State comparison
New Jersey vs North Carolina: which state is better to live in?
North Carolina costs a median household about $7,900 a year less in state and local taxes than New Jersey, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,345 a year against $10,650 in New Jersey.
New Jersey
High tax burden · COL index 121
Wins 7 categories
North Carolina
Moderate tax burden · COL index 94
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: New Jersey vs North Carolina
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. North Carolina has a flat 4.5% income tax, which works out to 4.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,976 a year. New Jersey wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 2.13% of home value a year in New Jersey and 0.70% in North Carolina (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $10,650 against $2,345, so North Carolina has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.60% in New Jersey and 7.00% in North Carolina; New Jersey is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $14,755 a year in New Jersey, $6,887 in North Carolina. North Carolina is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
New Jersey's cost of living index is 121 and North Carolina's is 94, where 100 is the national average; North Carolina is about 29% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $500K in New Jersey and $335K in North Carolina (Zillow, 2024), a $165K gap in North Carolina's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,200 a month in New Jersey and $1,450 in North Carolina.
Home insurance averages $1,400 a year in New Jersey and $1,900 in North Carolina, so New Jersey is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 213 incidents per 100,000 residents in New Jersey and 398 in North Carolina (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); New Jersey is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 87% lower. Property crime is 1,368 per 100,000 in New Jersey against 2,226 in North Carolina, again favoring New Jersey.
Health
Life expectancy is 79 years in New Jersey and 75.7 in North Carolina (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.3-year edge for New Jersey. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks New Jersey's health system 19th of 50 and North Carolina's 23rd, so New Jersey scores better on care.
6.8% of New Jersey residents have no health insurance against 11.8% in North Carolina, which favors New Jersey. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New Jersey's K-12 schools 2nd in the country and North Carolina's 29th, 27 places apart in New Jersey's favor. North Carolina runs a school-choice voucher program; New Jersey does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election New Jersey went to Harris by 6 points and North Carolina went to Trump by 3 points.
New Jersey has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; North Carolina has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C+, so New Jersey regulates guns more tightly and North Carolina is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in New Jersey and legal with limits in North Carolina, and marijuana is legal for adults in New Jersey and illegal in North Carolina as of 2026. The minimum wage is $15.13 an hour in New Jersey and $7.25 in North Carolina.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in New Jersey (hurricane, flood, nor-easter) and high in North Carolina (hurricane, tornado, flood), so New Jersey is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 35 in New Jersey and 36 in North Carolina (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
New Jersey
7
North Carolina
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is New Jersey or North Carolina better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. North Carolina on taxes ($6,887 a year for a median household against $14,755); North Carolina on everyday costs (index 94 against 121); New Jersey on safety (213 violent crimes per 100,000 against 398); New Jersey on schools (ranked 2nd against 29th).
Which is cheaper, New Jersey or North Carolina?
North Carolina is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 94 against 121. The median home is $500K in New Jersey and $335K in North Carolina (2024). On state and local taxes North Carolina saves a median household about $7,900 a year.
Does New Jersey or North Carolina have lower taxes?
North Carolina. A household earning $74,580 pays about $14,755 a year in New Jersey ($2,628 income tax, $10,650 property tax on the median home and $1,477 in sales tax) and $6,887 in North Carolina ($2,976 income tax, $2,345 property tax on the median home and $1,566 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, New Jersey or North Carolina?
New Jersey, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 213 per 100,000 residents in New Jersey and 398 in North Carolina; property crime is 1,368 against 2,226.
Which has better schools, New Jersey or North Carolina?
New Jersey. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New Jersey 2nd of 50 for K-12 and North Carolina 29th. North Carolina also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is New Jersey or North Carolina better for retirees?
North Carolina is friendlier to retirees on paper. New Jersey does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax; North Carolina does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $10,650 a year in New Jersey and $2,345 in North Carolina.