NJ Gas Prices, Cost of Living & World Cup Fares: April 2026

A new Rutgers-Eagleton poll shows New Jersey residents catching a modest break on grocery and household costs since last fall, but the gas pump is canceling out whatever progress they’ve made.

Prices near or above $4 a gallon are hammering drivers across every income level, every zip code. There’s no demographic that’s escaping this one.

“New Jerseyans feel a slight relief on most everyday costs compared to last fall, but this relief does not extend to the gas pump,” said Ashley Koning of Rutgers-Eagleton. “The jump in reported difficulty in this area cuts across every demographic, forming a kind of rare consensus and showing just how acutely New Jerseyans are feeling the consequences of the current national conflict with Iran.”

A separate Fairleigh Dickinson University survey found voters are willing to back almost any policy that brings prices down, which tells you everything about where household budgets are right now. People don’t care who gets credit. They want relief.

South Jersey drivers have seen scattered price dips, the Press of Atlantic City has reported, but analysts don’t expect that to hold. Meanwhile, commuters riding NJ Transit are about to get squeezed harder. Fares are expected to spike this summer when New Jersey hosts World Cup matches, according to reporting from NJ.com. Families already absorbing higher gas costs now have to factor in pricier rail tickets on top of everything else.

None of this is happening in a political vacuum. Congressional primaries are heating up fast across the state with 2026 on the horizon.

In CD-12, Democratic hopefuls squared off at a Princeton forum Tuesday, trading arguments over housing costs and affordability. The field is crowded and everyone’s jostling for space. Governor Mikie Sherrill traveled to CD-11 to stump for Mejia as that race heads into its final stretch. Over in CD-7, former candidate Rourke threw his support behind Bennett, which at least narrows the field a little. In CD-8, Rep. Menendez disclosed more than $1 million cash on hand.

Courts are scrambling the picture too. A judge ruled that Republican Senate primary candidate Alex Zdan can’t claim the Union County Republican Committee’s endorsement, a ruling that complicates his path through the primary. In Burlington County, a separate judge knocked the Burlington GOP surrogate candidate off the ballot entirely. Bergen GOP Chair DeLorenzo announced plans to step down, adding more organizational churn to an already unsettled Republican Party heading into the cycle.

Cape May County Republicans tapped Rosenello to fill a vacant commission seat after their local committee vote.

Sherrill signed nuclear power legislation this week. Her approval rating sits at 45 percent according to recent polling, a number that gives Democrats something to work with but not exactly a mandate.

On the nonprofit beat, “180 Turning Lives Around” is continuing its work across communities grappling with domestic violence and sexual assault, one of the less-covered but more critical organizations operating in this state.

Bomb threats rattled multiple Burlington County schools, according to NJ101.5. No injuries were reported.

The week’s throughline is simple: New Jerseyans are watching their costs, watching their commutes, and watching their ballots, all at the same time. It’s a lot to carry.