New Jersey vs North Carolina

Enter your current annual income to compare its purchasing power between the two states.

A $100,000 income in New Jersey is worth

$91,912

at national prices · RPP 108.8BEA RPP SARPP. Source: BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 vintage · released February 19, 2026 · Official API

In North Carolina, the same income is worth

$106,045

at national prices · RPP 94.3BEA RPP SARPP. Source: BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 vintage · released February 19, 2026 · Official API

$100,000 has $14,133 more purchasing power in North Carolina.

Decision shortcut

To match $100,000 in New Jersey, you would need about $86,673in North Carolina.

Enter a different offer to compare it with your current income after local prices.

Show the math
adjusted = income ÷ (RPP ÷ 100)
New Jersey: $100,000 ÷ (108.8 ÷ 100) = $91,912
North Carolina: $100,000 ÷ (94.3 ÷ 100) = $106,045
difference: $106,045 − $91,912 = +$14,133

Where the difference comes from

Price level by component, 100 = US average. Higher means more expensive.

Regional price parity by component for the two states, with the percentage difference.
ComponentNew JerseyNorth CarolinaDifference
All items108.894.3−13.3%
Housing rents134.381.4−39.4%
Goods107.196.6−9.8%
Utilities114.288.6−22.4%
Other services103.598.2−5.1%

BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 · rel. February 19, 2026 · Official API

Housing reality check

ACS median gross rent, home value, and real estate taxes paid — statewide context beyond the index.

New JerseyMedian rent$1,720/moMedian home$454,400Median property tax paid$9,590/yr
North CarolinaMedian rent$1,228/moMedian home$288,900Median property tax paid$1,896/yr

US Census ACS 5-Year Estimates · ACS5 · 2024 · rel. December 2025 · Official API

Tax at a glance

Hand-curated, tax year 2026 · verified 2026-07-20

Top marginal and average combined rates do not estimate a household's total tax liability.

Income and sales tax for the two states.
TaxNew JerseyNorth Carolina
Income tax (top rate)10.75%3.99%
Sales tax (combined avg)6.60%7.00%

Tax Foundation (income & sales) · Tax · 2026 · rel. tax year 2026 · Manually maintained · verified 2026-07-20

Official API Manually maintained2 of 3 metrics sourced from official APIs, 1 manually maintained. How every number is calculated →

New Jersey vs North Carolina: the read

The bottom line

Compare a $100,000 income in New Jersey and North Carolina: its purchasing power is $91,912 and $106,045, respectively, in national-average terms — a gain of $14,133. North Carolina is the cheaper of the two, running at 94.3 on the price index versus 108.8.

Where the difference comes from

The widest gap is housing rents: New Jersey sits at 134.3 and North Carolina at 81.4 (100 = national). North Carolina has the edge there, and it's the main reason the two states diverge.

Housing

Median rent runs $1,720 in New Jersey against $1,228 in North Carolina, and the typical home $454,400 versus $288,900. North Carolina is the more affordable place to buy.

Taxes

On tax, New Jersey has 10.75% top income tax and a combined sales tax of 6.60%; North Carolina has 3.99% top income tax and 7.00%. Those headline rates are useful screening facts, but they do not calculate either household's total liability.

Full profiles: New Jersey ·North Carolina. Every figure here is sourced on the pages linked above.

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