# between PA and NJ



## JayDeeGee (Aug 9, 2011)

Hello All,
I will be relocating soon from India to the US for a period of 2 years on an L1 visa. My client's office is located out of Collegeville, PA and Parsippany, NJ. I will be working from both these locations and hence the dilemna of where to live. 
I will be accomopanied with my wife, so looking for a 1/2 bed apartment.

I have gone through multiple threads in zillion webforums, there's too much information but very little that comes close to my situation. So was hoping members to help me get a lay of the land and make the right decisions.

I will have a car leased since I will have a multi-office job and there will be some travelling required, so don't really need to live next to the railroad or closer to the city but something that fits well within decent distances to cover these two areas.

> Which is a better place to live - NJ or PA? 
> Whats the differences in taxes? My employer is not based out of these two states (its CT), so will I get taxed only from the state of CT or will there be more taxes depending on the state of residence?
> How much will a 2 bedroom cost considering looking for an area which is not (too) far from Collegeville or Parsippany? Don't need anything fancy or too expensive but safety and convenice will be the key.

Sorry for the multi-questions, would appreciate some insights from the members.

Cheers!


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## expatdiane (Aug 9, 2011)

I do not know much about NJ, but I do love PA. 
I don't know much about the taxes or how much or anything, i have only visited PA a few times, but someone will help you out on here!

Good Luck to you!


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

There are nice areas in both states - and there are some pretty awful areas in both states. It's a 2 hour drive from Collegeville to Parsippany, so there is the possibility to live half way - in which case you'll have an hour commute no matter where you're working from. You may want to get some indication of which location you'll be more regularly visiting and focus your house hunt closer to the place you'll be more often.

Your employer's base is not really relevant here - you're normally taxed based on where you are resident (and where you are actually working). In that part of the US, it's not unusual to have to file state taxes in two or more states.

You may want to check the Real Estate section of something like the NY Times for rental listings in the area you're considering. They do reference listings outside the immediate NYC region and it would at least give you an idea of the current rents.
Cheers,
Bev


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## Guest (Aug 9, 2011)

Some basic tax comparisons:

*PENNSYLVANIA*
Overall average taxes $100.91 per $1000
Sales Taxes
State Sales Tax: 6% (food; clothing, text books, heating fuels, prescription and non-prescription drugs exempt) Other taxing entities may add up to 2%. 
Gasoline Tax: 32.2 cents/gallon
Diesel Fuel Tax: 39.2 cents/gallon
Cigarette Tax: $1.60/pack of 20

Personal Income Taxes
Tax Rate Range: Flat rate of 3.07%
Personal Tax Exemptions: None
Standard Deduction: None
Medical/Dental Deduction: None
Federal Income Tax Deduction: None

*NEW JERSEY*
Overall average: $104.20 in taxes per $1000
Sales Taxes
State Sales Tax: 7% (food, prescription drugs and non-prescription
drugs, clothing, footwear exempt). Local sales taxes are imposed on sales of certain items sold in Atlantic City and Cape May County.
Gasoline Tax: 14.5 cents/gallon
Diesel Fuel Tax: 17.5 cents/gallon
Cigarette Tax: $2.70/pack of 20

Personal Income Taxes
Tax Rate Range: Low - 1.4%; High - 8.97%. Gross income tax rates for 2010 have reverted to the rates that were in effect for 2008. Rates were temporarily increased for 2009 on income over $400,000).
Income Brackets: * Lowest - $20,000; Highest - $500,000
Number of Brackets: 6
Personal Exemptions: Single - $1,000; Married - $2,000;
Dependents - $1,500
Additional Exemptions: Taxpayer or spouse 65 or older - $1,000
Standard Deduction: None
Medical/Dental Deduction: Limited to excess of 2% of gross income
Federal Income Tax Deduction: None


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