New Jersey and New York are very close neighbors, and the distance depends on exactly where you start and end.

Quick Scoop

  • In a straight line, the distance between New Jersey and New York State is around 50 miles (80 km).
  • By road, typical trips between parts of New Jersey and New York average around 70 miles (about 110–115 km) , but this varies a lot by route.
  • From Jersey City, NJ to Manhattan, NY , it’s only about 6 miles , which is why those areas feel almost connected.
  • From Cape May (south tip of NJ) to New York City , it’s roughly 170 miles , so “New Jersey to New York” can be a short hop or a decent road trip.
  • Driving times usually range from about 1 hour to a little over 2 hours , depending on traffic and the specific cities involved.

A quick way to picture it

Think of New Jersey and New York like two neighboring towns on different sides of a river: in places like Fort Lee, NJ to Manhattan via the George Washington Bridge , you’re crossing only about 1.5 miles of span, but if you go from far south Jersey up to New York City, you’re traveling most of the state’s length.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.