Cost Of Living in Salem, NJ

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Salem	New Jersey	National
Cost of living	88	121	100
Goods & Services	106	106	100
Groceries	106	102	100
Health care	107	99	100
Housing	48	158	100
Transportation	108	103	100
Utilities	92	107	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Salem is 28% lower than the New Jersey average
The cost of living in Salem is 12% lower than the national average
Salem housing is 52% lower than the national average
New Jersey general sales tax is 30% higher than the national average
New Jersey state income tax is 46% lower than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$32,386	$2,699	$756	$972
Renters	$17,394	$1,450	$406	$522

A good indicator of the general affordability of housing in Salem, NJ, is the percentage of monthly income that should be spent on housing expenses, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Generally speaking, no more than 28 percent of your total gross income should be spent on your housing expenses and not more than 36 percent of your gross income on total expenses, including debts. In Salem, the median monthly income is $32,386 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $756 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $17,394, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $406 on monthly rental expenses.

New Jersey Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
New Jersey	6.625%	12.625%

New Jersey Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
New Jersey	1.4%	10.75%

Goods & Services

Item	Salem	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$30.14	$24.26	24.2%
Beauty Salon	$47.42	$45.56	4.1%
Toothpaste	$3.61	$3.70	2.4%
Shampoo	$1.41	$1.28	10.4%
Movie	$12.71	$12.13	4.7%
Bowling	$19.50	$18.00	8.3%

Groceries

Item	Salem	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$5.73	$5.84	1.9%
Fried Chicken	$1.52	$1.57	3.6%
Milk	$4.81	$4.67	3.0%
Potatoes	$5.40	$4.93	9.5%
Pizza	$11.33	$12.09	6.2%
Beer	$11.96	$10.41	14.8%

Health Care

Item	Salem	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$113.67	$125.68	9.6%
Doctor	$149.53	$135.78	10.1%
Dentist	$132.28	$113.29	16.8%
Ibuprofen	$10.94	$10.65	2.7%
Lipitor	$438.67	$468.60	6.4%

Housing

Item	Salem	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$58,900.00	$184,700.00	68.1%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$2,192.51	$2,346.69	6.6%
Apartment Rent	$824.00	$949.00	13.2%

Transportation

Item	Salem	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.50	$3.46	1.0%
Tire Balancing	$74.86	$59.92	24.9%

Utilities

Item	Salem	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$173.73	$193.99	10.4%
Phone	$182.79	$192.25	4.9%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Quinton, NJ	369	96	4.1%
Bridgeton, NJ	24,264	94	5.9%
Seabrook Farms, NJ	1,602	96	3.8%
Penns Grove, NJ	4,793	98	2.4%
Carneys Point, NJ	7,302	99	1.3%
Salem, NJ	4,761	88	12.4%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Lakeview, GA	4,761	84	16.2%
Royersford, PA	4,760	107	7.1%
Springdale, MD	4,762	135	34.6%
Fishhook, AK	4,759	134	33.5%
Suncoast Estates, FL	4,759	88	11.6%
Salem, NJ	4,761	88	12.4%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; this is the most current data available.

Cost of Living in Salem, NJ