CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

39.57° N · 74.38° W · GEOID 3449560

Mystic Island

Ocean County, New Jersey · part of the New York, NY metro

New JerseyMystic Island, NJMystic IslandMystic Island

The short answer

Mystic Island is home to 8,259 people. Median household income is $78,714 a year and median rent is $1,893 a month, 28.9% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is moderate. The median home is valued at $321,500, about 4.1x annual median household income.

Mystic Island stands out on how people work. Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 265 hours a year commuting, more than in 98% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 279 New Jersey places we track. Also notable: Owning with a mortgage costs about $27 a month less than the median rent, a rarer pattern than in 94% of places its size.

10OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Weak

Mystic Island scores better than 10% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 261st of 287 in New Jersey.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%25
Economy 20%61
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%21
Education 10%33
Commute 10%2
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$1,893
39% above the median place
Median household income
$78,714
2% below the median place
Median home value
$321,500
1% above the median place
Unemployment
3.8%
22% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Mystic Island

  • GrowthCompared with the 25 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as Ridge, NY, Calverton, NY and Winthrop Harbor, IL), household income growth here is higher: 6.6% a year against a typical 4.1% a year.
01

Moving to Mystic Island

Ocean County gains about 1.9 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in21,206
Moved out20,140
Net+1,066

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Monmouth County, NJ4,6574,088+569
Burlington County, NJ6171,181−564
Kings County, NY1,548

Within New Jersey, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within New JerseyOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$99K
Leavers$88K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Ocean County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
5.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.2% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Ocean County report $99,200 a year in income on average; those leaving, $87,600, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$75,700 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,893 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,866 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $321,500.
Getting to work
39 minutes each way on average; 11.0% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Winthrop Harbor, IL matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
5.0%
12% below the median place
Income of households moving in7
$99,173
41% above the median place
Income of households moving out7
$87,578
25% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureMystic IslandAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year15.0%12% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.2%37% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure1.9above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$99,17341% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$87,57825% above
02

What it costs to live here

The median rent takes 28.9% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 93% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track.

Mystic Island28.9%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$75,720
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
28.9%
42% above the median place
Home price to income
4.1x
7% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
29%
just under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$53,500
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Mystic Island, $1,893 a month, and local prices for everything else (105.2 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Mystic Island, but easier on the budget

Places that match Mystic Island on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Winthrop Harbor, IL9716.5% vs 28.9%$25,200Compare
Greenville, RI9415.6% vs 28.9%$27,700Compare
Halls, TN9315.5% vs 28.9%$28,000Compare
Indian Hills, NV9222.9% vs 28.9%n/aCompare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Mystic Island.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Mystic Island? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
29.2%
314% above the median place
Homeownership1
87.8%
32% above the median place
Renters paying 30%+1
63.0%
24% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureMystic IslandAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,89339% above
Rent to income128.9%42% above
Property tax rate11.6%71% above
Home price to income14.1x7% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure112.612% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,28341% above
HUD area median income4County figure$140,60031% above
Property tax paid (median)1$5,00953% above
Median home value1$321,5001% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure6.0%87% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure73.4%42% above
Homeownership187.8%32% above
Renters paying 30%+163.0%24% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,8660% below
Vacant homes129.2%314% above
Median year built119820% above
03

Work and pay

Mean commute is 39 min, 57% above the median place.

Mean commute1
39 min
57% above the median place
Unemployment1
3.8%
22% below the median place
Poverty rate1
16.1%
49% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Income per person$44,877 +12%
Works from home11.0% −12%
Median household income$78,714 −2%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureMystic IslandAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$78,7142% below
Income per person1$44,87712% above
Unemployment13.8%22% below
Average annual pay6County figure$58,84811% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure2.4%35% below
Jobs6County figure192,71528% above
Poverty rate116.1%49% above
Mean commute139 min57% above
Works from home111.0%12% below
Commutes by transit1County figure0.9%7% above
04

Who lives here

The median resident is 54.5 years old, older than in 96% of the 2,479 places under 10,000 people we track.

Median age1
54.5
40% above the median place
Household size1
2.2
12% below the median place
Born abroad1
3.4%
61% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

No health insurance4.2% −34%
Bachelor's or higher24.6% −23%
High school or higher93.3% +1%
Homes with broadband91.6% −1%
All 8 people measures
MeasureMystic IslandAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population18,2594830th largest
Median age154.540% above
Bachelor's or higher124.6%23% below
High school or higher193.3%1% above
Household size12.212% below
Born abroad13.4%61% below
No health insurance14.2%34% below
Homes with broadband191.6%1% below
05

Life in Mystic Island

The nearest National Park Service site is Pinelands National Reserve, about 9 miles away.

37 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents13.3 +31%
Playgrounds per 10k2.4 −74%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails2 km +5%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Pinelands National Reserve 9 miles
  • Great Egg Harbor River 23 miles
  • Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial 48 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars19.3 −7%
Shops31.4 +4%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.4 +7%
Doctors' offices and clinics22.2 +10%
Child care centers2.0 −13%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Nearest National Park Service site10
8.8
71% below the median place
Students per teacher12
11.8
23% below the median place
Public schools12
115
above the median place (median 9)
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureMystic IslandAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure115above (median 9)
Public school students12County figure65,536above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher12County figure11.823% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure19.37% below
Shops per 10k8County figure31.44% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure4.47% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure22.210% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.013% below
Parks per 10k913.331% above
Playgrounds per 10k92.474% below
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k90.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails92.15% above
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site108.871% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles106200% above
National Register listings11County figure37185% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Wildfire risk is 95.2, 56% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Mystic Island. Larger places are fetched first.

Wildfire risk14
95.2
56% above the median place
Hurricane risk14
93.2
32% above the median place
Tornado risk14
47.2
42% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureMystic IslandAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure86°F1% below
January average low13County figure25°F3% below
Average temperature13County figure54°F1% below
Annual precipitation13County figure47.3 in8% above
Natural hazard risk14County figure96.24% above
Hurricane risk14County figure93.232% above
Tornado risk14County figure47.242% below
Wildfire risk14County figure95.256% above
Heat wave risk14County figure95.76% above
Median air quality index15County figure399% below
Good air days15County figure78.8%15% above
08

Mystic Island in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 29% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 29% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Mystic Island does better than 25% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 60%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,893/mo (2024)$2,430/mo$2,000 to $2,960/mo+4.3%
Median household income$78,714 (2024)$101,000$85,500 to $119,500+4.2%
Median home value$321,500 (2024)$464,000$337,000 to $639,000+6.3%

The median home would be worth 4.6 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.1 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Mystic Island

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
North Weeki Wachee, FL$1,746$64,891Compare
South Venice, FL$1,852$77,097Compare
Ridge, NY$2,044$78,528Compare
Palm Coast, FL$1,782$77,350Compare
Palm Coast, FLRidge, NYSouth Venice, FLNorth Weeki Wachee, FLMystic Island, NJMystic IslandNorth Weeki WacheeSouth VeniceRidgePalm CoastMystic IslandNorth Weeki WacheeSouth VeniceRidgePalm Coast

Places built like Mystic Island

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Mystic Island performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Mystic Island, NJ28.9%6.6%/yrn/a
Ridge, NY31.2%1.8%/yrn/aCompare
Calverton, NY36.3%1.9%/yrn/aCompare
Winthrop Harbor, IL16.5%1.5%/yr-1.0%Compare
Forked River, NJ28.5%3.6%/yrn/aCompare
Beach Haven West, NJ17.1%6.4%/yrn/aCompare
Tucson Estates, AZ22.5%6.5%/yrn/aCompare

Common questions

Is Mystic Island a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 10 out of 100, better than 10% of the places we rate and 261st of 287 in New Jersey. Compared with the 25 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as Ridge, NY, Calverton, NY and Winthrop Harbor, IL), household income growth here is higher: 6.6% a year against a typical 4.1% a year. On cost, space and class size it scores 24 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Mystic Island expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 28.9% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $321,500.

What salary do you need to live in Mystic Island?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $75,720 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Mystic Island?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are North Weeki Wachee, FL, South Venice, FL, Ridge, NY and Palm Coast, FL.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Mystic Island with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Mystic Island itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/mystic-island-new-jersey

Citytistics. “Mystic Island, New Jersey.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/mystic-island-new-jersey/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.