Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belem and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Belem: $937 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $50,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Belem
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Belem Living Index
245

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

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Belem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$937

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $937 in Belem versus $5,142 in New York, NY.

Belem $937
New York, NY $5,142

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,424 in Belem versus $7,455 in New York, NY.

Belem $1,424
New York, NY $7,455

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,911 in Belem versus $9,767 in New York, NY.

Belem $1,911
New York, NY $9,767

Living in Belem costs roughly 82% less than in New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Belem is 30% below, New York, NY is 284% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.94 R$24.66

$26.46 $26.46

-81.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.41 R$102

$119 $119

-82.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.80 R$33.96

$14.43 $14.43

-52.88%

Cappuccino

$1.90 R$9.48

$6.55 $6.55

-70.99%

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

$1.06 R$5.28

$3.84 $3.84

-72.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 R$2.56

$3.00 $3.00

-83.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 R$7.91

$8.27 $8.27

-80.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 R$11.80

$10.05 $10.05

-76.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 R$7.01

$1.31 $1.31

6.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 R$12.40

$4.90 $4.90

-49.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 R$6.59

$7.16 $7.16

-81.56%

Eggs

$2.14 R$10.71

$5.92 $5.92

-63.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 R$45.91

$19.06 $19.06

-51.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.53 R$22.64

$17.38 $17.38

-73.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.55 R$37.70

$18.94 $18.94

-60.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 R$11.49

$6.96 $6.96

-66.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.15

$2.08 $2.08

-31.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 R$7.42

$6.10 $6.10

-75.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 R$8.73

$6.95 $6.95

-74.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.45

$3.98 $3.98

-72.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 R$3.14

$4.44 $4.44

-85.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 R$6.45

$2.81 $2.81

-54.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 R$7.13

$2.51 $2.51

-43.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.65 R$13.21

$19.27 $19.27

-86.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.94 R$49.60

$19.67 $19.67

-49.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 R$7.25

$3.08 $3.08

-52.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 R$25.31

$3.68 $3.68

37.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R$4.82

$3.02 $3.02

-67.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.73 R$173

$140 $140

-75.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$5.86

$3.07 $3.07

-61.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 R$5.83

$2.13 $2.13

-45.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.36 R$41.71

$41.21 $41.21

-79.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 R$6.57

$1.11 $1.11

18.92%

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

$23.9K R$119.3K

$35.0K $35.0K

-31.72%

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

$32.5K R$162.3K

$25.4K $25.4K

28.04%

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

$98.6 R$492

$217 $217

-54.68%

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

$11.52 R$57.5

$74.0 $74.0

-84.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.16 R$156

$72.5 $72.5

-57.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.62 R$108

$120 $120

-82.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.31 R$196

$66.9 $66.9

-41.23%

Cinema Ticket

$7.82 R$39.04

$22.32 $22.32

-64.96%

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

$111 R$556

$3,425 $3,425

-96.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,464 R$17.3K

$61.2K $61.2K

-94.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.02 R$160

$76.3 $76.3

-58.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.64 R$228

$55.5 $55.5

-17.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 R$415

$119 $119

-30.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.9 R$334

$131 $131

-48.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,642

$4,506 $4,506

-88.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 R$1,450

$3,155 $3,155

-90.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$889 R$4,436

$8,817 $8,817

-89.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$538 R$2,684

$5,532 $5,532

-90.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,003 R$9,997

$19.4K $19.4K

-89.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,403 R$7,005

$6,754 $6,754

-79.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$422 R$2,105

$5,290 $5,290

-92.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

6.82

68.33%

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

Last update for Belem: October 5, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belem

$290 30.8%

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2% 986% $2.9K

Groceries & Markets

Belem

$225 23.8%

New York, NY

$546 11% 143% $322

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belem

$141 15%

New York, NY

$364 7.3% 158% $223

Clothing & Footwear

Belem

$103 10.9%

New York, NY

$172 3.4% 67.5% $69

Eating Out

Belem

$102 10.8%

New York, NY

$422 8.5% 316% $321

Getting Around

Belem

$46 4.8%

New York, NY

$165 3.3% 263% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Belem

$37 4%

New York, NY

$165 3.3% 343% $128

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $529 in Belem and $4,506 in New York, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays 1154% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $20.00 in Belem vs $119 in New York, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $546 per month, with Belem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Belem

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

07:30 7:30 AM

06:30 6:30 AM

1 h behind Belem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,303,403

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Belem New York, NY 5,360 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Belem
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

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

Belem is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 449% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 1154% lower in New York, NY. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $529 in Belem versus $4,506 in New York, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Belem runs roughly 302% less than in New York, NY. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $111 in Belem versus $3,425 in New York, NY. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $937 in Belem versus $5,142 in New York, NY, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Belem but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Belem the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Belem is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in New York, NY, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Belem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 449% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.