City comparison
Hackensack, NJ is about 60 miles (100 km) from Trenton, NJ in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 70 miles, or about 1 h 15 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 Trenton, NJ takes about 7 min, covering roughly 60 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.
Trenton has a population of 90,055, vs 45,758 in Hackensack — about 2.0× larger by population. By land area, Trenton covers about 7.6 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 | Trenton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,750/mo | $1,177/mo | 48.7% higher in Hackensack |
| Median home value | $353,000 | $111,200 | 217.4% higher in Hackensack |
| Median household income | $79,133 | $44,444 | 78.1% higher in Hackensack |
| Groceries index | 109.4 | 99.9 | 9.5% higher in Hackensack |
| Utilities index | 124.5 | 111.1 | 12.1% higher in Hackensack |
| Transportation index | 105.0 | 97.8 | 7.4% higher in Hackensack |
| Healthcare index | 105.7 | 98.5 | 7.3% higher in Hackensack |
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 $90,422 in Trenton to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Trenton, NJ is about 9.6% cheaper overall than Hackensack, NJ, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 12% higher in Hackensack than in Trenton. If you earn $80,000 in Hackensack, you'd need about $72,338 in Trenton to keep the same standard of living.