Where specifically in NJ?

Maybe if you have enough saved up for a down payment on something. You may get decent rent depending on where in NJ you're going but anything in the Bergen/Morris/Passaic County areas is going to cost you

It depends on where you plan to live, and what kind of home you're looking for. Generally anything within an hour of NYC is relatively expensive, and a $65k income might be tight there.

All depends on where and what kind of standard of living you are trying to attain.

$65.000 combined?

Maybe, but only if you have no debt whatsoever. You won’t be able to put any money away for savings / retirement. And you will also have to rely on public transportation, and live in a very modest apartment.

Outer suburbs of Philadelphia, perhaps... Or older inner suburbs.

Parts of the shore also.

The rest is town by town

It would be a real struggle until your husband starts getting a paycheck. I highly recommend he find a job before you all move here.

Couples making 65k a year in NJ qualify to get affordable housing but that's only for US citizens. I think they'd also qualify for food assistance but I'm not positive about that.

To give you an idea, the average household income in NJ is $89,000. You'll have to live $24,000 more frugally than the average NJ'ian. This will mean finding a low cost of living area, which isn't impossible but will mean that public transport will be probably limited to buses, crime rates may be higher, less shopping and healthcare immediately around you, less employment opportunities, etc.

Agreed. I started off - on my own - with $60k but that’s when you could find a decent apartment in the northern suburbs for less than $1500/mo. I had car/student loans and was basically paycheck to paycheck and had no savings. These days with housing as expensive as it is, there’s really no margin for error or extravagance.

Where in NJ? The difference is huge. And how soon can your husband look for jobs? I understand there is the working permit thing. If you don’t have i140 approved yet, or even your PERM hasn’t started yet, you will need at least 2 years to get them. Then your hubby can apply for EAD. That means your hubby either will have no income or do illegal work. (Which is a huge risk for you since you are legal.)
So the best way is you come here alone. After you getting your i140 approved, get your husband here. Of your company doesn’t even sponsor your green card now (ie only h1b, no PERM/i140, etc), DO NOT move with your husband with 65000 salary in NJ! You will be miserable. UNLESS you two have huge savings in your current country.

Everyone I know here earns 6 figures it would be extremely challenging IMO

Also NJ is considered to be one the most expensive states to live in-

Another challenge is that they likely won’t have any consumer credit history. So renting an apartment or buying a car would be quite challenging.

Agree with poster here. Short answer is no, esp not in central NJ areas like Edison or Bridgewater, or anywhere close to NYC. If close to Philadelphia, maybe.

It would be a tight squeeze. You’d be better off in Delaware or Maryland if you’re committed to being in the region. Jersey is VERY expensive. Most people I know are in the six-figure range and aren’t living lavishly.

Maybe in the more rural towns, look at Sussex and Warren counties. Also areas of south jersey. And not having any other debt like car, credit cards, or school loans.

My wife and I are retired and live off our savings which is less than $65,000 a year. But we have no debt and our home mortgage is down to only $1000/month. As dad used to say, it's not what you make but what you spend.

If you wanna survive in this stupid expensive state you should aim to make 65k each for a combined income of 130k.

Couples making 65k a year do not qualify for affordable housing in NJ, lol.

It was enough, about 15 years ago when we relocated from another state. My girlfriend earned 22k/yr back then and we lived in a small attic apartment of 770sqft in New Brunswick, paying about 16k/yr for housing.

Yes, it's enough to survive. But it's not sustainable without a plan to begin at a low-expense level, and to increase your earnings.

Well on top of replying to the wrong person, what you're saying is incorrect.

Statewide, the low income limit for Section 8, for a household consisting of 2 people is $71,500. So yes, a couple making $65k does qualify. This information is compiled by HUD and easily available online. You're free to verify it on your own.

Yeah that's fine. I know ppl that live on way less. Look for a place that's less than $1600 a month and you'll be under 40x your income for rent

Your husband will need to find a job. If he is willing to hustle (two jobs, Uber etc) then he should be able to make enough to get your income up to $100,000. Any less than that and you are going to struggle.

depends on your standards... immigrant communities make do with a lot less (not sure about NJ, but I'm very familiar with the flushing and 8th ave chinatowns in nyc and they can live comfortably with little)

So I did some math: 65k would be roughly 54k after tax (per smartasset.com calculator for married filing jointly), which is about 4500 monthly. Rent (for an ok place in safe neighborhood) - 1600 (ex: https://newjersey.craigslist.org/apa/d/lodi-bedroom-for-rent/7579087792.html) Utilities (electric + internet, heat/water is included in rent) - 100 Car payment + insurance - 500 Groceries (incl household items) - 800 Health insurance - varies but I played with getcovered.nj.gov and the cheapest plan was $51/mo for 2 with 65k income. Let’s call it $100 for a slightly better plan. Gas - 100 Phone plan - 100

So bare bones expenses would be 3300, leaving 1200 for others (clothing, eating out, shopping, subscriptions, personal care, etc.) which I think is doable, especially if it’s only temporary until your husband finds a job.

This is assuming no debt and no expensive medical care. Could cut back more if you can find a cheaper place (maybe central/south jersey), use mint mobile (cheaper phone plan), buy used car (historically cheaper than new cars but idk about the second hand market now), or really budget on making grocery money last with no eating out.

You'll get by. You won't live somewhere nice. You won't eat takeout every night. You won't have much money for going out. But you'll be comfortable. Rent will be paid. Food will be on the table. I lived in Jersey for most of my life on much less than that.

Your dad was right!

Per person?

I would advise against considering NJ at that income level unless it is specifically to be closer to family / a support network.

Unless you are tied to the state through family connections it is really only worth moving here if you are going to make an absolute bag.

I would say barely if you have no debt, yeah. but it's barely getting by. I don't live there yet, but im planning on moving there. 60,000 is what you want to make as a single person with no debt, to be able to afford rent, car, and expenses and maybe save a little cash.

65K for two people with no debt is still possible, but I would try to bump that to 75K. Ideally a houshold of two people should bring in over 100K a year. New jersey is a very expensive place to live.

yup! my thinking exactly. As a single person with no debt you'll want to make 60K to be able to afford acceptable housing and maybe save a little money. A two person household should really be bringing in 100K at least. at 100-120K a year you can start to afford a normal life and start pulling away from poverty slightly.

Do you know if section 8 applies to single residents or is it only couples and familys?

Plenty of people in NJ live on significantly less. Its not necessarily easy, but it can be done. Depends how good you are at being frugal.

For two people that is pure struggle bus

Real estate taxes are much higher also north jersey I feel my parents have a 3 Bedroom ranch and its like 12+k a year.