Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caruaru and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Caruaru: $665 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $53,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Caruaru
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Caruaru Living Index
245

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

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Caruaru

🇧🇷 Brazil

$665

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $665 in Caruaru versus $5,142 in New York, NY.

Caruaru $665
New York, NY $5,142

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,106 in Caruaru versus $7,455 in New York, NY.

Caruaru $1,106
New York, NY $7,455

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,547 in Caruaru versus $9,767 in New York, NY.

Caruaru $1,547
New York, NY $9,767

Living in Caruaru costs roughly 87% less than in New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Caruaru is 50% below, New York, NY is 284% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.95 R$29.70

$26.46 $26.46

-77.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.63 R$148

$119 $119

-75.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.08 R$40.35

$14.43 $14.43

-44.01%

Cappuccino

$1.53 R$7.62

$6.55 $6.55

-76.64%

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

$1.06 R$5.27

$3.84 $3.84

-72.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 R$3.50

$3.00 $3.00

-76.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.74 R$8.71

$8.27 $8.27

-78.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$11.63

$10.05 $10.05

-76.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.13

$1.31 $1.31

-6.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 R$5.62

$4.90 $4.90

-77.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 R$6.88

$7.16 $7.16

-80.73%

Eggs

$2.09 R$10.43

$5.92 $5.92

-64.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.54 R$22.65

$19.06 $19.06

-76.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 R$25.31

$17.38 $17.38

-70.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.68 R$38.34

$18.94 $18.94

-59.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.38 R$6.89

$6.96 $6.96

-80.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.07

$2.08 $2.08

-50.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.86 R$4.27

$6.10 $6.10

-85.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 R$5.63

$6.95 $6.95

-83.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 R$8.20

$3.98 $3.98

-58.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.19

$4.44 $4.44

-72.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$3.78

$2.81 $2.81

-72.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 R$4.45

$2.51 $2.51

-64.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.23

$19.27 $19.27

-84.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 R$39.10

$19.67 $19.67

-60.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 R$7.66

$3.08 $3.08

-50.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 R$12.18

$3.68 $3.68

-33.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 R$4.62

$3.02 $3.02

-69.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.88 R$134

$140 $140

-80.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.09

$3.07 $3.07

-60.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 R$9.69

$2.13 $2.13

-8.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 R$15.51

$41.21 $41.21

-92.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.46

$1.11 $1.11

16.22%

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

$23.6K R$118.0K

$35.0K $35.0K

-32.44%

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

$33.1K R$165.1K

$25.4K $25.4K

30.20%

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

$56.4 R$282

$217 $217

-74.06%

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

$8.13 R$40.58

$74.0 $74.0

-89.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.96 R$49.73

$72.5 $72.5

-86.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.85 R$74.1

$120 $120

-87.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.39 R$152

$66.9 $66.9

-54.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.14 R$35.65

$22.32 $22.32

-68.01%

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

$109 R$545

$3,425 $3,425

-96.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,766 R$33.8K

$61.2K $61.2K

-88.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.41 R$202

$76.3 $76.3

-47.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 R$253

$55.5 $55.5

-8.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 R$446

$119 $119

-25.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.1 R$330

$131 $131

-49.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$164 R$820

$4,506 $4,506

-96.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$132 R$657

$3,155 $3,155

-95.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$349 R$1,740

$8,817 $8,817

-96.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 R$1,314

$5,532 $5,532

-95.24%

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)

$263 R$1,312

$5,290 $5,290

-95.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

61.29%

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

Last update for Caruaru: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Caruaru

$171 25.5%

New York, NY

$546 11% 220% $375

Accommodation & Living

Caruaru

$132 19.7%

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2% 2298% $3K

Clothing & Footwear

Caruaru

$111 16.6%

New York, NY

$172 3.4% 54.7% $61

Eating Out

Caruaru

$111 16.5%

New York, NY

$422 8.5% 282% $312

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caruaru

$75 11.1%

New York, NY

$364 7.3% 389% $289

Getting Around

Caruaru

$42 6.2%

New York, NY

$165 3.3% 298% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Caruaru

$29 4.4%

New York, NY

$165 3.3% 467% $136

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $164 in Caruaru and $4,506 in New York, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays 1913% 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: $30.00 in Caruaru vs $119 in New York, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $546 per month, with Caruaru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Caruaru

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

10:02 10:02 AM

09:02 9:02 AM

1 h behind Caruaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

377,911

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

Caruaru New York, NY 6,700 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Caruaru
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

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

Caruaru and New York, NY differ by about 673% in total monthly costs ($665 vs $5,142 including rent). Caruaru is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1913% 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: $164 in Caruaru versus $4,506 in New York, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $109 in Caruaru versus $3,425 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 220% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $665 in Caruaru versus $5,142 in New York, NY, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Caruaru but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Caruaru 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 Caruaru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 673% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.