Cost Of Living in Morris Plains, NJ

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F

53%

Overall NAT. AVG.

0%

Goods & Services NAT. AVG.

178%

Housing NAT. AVG.

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

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	Morris Plains	New Jersey	National
Cost of living	153	121	100
Goods & Services	100	106	100
Groceries	102	102	100
Health care	99	99	100
Housing	278	158	100
Transportation	95	103	100
Utilities	102	107	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Morris Plains is 27% higher than the New Jersey average
The cost of living in Morris Plains is 53% higher than the national average
Morris Plains housing is 178% higher 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	$139,840	$11,653	$3,263	$4,196
Renters	$109,500	$9,125	$2,555	$3,285

A good indicator of the general affordability of housing in Morris Plains, 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 Morris Plains, the median monthly income is $139,840 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $3,263 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $109,500, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $2,555 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	Morris Plains	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$29.17	$24.26	20.2%
Beauty Salon	$40.36	$45.56	11.4%
Toothpaste	$3.66	$3.70	1.2%
Shampoo	$1.44	$1.28	12.1%
Movie	$14.15	$12.13	16.6%
Bowling	$25.03	$18.00	39.0%

Groceries

Item	Morris Plains	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$5.64	$5.84	3.5%
Fried Chicken	$1.55	$1.57	1.4%
Milk	$4.74	$4.67	1.5%
Potatoes	$5.21	$4.93	5.7%
Pizza	$11.49	$12.09	4.9%
Beer	$11.66	$10.41	12.0%

Health Care

Item	Morris Plains	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$105.11	$125.68	16.4%
Doctor	$117.94	$135.78	13.1%
Dentist	$121.22	$113.29	7.0%
Ibuprofen	$11.05	$10.65	3.7%
Lipitor	$427.79	$468.60	8.7%

Housing

Item	Morris Plains	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$540,900.00	$184,700.00	192.9%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$3,303.56	$2,346.69	40.8%
Apartment Rent	$2,310.00	$949.00	143.4%

Transportation

Item	Morris Plains	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.45	$3.46	0.2%
Tire Balancing	$77.33	$59.92	29.1%

Utilities

Item	Morris Plains	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$230.68	$193.99	18.9%
Phone	$186.61	$192.25	2.9%

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.
Victory Gardens, NJ	1,604	101	1.2%
Newton, NJ	7,935	106	6.2%
East Orange, NJ	64,650	111	11.1%
Roselle, NJ	21,699	112	12.0%
Hopatcong, NJ	14,228	112	11.7%
Morris Plains, NJ	5,888	153	53.4%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Riverside, MD	5,888	108	7.9%
Somerset, PA	5,888	84	15.8%
St. James, NC	5,889	139	38.5%
Attalla, AL	5,885	83	17.4%
South Lebanon, OH	5,885	105	4.8%
Morris Plains, NJ	5,888	153	53.4%