is friendlier to retirees on paper. Connecticut taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; New Jersey does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $7,071 a year in Connecticut and $10,650 in New Jersey.