55+ Communities in South Jersey

South Jersey hits a sweet spot for retirees who want big-city access without paying big-city prices — and who want the option to trade the suburbs for a shore town on a Saturday morning. Anchored by Cherry Hill, Marlton, Mount Laurel, Moorestown, Medford, Voorhees, and Haddonfield, the region sits roughly six to eight miles east of Center City Philadelphia, connected by the Ben Franklin Bridge, PATCO (Woodcrest, Haddonfield, and Collingswood stations), NJ Transit, and Amtrak out of Cherry Hill. That gives retirees on-demand access to Philadelphia's cultural institutions and medical centers — Penn Medicine, Jefferson, Temple — plus a straight shot to Philadelphia International (PHL) for family visits.

South Jersey's cost of living runs roughly 14–19% above the U.S. national average in the core Camden and Burlington County suburbs, with housing as the dominant driver. Cherry Hill housing sits about 26% above the national average, with median home prices in the $450,000–$500,000 range and 2BR rents typically $1,900–$2,300. Median home prices elsewhere in Camden County generally hover in the mid- to high $300s, and Gloucester County active-adult communities like Four Seasons at Weatherby and Preserve at Weatherby have historically resold in the upper $200s. Food expenses actually run modestly below the national average in Cherry Hill (about 5.8% lower), while transportation, utilities, and healthcare land about 3% higher.

Retiree Specific: New Jersey fully exempts Social Security benefits from state income tax. Qualifying retirees aged 62 or older with total gross income at or below $100,000 can exclude up to $100,000 (married filing jointly), $75,000 (single/HOH), or $50,000 (married filing separately) of pension, annuity, IRA, and 401(k) income. Between $100,001 and $150,000 the exclusion phases out sharply; above $150,000 it is eliminated entirely — planning around that cliff matters. NJ has no state estate tax as of 2018, but the inheritance tax remains: Class A beneficiaries (spouses, children, grandchildren, parents, stepchildren) are fully exempt, while siblings, nieces, nephews, and unrelated heirs face rates of 11–16%. The top marginal income tax rate reaches 10.75% on income over $1 million, though most retirees never see it. State sales tax is 6.625% (about 30% above the national average). Capital gains are taxed as ordinary income.

Property taxes are the story — and the reason the state built three stacking relief programs. Effective rates in the region: Burlington County 2.26%, Camden County 2.83%, Gloucester County 2.60%, Cumberland County 2.28%, Salem County 2.93% — all well above the national median of about 1.02%. On a $400,000 home, that's roughly $9,000–$11,000 per year. Retirees 65 and older can offset a meaningful chunk of it through the combined PAS-1 application: Senior Freeze reimburses increases above your base-year property tax; ANCHOR pays an income-tested rebate (with a senior bump); and Stay NJ, launched in 2023 and now fully rolling out under the FY2027 budget, covers up to 50% of property taxes with a maximum benefit of $6,500 for homeowners with income at or below $200,000. Assembly leadership has stated that most seniors will see their property taxes effectively cut in half when Stay NJ is fully implemented.

Additional Considerations: HOA and clubhouse fees in the active-adult communities vary widely — plan on line-item verification per community. Assessment ratios in South Jersey towns often lag market value, so a market-value bump doesn't always translate directly to a tax-bill jump, but Camden County has been reassessing regularly. Winter heating costs are real for a NJ climate, though offset by shorter, milder summers than the Southeast. Insurance costs (home and auto) run higher than the national average, but nothing like the coastal Florida or Gulf spikes. Homeowners planning to leave meaningful inheritances outside the immediate family should build the NJ inheritance tax into their estate plan early.