Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cali and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Cali: $1,054 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $49,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Cali
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Cali Living Index
245

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

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Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,054

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,054 in Cali versus $5,142 in New York, NY.

Cali $1,054
New York, NY $5,142

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Cali versus $7,455 in New York, NY.

Cali $1,614
New York, NY $7,455

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,174 in Cali versus $9,767 in New York, NY.

Cali $2,174
New York, NY $9,767

Living in Cali costs roughly 80% less than in New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cali is 21% below, New York, NY is 284% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.26 COP 23.4K

$26.46 $26.46

-72.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.04 COP 119.3K

$119 $119

-68.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.05 COP 25.9K

$14.43 $14.43

-44.21%

Cappuccino

$1.54 COP 4,972

$6.55 $6.55

-76.49%

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

$1.25 COP 4,027

$3.84 $3.84

-67.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 COP 2,702

$3.00 $3.00

-72.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 COP 10.2K

$8.27 $8.27

-61.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 COP 11.5K

$10.05 $10.05

-64.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 COP 4,998

$1.31 $1.31

18.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 COP 6,026

$4.90 $4.90

-61.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,822

$7.16 $7.16

-79.05%

Eggs

$2.77 COP 8,907

$5.92 $5.92

-53.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.40 COP 20.6K

$19.06 $19.06

-66.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 COP 22.2K

$17.38 $17.38

-60.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.92 COP 31.9K

$18.94 $18.94

-47.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 COP 11.0K

$6.96 $6.96

-50.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 COP 4,186

$2.08 $2.08

-37.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 COP 5,659

$6.10 $6.10

-71.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,421

$6.95 $6.95

-75.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 COP 4,730

$3.98 $3.98

-63.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 COP 4,722

$4.44 $4.44

-66.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 COP 3,551

$2.81 $2.81

-60.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 COP 3,004

$2.51 $2.51

-62.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 COP 11.7K

$19.27 $19.27

-81.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.56 COP 40.5K

$19.67 $19.67

-36.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,565

$3.08 $3.08

-53.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,712

$3.68 $3.68

-34.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 COP 3,370

$3.02 $3.02

-65.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.00 COP 93.4K

$140 $140

-79.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 COP 2,664

$3.07 $3.07

-72.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 COP 4,040

$1.11 $1.11

12.61%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

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

$33.7K COP 108.5M

$25.4K $25.4K

32.69%

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

$111 COP 358.1K

$217 $217

-48.87%

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

$12.79 COP 41.2K

$74.0 $74.0

-82.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.75 COP 95.8K

$72.5 $72.5

-58.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.38 COP 91.4K

$120 $120

-76.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.9 $66.9

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 COP 26.5K

$22.32 $22.32

-63.08%

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

$3,425 $3,425

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.2K $61.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.8 COP 243.9K

$76.3 $76.3

-0.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 COP 173.3K

$55.5 $55.5

-2.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 COP 394.4K

$119 $119

2.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 COP 350.7K

$131 $131

-16.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$638 COP 2.1M

$4,506 $4,506

-85.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$291 COP 937.4K

$3,155 $3,155

-90.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 COP 4.8M

$8,817 $8,817

-83.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$479 COP 1.5M

$5,532 $5,532

-91.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,754 $6,754

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$567 COP 1.8M

$5,290 $5,290

-89.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

6.82

69.79%

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

Last update for Cali: October 4, 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

Cali

$291 27.6%

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2% 984% $2.9K

Groceries & Markets

Cali

$235 22.3%

New York, NY

$546 11% 132% $311

Clothing & Footwear

Cali

$162 15.4%

New York, NY

$172 3.4% 5.7% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cali

$154 14.6%

New York, NY

$364 7.3% 137% $210

Eating Out

Cali

$132 12.5%

New York, NY

$422 8.5% 220% $290

Sport & Entertainment

Cali

$45 4.3%

New York, NY

$165 3.3% 268% $120

Getting Around

Cali

$34 * 3.2%

New York, NY

$165 3.3% 386% $131

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 $638 in Cali and $4,506 in New York, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays 833% 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: $37.00 in Cali vs $119 in New York, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $546 per month, with Cali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cali

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

02:42 2:42 AM

03:42 3:42 AM

1 h ahead of Cali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,568,609

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

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

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cali New York, NY 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cali
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

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

Cali is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 388% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 833% 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: $638 in Cali versus $4,506 in New York, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cali – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $119 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Cali runs roughly 381% less than in New York, NY. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,054 in Cali versus $5,142 in New York, NY, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cali but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Cali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cali 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 Cali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 388% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.