City comparison
Hackensack, NJ is about 10 miles (10 km) from Paterson, NJ in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 10 miles, or about 9 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 Paterson, NJ takes about 1 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.
Paterson has a population of 157,864, vs 45,758 in Hackensack — about 3.4× larger by population. By land area, Paterson covers about 8.4 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 | Paterson | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,750/mo | $1,392/mo | 25.7% higher in Hackensack |
| Median home value | $353,000 | $314,100 | 12.4% higher in Hackensack |
| Median household income | $79,133 | $52,092 | 51.9% higher in Hackensack |
| Groceries index | 109.4 | 109.4 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 124.5 | 124.5 | ≈ equal |
| Transportation index | 105.0 | 105.0 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 105.7 | 105.7 | ≈ equal |
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 $99,148 in Paterson to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Paterson, NJ is about 0.9% cheaper overall than Hackensack, NJ, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 2% higher in Hackensack than in Paterson. If you earn $80,000 in Hackensack, you'd need about $79,318 in Paterson to keep the same standard of living.