Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashburn, VA and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Ashburn, VA: $3,317 a month against $4,941 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Ashburn, VA
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Ashburn, VA Living Index
239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index

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Ashburn, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,317

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,941

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ashburn, VA and in New York, NY

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ashburn, VA and in New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,317 in Ashburn, VA versus $4,941 in New York, NY.

Ashburn, VA $3,317
New York, NY $4,941

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,512 in Ashburn, VA versus $7,225 in New York, NY.

Ashburn, VA $4,512
New York, NY $7,225

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,708 in Ashburn, VA versus $9,509 in New York, NY.

Ashburn, VA $5,708
New York, NY $9,509

Living in Ashburn, VA costs roughly 33% less than in New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ashburn, VA 144% above, New York, NY 263% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.82 $24.82

$28.55 $28.55

-13.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.2 $90.2

$118 $118

-23.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.86 $12.86

$15.04 $15.04

-14.49%

Cappuccino

$6.06 $6.06

$6.53 $6.53

-7.20%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 $2.97

$3.96 $3.96

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$3.01 $3.01

-14.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.07 $8.07

$8.16 $8.16

-1.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.93 $9.93

$9.84 $9.84

0.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.37 $1.37

-13.87%

White Bread (500g)

$4.01 $4.01

$4.97 $4.97

-19.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$7.81 $7.81

-32.01%

Eggs

$5.53 $5.53

$5.97 $5.97

-7.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.28 $17.28

$18.91 $18.91

-8.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.58 $15.58

$18.04 $18.04

-13.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.85 $18.85

$19.05 $19.05

-1.05%

Apples (1kg)

$5.40 $5.40

$6.76 $6.76

-20.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.27 $2.27

3.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$6.83 $6.83

-5.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$7.09 $7.09

-17.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$4.22 $4.22

-32.94%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$4.65 $4.65

-19.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$2.87 $2.87

-16.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.60 $2.60

5.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.64 $9.64

$18.77 $18.77

-48.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.74 $15.74

$20.13 $20.13

-21.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$3.45 $3.45

-34.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 $4.56

$4.02 $4.02

13.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 $2.30

$2.91 $2.91

-20.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.7 $70.7

$139 $139

-49.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.08 $3.08

-5.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$2.12 $2.12

-30.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.07 $22.07

$41.96 $41.96

-47.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.17 $1.17

-13.68%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.5K $35.5K

$34.5K $34.5K

2.96%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.4K $25.4K

$25.9K $25.9K

-1.82%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$165 $165

$219 $219

-24.86%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$66.5 $66.5

$74.2 $74.2

-10.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.0 $78.0

$70.2 $70.2

11.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.1 $61.1

$112 $112

-45.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.98 $11.98

$74.9 $74.9

-84.00%

Cinema Ticket

$18.19 $18.19

$22.14 $22.14

-17.84%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,610 $1,610

$3,558 $3,558

-54.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.7K $32.7K

$62.2K $62.2K

-47.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$75.6 $75.6

-28.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.28 $43.28

$51.2 $51.2

-15.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 $99.5

$123 $123

-19.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$140 $140

-11.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,010 $2,010

$4,499 $4,499

-55.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,795 $1,795

$3,078 $3,078

-41.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,037 $4,037

$9,447 $9,447

-57.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,250 $2,250

$5,190 $5,190

-56.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,996 $2,996

$18.1K $18.1K

-83.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,103 $3,103

$6,693 $6,693

-53.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,539 $7,539

$5,220 $5,220

44.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

6.86

-0.58%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ashburn, VA: October 27, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ashburn, VA

$1.8K 54.1%

New York, NY

$3.1K 62.3% 71.5% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Ashburn, VA

$488 14.7%

New York, NY

$563 11.4% 15.3% $75

Eating Out

Ashburn, VA

$392 11.8%

New York, NY

$440 8.9% 12.2% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashburn, VA

$309 9.3%

New York, NY

$364 7.4% 17.6% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Ashburn, VA

$144 4.3%

New York, NY

$175 3.6% 21.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Ashburn, VA

$97 2.9%

New York, NY

$156 3.2% 60.3% $59

Getting Around

Ashburn, VA

$90 2.7%

New York, NY

$164 3.3% 82% $74

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,010 in Ashburn, VA and $4,499 in New York, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashburn, VA pays 44% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $90 in Ashburn, VA vs $118 in New York, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $488 vs $563 per month, with Ashburn, VA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ashburn, VA

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

10:09 10:09 AM

Same time as Ashburn, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,511

8,804,190

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Ashburn, VA New York, NY 330 km

From you

Ashburn, VA
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ashburn, VA vs New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ashburn, VA and New York, NY differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($3,317 vs $4,941 including rent). Ashburn, VA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 44% higher in Ashburn, VA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,010 in Ashburn, VA versus $4,499 in New York, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,610 in Ashburn, VA versus $3,558 in New York, NY. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Ashburn, VA is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Ashburn, VA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.