City comparison
New Brunswick, NJ is about 30 miles (50 km) from Paterson, NJ in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 40 miles, or about 41 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 New Brunswick, NJ to Paterson, NJ takes about 4 min, covering roughly 30 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 55,718 in New Brunswick — about 2.8× larger by population. By land area, Paterson covers about 8.4 sq mi vs 5.2 sq mi for New Brunswick.
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 | New Brunswick | Paterson | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,754/mo | $1,392/mo | 26.0% higher in New Brunswick |
| Median home value | $289,800 | $314,100 | 8.4% higher in Paterson |
| Median household income | $57,138 | $52,092 | 9.7% higher in New Brunswick |
| Groceries index | 107.2 | 109.4 | 2.1% higher in Paterson |
| Utilities index | 121.4 | 124.5 | 2.6% higher in Paterson |
| Transportation index | 103.3 | 105.0 | 1.6% higher in Paterson |
| Healthcare index | 104.1 | 105.7 | 1.6% higher in Paterson |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in New Brunswick, you'd need $101,055 in Paterson to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
New Brunswick, NJ is about 1% cheaper overall than Paterson, NJ, based on our cost-of-living index. If you earn $80,000 in New Brunswick, you'd need about $80,844 in Paterson to keep the same standard of living.