Is Massachusetts really just as expensive as NJ? (Boston, Worcester: for rent, condos)

[chicagoliz]

I don't think they're at all comparable. Clifton is a NYC suburb. Worcester is a manufacturing city that had a decline, and I think is kind of on an upswing. People talk about the suburbs of Worcester. Worcester might be more comparable to Newark. I don't know much about Clifton specifically, but I know Livingston, Ridgewood, Paramus, Montclair -- they're suburbs. It would be more comparable to someplace like Natick, maybe Melrose or Arlington or Dedham. Maybe Medfield. But it's not really an apples to apples comparison.

Overall, I'd say the COL is similar in NJ and MA. NJ has especially high property taxes (and even if you don't own, but rent, those taxes will factor into the rent.). South Jersey is more affordable than North, but the whole state is in either the Philadelphia or New York metro areas. If you go to western MA, that's not really part of the Boston metro area, so if you go to central-west or western MA, those may be cheaper than most of NJ.

[mwj119]

Current snapshot, the median home value in New Jersey is $475k. In Massachusetts it is $579k. Both have a median income of $89k. Massachusetts per capita income being slightly higher.

Cost of living is probably very close when you consider property taxes. For the low income through middle class, the gradual income tax in NJ makes it more beneficial. For the more affluent, it makes it more comparable or even less affordable.

Trying to compare each is nearly impossible. If I were to take a swing at comparing affluent pockets, an E.g. would be the current listing in Chatham is $750k, in Summit it's $899k, and in Short Hills it is $1.79M. Looking at a comparable string of towns west of the city, Wayland is $957k, Wellesley is $1.86M, and Weston is $2.95M. But then you have pockets in each like Ho Ho Kus, Essex Fells, Rumson, Glen Ridge, or Dover, Lexington, Hingham, Belmont. Which again, makes it hard to compare when it comes to the ultra wealthy areas.

When you look at lower or middle class inner ring areas, Boston seems to be more expensive. Everetts median list price is $655, vs. Elizabeth at $519. Irvington is $369 vs. say, Woburn at $630k. I mean, even Chelsea is $550k which has historically been amongst the most dangerous and least expensive Boston suburbs/cities.

Extending this to Central/Western Mass vs. Central and Southern NJ gets tricky. Obviously, the latter pairing has more direct access to both NYC and Philadelphia. And it maintains more density and desirability throughout. Without doing too much homework, I'd guess it's comparable or even more expensive to live in much of Central Jersey and South Jersey.

[chicagoliz]

Originally Posted by mwj119

Current snapshot, the median home value in New Jersey is $475k. In Massachusetts it is $579k. Both have a median income of $89k. Massachusetts per capita income being slightly higher.

Cost of living is probably very close when you consider property taxes. For the low income through middle class, the gradual income tax in NJ makes it more beneficial. For the more affluent, it makes it more comparable or even less affordable.

Trying to compare each is nearly impossible. If I were to take a swing at comparing affluent pockets, an E.g. would be the current listing in Chatham is $750k, in Summit it's $899k, and in Short Hills it is $1.79M. Looking at a comparable string of towns west of the city, Wayland is $957k, Wellesley is $1.86M, and Weston is $2.95M.

But then you have pockets in each like Ho Ho Kus, Essex Fells, Rumson, Glen Ridge, or Dover, Lexington, Hingham, Belmont. Which again, makes it hard to compare.

I agree -- you have to compare similar towns. The question would be: IF you live in X town in NJ and are moving to MA, and want a similar town, what is the cost difference? If you live in Short Hills, you're probably not going to move to Worcester.

[charolastra00]

Originally Posted by lair8

It's true that the areas near Boston are very expensive. But it seems like there are still other liveable areas.

I see basic studio apartments in Worcester MA for 1000-1500. The same ones would go for 1800-2000 in Clifton NJ. (Which is a fair comparison, right?: both are about 40-45 mins away from a major city).

Even though, statistically, both states have similar cost of living, the difference is that the lower to medium cost areas in MA are more desirable.

Worcester isn't 40-45 minutes from Boston even without traffic. It took me an hour and a half to get from Marlborough (closer in than Worcester) to Boston this morning, and that's about average. And my 1 bedroom apartment is over $2000 a month. Luckily, work covers parking because it would actually be longer using the commuter rail by the time I drove to the nearest station and then walked from South Station to work.

I think there are more cheaper options in NJ than in eastern Mass. They might not be places you want to live, but there are more options.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by lair8

It's true that the areas near Boston are very expensive. But it seems like there are still other liveable areas.

I see basic studio apartments in Worcester MA for 1000-1500. The same ones would go for 1800-2000 in Clifton NJ. (Which is a fair comparison, right?: both are about 40-45 mins away from a major city).

Even though, statistically, both states have similar cost of living, the difference is that the lower to medium cost areas in MA are more desirable.

New Jersey has much much cheaper areas than Massachusetts. Places like Trenton, Camden or even Willingboro do not exist in MA. And Willingboro homes despite its schools would cost 1.5x as much (at least) in MA.

MA is more expensive than NJ in terms of childcare and housing cost, for sure.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by lair8

You're forgetting a crucial detail. Manhattan is twice as congested and its twice as hard to get parking.
.

Not true in my experience. Not at all true

[lair8]

Originally Posted by jayrandom

The Trenton-NYP time is 1h 14m - 1h 19m. Neither are comparable to a 35-40 minute bus ride.

Why is Trenton relevant to this discussion? It's a red herring.

The Willowbrook Mall offers free parking and it has a bus station directly to NYC. Living 5-15 minutes away from that mall is the most affordable and efficient way to get to NYC.

The reason why I compared a drive from Worcester vs the Passaic County towns + a Willowbook bus is because they're a similar length.

You could base any argument on an unfair comparison. I could equally compare Clifton NJ to a town in MA that's 1h20m away from Boston. But that wouldn't prove any point.

[mwj119]

Originally Posted by lair8

Why is Trenton relevant to this discussion? It's a red herring.

The Willowbrook Mall offers free parking and it has a bus station directly to NYC. Living 5-15 minutes away from that mall is the most affordable and efficient way to get to NYC.

The reason why I compared a drive from Worcester vs the Passaic County towns + a Willowbook bus is because they're a similar length.

You could base any argument on an unfair comparison. I could equally compare Clifton NJ to a town in MA that's 1h20m away from Boston. But that wouldn't prove any point.

Is the point of this thread to disprove the idea that MA is more expensive than NJ?

They're different. It's hard to compare. COL calculators would probably call it a wash, or maybe, that MA is slightly more expensive. They're both expensive.

[chicagoliz]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

New Jersey has much much cheaper areas than Massachusetts. Places like Trenton, Camden or even Willingboro do not exist in MA. And Willingboro homes despite its schools would cost 1.5x as much (at least) in MA.

MA is more expensive than NJ in terms of childcare and housing cost, for sure.

MA has Fall River, and my friend pays like $700 in rent for a 1 BR apartment. So there are cheaper places in MA, too.

Originally Posted by lair8

Why is Trenton relevant to this discussion? It's a red herring.

The Willowbrook Mall offers free parking and it has a bus station directly to NYC. Living 5-15 minutes away from that mall is the most affordable and efficient way to get to NYC.

The reason why I compared a drive from Worcester vs the Passaic County towns + a Willowbook bus is because they're a similar length.

You could base any argument on an unfair comparison. I could equally compare Clifton NJ to a town in MA that's 1h20m away from Boston. But that wouldn't prove any point.

I think Trenton was relevant because it is a major train hub. It's the end of the line for NJ Transit to/from Penn Station, and has connections to Amtrak and SEPTA.

[lair8]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

New Jersey has much much cheaper areas than Massachusetts. Places like Trenton, Camden

Yes, undesirable places. Both NJ and Mass have great expensive places. The difference is that the relatively affordable places in Mass are better quality of life.

The fact that you mentioned Camden, one of the most dangerous cities in the country, as an example of what affordable life in NJ is like...

As a secondary point, getting from Trenton and Camden to NYC takes much longer than getting from Worcester to Boston. Those cities are cheaper because they're further away from the metro area, so its not a fair comparison.