Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brentwood, CA and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Brentwood, CA: $2,609 a month against $4,938 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $27,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Brentwood, CA
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Brentwood, CA Living Index
239

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

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Brentwood, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,609

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,609 in Brentwood, CA versus $4,938 in New York, NY.

Brentwood, CA $2,609
New York, NY $4,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,005 in Brentwood, CA versus $7,273 in New York, NY.

Brentwood, CA $4,005
New York, NY $7,273

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,401 in Brentwood, CA versus $9,608 in New York, NY.

Brentwood, CA $5,401
New York, NY $9,608

Living in Brentwood, CA costs roughly 47% less than in New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brentwood, CA 93% above, New York, NY 264% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.11 $25.11

$24.99 $24.99

0.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$112 $112

$120 $120

-7.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.74 $13.74

9.75%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$6.60 $6.60

-15.30%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$3.82 $3.82

-19.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.87 $2.87

-13.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.91 $8.91

$7.95 $7.95

12.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.78 $7.78

$10.06 $10.06

-22.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.37 $1.37

-8.03%

White Bread (500g)

$4.33 $4.33

$4.75 $4.75

-8.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$7.69 $7.69

-38.23%

Eggs

$5.42 $5.42

$5.87 $5.87

-7.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.69 $24.69

$19.25 $19.25

28.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.72 $11.72

$17.83 $17.83

-34.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.17 $13.17

$19.03 $19.03

-30.79%

Apples (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$6.69 $6.69

-19.13%

Banana (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.29 $2.29

33.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$6.41 $6.41

-26.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.89 $5.89

$6.75 $6.75

-12.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$3.93 $3.93

-16.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$4.52 $4.52

-14.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.79 $2.79

6.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.51 $2.51

7.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.68 $11.68

$18.10 $18.10

-35.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.08 $13.08

$20.16 $20.16

-35.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$3.26 $3.26

-33.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.75 $3.75

-32.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.92 $2.92

-33.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$143 $143

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 $3.94

$3.06 $3.06

28.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.16 $2.16

-21.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.36 $32.36

$41.33 $41.33

-21.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.12 $1.12

37.50%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$33.1K $33.1K

-16.49%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$25.7K $25.7K

6.13%

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

$137 $137

$219 $219

-37.43%

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

$39.77 $39.77

$75.3 $75.3

-47.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.2 $62.2

$70.5 $70.5

-11.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.88 $39.88

$116 $116

-65.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

Cinema Ticket

$17.89 $17.89

$21.37 $21.37

-16.28%

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

$2,330 $2,330

$3,432 $3,432

-32.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K $23.9K

$61.7K $61.7K

-61.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 $52.1

$74.9 $74.9

-30.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.73 $39.73

$52.1 $52.1

-23.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 $76.2

$117 $117

-34.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.0 $59.0

$135 $135

-56.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 $1,791

$4,347 $4,347

-58.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,309 $1,309

$3,117 $3,117

-57.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,551 $2,551

$9,110 $9,110

-72.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,270 $2,270

$5,379 $5,379

-57.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,730 $2,730

$19.3K $19.3K

-85.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,181 $2,181

$6,943 $6,943

-68.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,395 $6,395

$5,238 $5,238

22.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

6.85

-2.34%

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

Last update for Brentwood, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brentwood, CA

$1.3K 50.2%

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.1% 138% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Brentwood, CA

$466 17.9%

New York, NY

$552 11.2% 18.4% $86

Eating Out

Brentwood, CA

$395 15.2%

New York, NY

$407 8.2% 2.9% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brentwood, CA

$239 9.2%

New York, NY

$365 7.4% 52.6% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Brentwood, CA

$102 3.9%

New York, NY

$170 3.5% 66.6% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Brentwood, CA

$76 2.9%

New York, NY

$158 3.2% 109% $83

Getting Around

Brentwood, CA

$20 * 0.8%

New York, NY

$168 3.4% 731% $148

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,791 in Brentwood, CA and $4,347 in New York, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brentwood, CA pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $112 in Brentwood, CA vs $120 in New York, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $466 vs $552 per month, with Brentwood, CA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brentwood, CA

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

23:02 11:02 PM

02:02 2:02 AM

3 h ahead of Brentwood, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,474

8,804,190

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Brentwood, CA New York, NY 4,050 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Brentwood, CA
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

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

Brentwood, CA and New York, NY differ by about 89% in total monthly costs ($2,609 vs $4,938 including rent). Brentwood, CA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 22% higher in Brentwood, CA, 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: $1,791 in Brentwood, CA versus $4,347 in New York, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,609 per month in Brentwood, CA versus $4,938 in New York, NY – a 89% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Brentwood, CA 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.

Safety-wise, Brentwood, CA and New York, NY are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Brentwood, CA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 89% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.