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Residential comparison · 13 facts

Paterson, NJ vs Toms River, NJ

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Paterson needs about $88,000 in Toms River to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Toms River, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $82,000 in Paterson.

A few differences

Paterson vs Toms River · facet by facet
FacetPaterson, NJToms River, NJ
Median home price$360,100$403,600
2-bedroom rent$1,588/mo$1,714/mo
Property tax rate2.2%2.2%
State & local income tax2.26%2.26%
Sales tax6.6%6.6%
Cost of living index107112
Groceries index106106
Utilities$180/mo$180/mo
Median household income$55,997$100,137
Unemployment rate4.5%4.5%
Crime index25/10025/100
School rating8.3/108.3/10
Sunny days / year205 days205 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Paterson, NJ · Toms River, NJ
Questions & answers
Is Paterson cheaper than Toms River?
Paterson has the lower day-to-day cost index (107 vs 112 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Toms River equals $85,000 in Paterson?
A household earning $85,000 in Paterson needs about $88,000 in Toms River to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Toms River lifestyle costs about $82,000 in Paterson.