Median rent is 20% lower in New York ($1,821/mo vs $2,270/mo). Buying is cheaper in Fort Lee, where the median home runs $448,000 versus $777,600. Households earn more in Fort Lee ($107,274 vs $80,483 a year).
City A
Fort Lee, NJ
City B
New York, NY
How much would you need to earn in New York, NY to maintain your standard of living from Fort Lee, NJ?
A cost-of-living index isn't available for one of these cities yet, so we can't compute an equivalent salary.
Based on BEA Regional Price Parity (cost index) for each metro area. This estimates overall purchasing power; it does not account for taxes or take-home pay differences.
Metric
Fort Lee
New Jersey
New York
New York
Population
Median Household Income
Annual
Median Gross Rent
Per month
Median Home Value
Cost of Living Index
US avg = 100
1BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
2BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
3BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
Air Quality Index
Lower = cleaner
Top State Income Tax
Top marginal rate
State Sales Tax
Statewide base rate
Median Age
Years
✓ = better value · Sources: Census ACS, BEA, HUD Fair Market Rents, EPA AirNow, Tax Foundation
Median rent is modestly lower in New York at $1,821/mo compared to $2,270/mo in Fort Lee (20% gap). Home buyers face a steeper market in New York: the median home is $777,600 versus $448,000 in Fort Lee — 42% more expensive.
Metric
Fort Lee
New York
Software Developer
Registered Nurse
Elementary Teacher
Electrician
Accountant
Higher wage highlighted · BLS OEWS 2023 (metro-level data)
State tax data is not yet available for these cities.
Fort Lee
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
New York
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Air quality data is available for New York (avg AQI 46.0) but not yet for Fort Lee.
Pick Fort Lee if you prioritize higher median household income ($107,274/yr).
Pick New York if you prioritize cheaper rent ($1,821/mo median).
Cost of living index data is not yet available for one or both cities.
Median rent is $2,270/mo in Fort Lee, NJ and $1,821/mo in New York, NY. New York, NY has the lower rent by about 20%.
Median household income is $107,274 in Fort Lee, NJ and $80,483 in New York, NY. Fort Lee, NJ has the higher median income. Note that BLS occupational wages in the table above show wages for specific jobs.
Air quality data is not yet available for one or both cities.
State tax data is not yet available for one or both cities.
RPP data needed for salary equivalence calculation is not yet available.
Data last updated: June 1, 2026 · Sources: US Census ACS, BEA RPP, BLS OEWS, HUD FMR, EPA AirNow, Tax Foundation · Methodology
