City comparison
Hackensack, NJ is about 10 miles (20 km) from Newark, NJ in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 20 miles, or about 17 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Hackensack, NJ to Newark, NJ takes about 2 min, covering roughly 10 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Newark has a population of 307,355, vs 45,758 in Hackensack — about 6.7× larger by population. By land area, Newark covers about 24 sq mi vs 4.2 sq mi for Hackensack.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Hackensack | Newark | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,750/mo | $1,273/mo | 37.5% higher in Hackensack |
| Median home value | $353,000 | $312,300 | 13.0% higher in Hackensack |
| Median household income | $79,133 | $46,460 | 70.3% higher in Hackensack |
| Groceries index | 109.4 | 109.6 | ≈ equal (Newark slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 124.5 | 128.8 | 3.5% higher in Newark |
| Transportation index | 105.0 | 105.4 | ≈ equal (Newark slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 105.7 | 105.3 | ≈ equal (Hackensack slightly higher) |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Hackensack, you'd need $99,236 in Newark to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Newark, NJ is about 0.8% cheaper overall than Hackensack, NJ, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 2% higher in Hackensack than in Newark. If you earn $80,000 in Hackensack, you'd need about $79,389 in Newark to keep the same standard of living.