US flag
Jacksonville

United States

vs
US flag
New York City

United States

Climate

Jacksonville logs 123 hot days a year to New York City's 22 — New York City wins by 101. Jacksonville also leads on frost days by 50.

JacksonvilleNew York City
Sunny days
233206
Hot days
12322
Frost days
353
Rain days
141118
Snow days
04
Outdoor dinner months
7/125/12
Avg wind
2.7 m/s2.9 m/s
Sunshine hours
2,5132,324
Darkest month sun
162 hrs/mo125 hrs/mo
UV peak month
9.07.1

Jacksonville

Feels-like °C

14
17
21
24
27
30
34
33
29
24
19
16

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

New York City

Feels-like °C

-5
-1
3
9
17
25
30
27
21
14
5
-3

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Cost of Living

Jacksonville is $2258/mo cheaper

Jacksonville runs about $3,157/mo for a balanced lifestyle against New York City's $5,415/mo — Jacksonville comes in $2,258 cheaper each month, roughly 72% less.

Jacksonville

$3,157

monthly · balanced

Minimalist $2,416Comfort $4,917
Cheaper than 64%in Among 45 US & Canada cities

New York City

$5,415

monthly · balanced

Minimalist $4,237Comfort $9,597
Top 98%in Among 45 US & Canada cities

Mobility

On mobility, New York City scores 3.6 vs Jacksonville's 1.6 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on flight connectivity. Jacksonville still holds an edge on car efficiency.

1.6/5
vs
3.6/5
JacksonvilleNew York City
Car EfficiencyMotorbikeAirport
WalkabilityTransitCyclingFlights
New York City leads

Culture

New York City's culture score of 4.8 sits well above Jacksonville's 1.3, with the biggest gap on arts & culture.

1.3/5
vs
4.8/5
JacksonvilleNew York City
ArtsHistoryTheatreVenuesNightlife
New York City leads

Nature & Outdoors

Jacksonville and New York City score neck-and-neck on nature & outdoors (4.0 vs 4.0, 0–5 scale).

4.0/5
vs
4.0/5
JacksonvilleNew York City
SeaForestLakesRunningCampingBeachSurfingDiving
SeaForestGreen AreasLakesRunningHikingCampingBeachSurfing

Safety

Jacksonville and New York City score neck-and-neck on safety (2.2 vs 2.2, 0–5 scale).

2.2/5
vs
2.2/5
JacksonvilleNew York City
Property CrimeRoadWildfireFlooding
Property CrimeRoadFlooding

Career

New York City's career score of 5.0 sits well above Jacksonville's 2.7, with the biggest gap on startup ecosystem.

2.7/5
vs
5.0/5
JacksonvilleNew York City
JobsEconomy
JobsEconomyStartupsCoworking
New York City leads

Social & Community

New York City's social & community score is ~1.5× Jacksonville's — in the upper band, while Jacksonville lands in the middle of the scale, with the biggest gap on street atmosphere.

2.9/5
vs
4.3/5
JacksonvilleNew York City
Everyday EnglishExpat Integration ExperienceLocal-First CommunityAdmin English Support
Everyday EnglishExpat-First CommunityMulticultural MixExpat Integration ExperienceUrban EnergyStreet AtmosphereLocal-First CommunityAdmin English Support
New York City leads

Food & Dining

On food & dining, New York City scores 5.0 vs Jacksonville's 2.2 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on restaurant variety.

2.2/5
vs
5.0/5
JacksonvilleNew York City
Delivery
RestaurantsBrunchVeganDelivery
New York City leads

Family

On family, New York City scores 4.3 vs Jacksonville's 2.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on international schools.

2.0/5
vs
4.3/5
JacksonvilleNew York City
Groceries
Intl SchoolsUniversitiesAmenitiesSportPlaygroundsGroceriesGymYogaSpaTennis
New York City leads

Healthcare

On healthcare, New York City scores 3.5 vs Jacksonville's 2.1 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on private healthcare quality.

2.1/5
vs
3.5/5
JacksonvilleNew York City
Private Healthcare
Private Healthcare
New York City leads

Air Quality

Jacksonville averages 8.1 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus New York City's 8.6 µg/m³ (good) — Jacksonville breathes ~6% cleaner air (0.5 µg/m³ lower).

Jacksonville

New York City

8.1µg/m³
8.6µg/m³

PM2.5 annual average

Good
Good

WHO classification

City Scale

Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.

Jacksonville (380K) and New York City (14.2M) are 37x in population — New York City is the larger metro, Jacksonville the smaller; on land area New York City spans roughly 10x more ground.

20x

New York City is roughly 20x the scale of Jacksonville

Combined population & area comparison

US flagNew York City
20x
US flagJacksonville
1x

City Scale Rankings

Population
1.US flagNew York City14.2M37x
2.US flagJacksonville380K1x
Area
1.US flagNew York City3,031 km²10x
2.US flagJacksonville291 km²1x
© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
24 km25 km

US flagJacksonville

© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
126 km64 km

US flagNew York City

Who Thrives Here

Jacksonville favours the crowd avoider, while New York City suits the nightlife & social. Both cities work well for the english speaker.

Thrives in both
JacksonvilleNew York City
Thrives only in Jacksonville
JacksonvilleNew York City
Thrives only in New York City
JacksonvilleNew York City
Struggles in both
JacksonvilleNew York City

Frequently asked about Jacksonville vs New York City

Which is cheaper, Jacksonville or New York City?
Jacksonville is approximately $2,258 per month cheaper. Jacksonville averages $3,157/mo while New York City averages $5,415/mo.
How does the climate compare between Jacksonville and New York City?
Sunny days: 233 vs 206 d — Jacksonville higher Annual sunshine: 2,513 vs 2,324 hrs — Jacksonville higher Winter sunshine: 162 vs 125 hrs/day — Jacksonville higher Hot days (>30°C): 123 vs 22 d — New York City lower Frost days: 3 vs 53 d — Jacksonville lower Rainy days: 141 vs 118 d — New York City lower Snowy days: 0 vs 4 d — Jacksonville lower
Is Jacksonville or New York City safer?
Both cities have similar safety profiles, scoring around 2.2/5 on our aggregate safety index covering street safety, property crime, and natural hazards.
Should I move to Jacksonville or New York City?
Jacksonville and New York City are both popular relocation destinations with distinct characteristics. Jacksonville is generally more affordable, while New York City may offer different lifestyle advantages. The best choice depends on your priorities — climate preferences, career opportunities, cost constraints, and lifestyle needs. Take the personalized quiz to find your ideal match, or explore the map to compare cities by region and lifestyle factors.

The best city depends on what matters to you

This comparison shows how Jacksonville and New York City stack up on the data. But your climate preferences, budget, career needs, and lifestyle priorities can shift the picture entirely. A personalized diagnostic finds what fits your life.

Take the free diagnostic

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