Elizabeth vs New York
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $449,300 in Elizabeth and $777,600 in New York.
- Households earn more in New York ($80,483 vs $66,555 median).
- Elizabeth is growing faster: +3.2% since 2020 vs -2.5%.
- Commutes are shorter in Elizabeth (27 vs 40 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Elizabeth, NJ | New York, NY | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 141,675 | 8,584,629 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3.2% | -2.5% |
| People per square mile | 11,501 | 28,572 |
| Median age | 35.8 | 38.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15% | 42% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $66,555 | $80,483 |
| Median home value | $449,300 | $777,600 |
| Home value to income | 6.8× | 9.7× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,523 | $1,821 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 112.6 | 112.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 148.6 | 148.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $84,400 | $84,400 |
| Homeowners | 26% | 33% |
| Top state income tax | 10.75% | 10.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.6% | 8.54% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 26.7 | 40.3 |
| Work from home | 6% | 17% |
| Take public transit | 11% | 44% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7.7% | 8% |
| Poverty rate | 15.7% | 17.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 40° / 26° | 40° / 28° |
| July high / low | 87° / 69° | 85° / 70° |
| Precipitation per year | 47 in | 50 in |
| Snowfall per year | 32 in | 30 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 28 | 17 |
| Nights below freezing | 80 | 67 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.5 | 99.2 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 42% | 42% |
| Home prices, past year | +6.3% | +5.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +53.7% | +45.1% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Elizabeth: April to June and August to October. New York: May and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Elizabeth weather by month and New York weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $84,400 in Elizabeth and $84,400 in New York. Moving from Elizabeth to New York, you would need about $75,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Elizabeth and New York
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Elizabeth and New York.
Which would you pick?
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