State comparison
New Jersey vs Ohio: which state is better to live in?
Ohio costs a median household about $8,600 a year less in state and local taxes than New Jersey, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $3,220 a year against $10,650 in New Jersey.
New Jersey
High tax burden · COL index 121
Wins 6 categories
Ohio
Moderate tax burden · COL index 88
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: New Jersey vs Ohio
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. Ohio has a graduated income tax topping out at 3.5%, which works out to 1.8% on a median income of $74,580, or $1,335 a year. Ohio wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 2.13% of home value a year in New Jersey and 1.37% in Ohio (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $10,650 against $3,220, so Ohio has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.60% in New Jersey and 7.22% in Ohio; 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, $6,169 in Ohio. Ohio is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
New Jersey's cost of living index is 121 and Ohio's is 88, where 100 is the national average; Ohio is about 38% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $500K in New Jersey and $235K in Ohio (Zillow, 2024), a $265K gap in Ohio's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,200 a month in New Jersey and $1,050 in Ohio.
Home insurance averages $1,400 a year in New Jersey and $1,200 in Ohio, so Ohio is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 213 incidents per 100,000 residents in New Jersey and 303 in Ohio (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); New Jersey is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 42% lower. Property crime is 1,368 per 100,000 in New Jersey against 2,081 in Ohio, again favoring New Jersey.
Health
Life expectancy is 79 years in New Jersey and 75.4 in Ohio (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.6-year edge for New Jersey. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks New Jersey's health system 19th of 50 and Ohio's 22nd, so New Jersey scores better on care.
6.8% of New Jersey residents have no health insurance against 6.9% in Ohio, 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 Ohio's 28th, 26 places apart in New Jersey's favor. Ohio 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 Ohio went to Trump by 12 points.
New Jersey has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Ohio has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of F, so New Jersey regulates guns more tightly and Ohio is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $15.13 an hour in New Jersey and $10.45 in Ohio.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in New Jersey (hurricane, flood, nor-easter) and moderate in Ohio (tornado, flood, blizzard). Annual average air quality index is 35 in New Jersey and 45 in Ohio (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
6
New Jersey
8
Ohio
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is New Jersey or Ohio better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Ohio on taxes ($6,169 a year for a median household against $14,755); Ohio on everyday costs (index 88 against 121); New Jersey on safety (213 violent crimes per 100,000 against 303); New Jersey on schools (ranked 2nd against 28th).
Which is cheaper, New Jersey or Ohio?
Ohio is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 88 against 121. The median home is $500K in New Jersey and $235K in Ohio (2024). On state and local taxes Ohio saves a median household about $8,600 a year.
Does New Jersey or Ohio have lower taxes?
Ohio. 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 $6,169 in Ohio ($1,335 income tax, $3,220 property tax on the median home and $1,615 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, New Jersey or Ohio?
New Jersey, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 213 per 100,000 residents in New Jersey and 303 in Ohio; property crime is 1,368 against 2,081.
Which has better schools, New Jersey or Ohio?
New Jersey. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New Jersey 2nd of 50 for K-12 and Ohio 28th. Ohio also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is New Jersey or Ohio better for retirees?
Ohio is friendlier to retirees on paper. New Jersey does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax; Ohio 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 $3,220 in Ohio.