It's no surprise that New Jersey is very expensive. In fact, one of the most common gripes for all that live in The Garden State is that taxes are way too high.

But even beyond that, almost everything is very expensive. Housing and rent, for example, are already high even without the addition of our heavy tax burden.

So it shouldn't shock anyone that one of the biggest reasons people want to leave New Jersey is due to affordability. It's just very hard to make a decent living with how much more expensive it seems to get year after year.

Surprisingly, the three top states New Jersey is moving to aren't among the top-25 cheapest states to live in (more on that in a bit). But even with that said, two of the cheapest states certainly make sense for New Jerseyans.

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The Carolinas, for example, tend to be the top spots people think about moving to. Many of my past co-workers have relocated there, and more recently some family.

And who can blame them? Not only are both states much more affordable, but the weather isn't so bad either, especially for those who dislike winter.

With a few exceptions in higher elevations, winters in the Carolinas are more like a cool period as opposed to really cold (although the winter of 2023 sure fooled us this year). Job opportunities also aren't that bad, making it easier to relocate.

Plus, with so many from the north moving to those states as it is, considering North or South Carolina doesn't seem like such a bad idea.

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Two states that those in New Jersey should really consider relocating to if they want to escape the heavy tax burden here. But if North and South Carolina aren't for you, there are many other states to also consider.

Here's a look at the 25 cheapest states to live in across the country. And yes, the Carolinas did make the cut. As for New Jersey? Yeah, about that.

LOOK: The 25 least expensive states to live in

Here are the top 25 states with the lowest cost of living in 2022, using data Stacker culled from the Council for Community and Economic Research.
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All these states may be the cheapest to live in, but none of them are surprisingly where most New Jerseyans go when moving.

In fact, two of the top 3 states are fairly close to our borders, which is rather shocking. And even more shocking than that is the fact that people actually want to move to New Jersey, despite the high costs.

Curious? Click the link below to see who's actually moving where. Some of the answers might surprise you.

Moving out of NJ / Taxes
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NJ IS MOVING, BUT WHERE? AND WHO'S MOVING TO NJ?

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.

Most affordable places to live in New Jersey

SmartAsset released a study analyzing the most affordable places to live in New Jersey. The eighth annual study weighed several factors, including taxes, homeowners’ insurance, and home costs relative to the local median income.

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