Middlesex County · New Jersey · Northeast · 24k residents
South Plainfield, NJ: cost of living, taxes & quality of life
Residential facts for South Plainfield: housing, taxes, monthly costs, climate, schools, and household income, with the New Jersey median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
The acs median home value in South Plainfield is $470,900, right at the New Jersey median. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,118/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 121 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $130,239 a year.
What the numbers show
Source-confirmed findings- Housing value: The ACS median home value in South Plainfield is $470,900, right around the median for ACS-covered places in New Jersey.
- Household income: Median household income is $130,239, 33.3% above the median for ACS-covered places in New Jersey.
- Adult education: 44% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, 15.2% above the median for ACS-covered places in New Jersey.
- Home value to income: The ACS median home value is about 3.6 times median household income. This is a comparison measure, not a mortgage qualification or affordability promise.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates(2024 ACS 5-year; tables B01003, B15003, B19013, B25077). Geography: Census place where available. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
WhereToHQ calculates the comparisons. Figures are estimates for context, not a guarantee or personal financial advice. Read the methodology or send a correction.
What makes this place distinctive
A factual snapshot of the place, based on the profile data. It is not a tourism or cultural claim.
A researched local story is not published for this city yet. The signals below are the verified profile context.
- Scale: A smaller city in the profile data, with fewer than 50,000 residents.
- Setting: The profile places South Plainfield about 25 miles from the nearest tracked ocean.
- Climate signal: The profile records 205 sunny days and 21 inches of annual snow.
- Daily pace: The profile records a walk score of 30 and an average commute of 32 minutes.
WhereToHQ derives these signals from the committed city dataset. Read the methodology for coverage and source limits.
Compare South Plainfield side by side
Cost of living index
121
ACS median home value
$470,900
2-bedroom rent
$2,118/mo
Median household income
$130,239
Housing momentum
How fast South Plainfield's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
78/100
Heating
Ranks South Plainfield's home-price and rent growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. Not investment or relocation advice.
Adjusted by South Plainfield's cost-of-living index versus the US average.
| ACS median home value | $470,900 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $300 |
| Property tax rate | 2.2% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $1,624/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $2,118/mo |
| State & local income tax | 2.26% |
| Sales tax | 6.6% |
| Cost of living index | 121 |
| Groceries index | 106 |
| Utilities | $180/mo |
| Transit pass | $100/mo |
| Gas price | $3.25/gal |
| Healthcare index | 103 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,350/mo |
| Median household income | $130,239 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.5% |
| Population | 24k |
| Crime index | 25/100 |
| School rating | 8.3/10 |
| Walkability | 30/100 |
| Disaster risk | 98/100 |
| Avg. commute | 32 min |
| Sunny days / year | 205 days |
| July high | 88°F |
| January low | 24°F |
| Annual snowfall | 21 in |
| Home price YoY | +5.4% |
| Home price MoM | 0.0% |
| Rent YoY | — |
| Rent MoM | -0.2% |
| Ocean coast | 25 mi |
| Big lake | 81 mi |
| Mountains | 59 mi |
| Major airport | 15 mi |
| Ski resort | 59 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Plainfield, NJ · 55k
- North Plainfield, NJ · 23k
- Metuchen, NJ · 15k
- Colonia, NJ · 19k
- Iselin, NJ · 20k
Similar size
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Real listings in South Plainfield
Homes on Zillow ↗Realtor.com ↗Rentals on Zillow ↗Apartments.com ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- What is the cost of living in South Plainfield, NJ?
- South Plainfield indexes at 121 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $2,118/mo and a acs median home value of $470,900.
- How much does a house cost in South Plainfield?
- The acs median home value in South Plainfield is $470,900, right at the New Jersey median (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in South Plainfield?
- A two-bedroom in South Plainfield rents for about $2,118/mo.