Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barbacena and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Barbacena: $857 a month against $4,950 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $49,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Barbacena
Learn more

Barbacena Living Index
239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
Learn more

New York, NY Living Index

Jump to prices

Barbacena

🇧🇷 Brazil

$857

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,950

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barbacena 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 Barbacena and in New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $857 in Barbacena versus $4,950 in New York, NY.

Barbacena $857
New York, NY $4,950

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,305 in Barbacena versus $7,265 in New York, NY.

Barbacena $1,305
New York, NY $7,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,753 in Barbacena versus $9,581 in New York, NY.

Barbacena $1,753
New York, NY $9,581

Living in Barbacena costs roughly 83% less than in New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barbacena is 37% below, New York, NY is 267% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.35 R$26.86

$24.65 $24.65

-78.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.84 R$105

$122 $122

-82.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 R$29.74

$13.91 $13.91

-57.37%

Cappuccino

$1.74 R$8.73

$6.59 $6.59

-73.60%

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

$1.57 R$7.89

$3.84 $3.84

-59.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R$4.30

$2.87 $2.87

-70.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 R$6.62

$7.79 $7.79

-83.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 R$11.37

$9.85 $9.85

-76.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 R$5.69

$1.38 $1.38

-17.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 R$10.36

$4.68 $4.68

-55.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.12

$7.54 $7.54

-83.82%

Eggs

$2.38 R$11.96

$5.93 $5.93

-59.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 R$54.3

$18.83 $18.83

-42.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.44 R$22.25

$17.36 $17.36

-74.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.97 R$50.0

$18.51 $18.51

-46.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 R$14.54

$6.74 $6.74

-56.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.19

$2.09 $2.09

-12.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 R$7.89

$6.07 $6.07

-74.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 R$9.00

$6.74 $6.74

-73.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.08

$4.05 $4.05

-70.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.20

$4.37 $4.37

-76.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 R$3.55

$2.89 $2.89

-75.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 R$3.50

$2.60 $2.60

-73.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 R$15.17

$18.72 $18.72

-83.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 R$39.29

$20.06 $20.06

-60.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.93

$3.25 $3.25

-63.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.14

$3.73 $3.73

-35.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R$4.87

$3.06 $3.06

-68.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.05 R$226

$140 $140

-67.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 R$6.34

$3.04 $3.04

-58.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 R$4.26

$2.15 $2.15

-60.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.35 R$46.91

$41.82 $41.82

-77.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 R$6.56

$1.12 $1.12

16.96%

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

$23.5K R$118.0K

$35.5K $35.5K

-33.69%

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

$32.7K R$164.1K

$26.0K $26.0K

25.60%

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

$136 R$685

$219 $219

-37.69%

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

$11.02 R$55.3

$73.2 $73.2

-84.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.95 R$115

$72.0 $72.0

-68.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.50 R$133

$123 $123

-78.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.48 R$148

$67.7 $67.7

-56.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.94 R$39.85

$22.85 $22.85

-65.25%

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

$596 R$2,992

$3,333 $3,333

-82.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$67.3K

$60.0K $60.0K

-77.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.74 R$209

$75.2 $75.2

-44.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.77 R$245

$52.4 $52.4

-6.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 R$379

$122 $122

-37.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.2 R$337

$133 $133

-49.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$234 R$1,172

$4,389 $4,389

-94.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 R$841

$3,130 $3,130

-94.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 R$2,178

$8,918 $8,918

-95.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$307 R$1,539

$5,354 $5,354

-94.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,629 R$8,175

$19.4K $19.4K

-91.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,334 R$6,692

$6,806 $6,806

-80.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,343 $5,343

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.82

74.93%

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

Last update for Barbacena: October 10, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Barbacena

$215 25.1%

New York, NY

$545 11% 154% $330

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barbacena

$170 19.9%

New York, NY

$364 7.4% 114% $194

Accommodation & Living

Barbacena

$168 19.6%

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.2% 1767% $3K

Clothing & Footwear

Barbacena

$105 12.3%

New York, NY

$172 3.5% 63.9% $67

Eating Out

Barbacena

$102 11.9%

New York, NY

$404 8.2% 294% $301

Getting Around

Barbacena

$54 6.4%

New York, NY

$167 3.4% 206% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Barbacena

$42 5%

New York, NY

$168 3.4% 297% $126

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $234 in Barbacena and $4,389 in New York, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21.00 in Barbacena vs $122 in New York, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $545 per month, with Barbacena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Barbacena

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

08:03 8:03 AM

1 h behind Barbacena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,317

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barbacena New York, NY 7,560 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Barbacena
New York, NY

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

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

Barbacena and New York, NY differ by about 477% in total monthly costs ($857 vs $4,950 including rent). Barbacena is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,286 in Barbacena and $7,424 in New York, NY to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $234 in Barbacena versus $4,389 in New York, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $857 per month in Barbacena versus $4,950 in New York, NY – a 477% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Barbacena runs roughly 212% less than in New York, NY. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $857 in Barbacena versus $4,950 in New York, NY, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Barbacena but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Barbacena the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Barbacena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 477% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.