Cost of living in Plainfield, New Jersey
Plainfield, New Jersey has about 55,236 people. Typical rent is $1,767 a month, including utilities, and a typical household earns $85,908 a year. Both figures are Census 2020–2024 medians, not a listing or your pay. This site does not approve or deny benefits. A missing figure stays blank. We do not guess it.
Ranked #243 in New Jersey on the 2026 Most Affordable Towns Index.
Simple answer
Typical rent is $1,767 a month.
Plainfield is a city in New Jersey. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $85,908 a year.
- People
- 55,236
- Census average, 2020–2024
- Typical rent
- $1,767
- Median gross rent, includes utilities
- Typical pay
- $85,908
- Median household income, yearly
- Typical home
- $410,800
- Median home value
- 2-bedroom fair rent
- $2,233
- Newark, NJ HUD Metro FMR Area
- Gas
- $4.470
- Central Atlantic (PADD 1B), week of October 12, 2026
Plainfield, New Jersey has about 55,236 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.
A typical home is worth about $410,800.
HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Union County is $2,233 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Plainfield. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.
In the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area, prices sit at 112.6 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.
New Jersey taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 6.6% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Plainfield's exact store tax.
In July 2026, a typical New Jersey home paid 25.19¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Plainfield's bill.
EIA does not publish a New Jersey gasoline price. For the week of October 12, 2026, the Central Atlantic (PADD 1B) all-grades price was $4.470 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $2,145.60 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in New Jersey shares this price.
Among 485 places we list in New Jersey with a rent figure, 245 have higher typical rent than Plainfield.
Nearby places
- North Plainfield
Typical rent $1,752
Compare with Plainfield - Watchung
Typical rent $2,738
Compare with Plainfield - Fanwood
Typical rent $2,446
Compare with Plainfield - South Plainfield
Typical rent $2,107
Compare with Plainfield - Dunellen
Typical rent $1,835
Compare with Plainfield - Westfield
Typical rent $2,357
Compare with Plainfield - Middlesex
Typical rent $1,416
- Mountainside
Typical rent $3,501
EBT nearby
USDA has a live map of stores that take SNAP. We did not copy that store list here. The downloadable file is a history file for 2005 through 2025, so the live map is the one to use.
Locator page updated 2026-09-11. Last checked 2026-10-16.
Food stamps (SNAP) tools in New Jersey
Bigger places in New Jersey
Census 2020-2024. HUD rents for October 2026–September 2027. BEA prices for 2024. Taxes as of January 1, 2026. Checked 2026-10-16. 15,000 places are in this guide.