State comparison
Georgia vs New Jersey: which state is better to live in?
Georgia costs a median household about $6,600 a year less in state and local taxes than New Jersey, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,754 a year against $10,650 in New Jersey.
Georgia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 7 categories
New Jersey
High tax burden · COL index 121
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Georgia vs New Jersey
Georgia has a flat 5.49% income tax, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,722 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 0.81% of home value a year in Georgia and 2.13% in New Jersey (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,754 against $10,650, so Georgia has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.35% in Georgia and 6.60% in New Jersey; New Jersey is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $8,120 a year in Georgia, $14,755 in New Jersey. Georgia is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Georgia's cost of living index is 91 and New Jersey's is 121, where 100 is the national average; Georgia is about 33% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $340K in Georgia and $500K in New Jersey (Zillow, 2024), a $160K gap in Georgia's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month in Georgia and $2,200 in New Jersey.
Home insurance averages $2,200 a year in Georgia and $1,400 in New Jersey, so New Jersey is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in Georgia and 213 in New Jersey (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); New Jersey is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 134% lower. Property crime is 2,212 per 100,000 in Georgia against 1,368 in New Jersey, again favoring New Jersey.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.2 years in Georgia and 79 in New Jersey (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.8-year edge for New Jersey. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Georgia's health system 37th of 50 and New Jersey's 19th, so New Jersey scores better on care.
14.1% of Georgia residents have no health insurance against 6.8% in New Jersey, which favors New Jersey. New Jersey expanded Medicaid and Georgia did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Georgia's K-12 schools 32nd in the country and New Jersey's 2nd, 30 places apart in New Jersey's favor. Georgia runs a school-choice voucher program; New Jersey does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Georgia was a swing state decided by 2 points and New Jersey went to Harris by 6 points.
Georgia has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; New Jersey has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A, so New Jersey regulates guns more tightly and Georgia is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Georgia and protected by state law in New Jersey, and marijuana is medical only in Georgia and legal for adults in New Jersey as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Georgia and $15.13 in New Jersey.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Georgia (hurricane, tornado, flood) and moderate in New Jersey (hurricane, flood, nor-easter), so New Jersey is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 36 in Georgia and 35 in New Jersey (under 50 is good), favoring New Jersey.
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
7
Georgia
7
New Jersey
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Georgia or New Jersey better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Georgia on taxes ($8,120 a year for a median household against $14,755); Georgia on everyday costs (index 91 against 121); New Jersey on safety (213 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); New Jersey on schools (ranked 2nd against 32nd).
Which is cheaper, Georgia or New Jersey?
Georgia is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 91 against 121. The median home is $340K in Georgia and $500K in New Jersey (2024). On state and local taxes Georgia saves a median household about $6,600 a year.
Does Georgia or New Jersey have lower taxes?
Georgia. A household earning $74,580 pays about $8,120 a year in Georgia ($3,722 income tax, $2,754 property tax on the median home and $1,644 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, Georgia or New Jersey?
New Jersey, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in Georgia and 213 in New Jersey; property crime is 2,212 against 1,368.
Which has better schools, Georgia or New Jersey?
New Jersey. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Georgia 32nd of 50 for K-12 and New Jersey 2nd. Georgia also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Georgia or New Jersey better for retirees?
Georgia is friendlier to retirees on paper. Georgia does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; New Jersey does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,754 a year in Georgia and $10,650 in New Jersey.