Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Contagem and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Contagem: $788 a month against $4,950 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $49,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Contagem
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Contagem Living Index
239

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

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Contagem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$788

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,950

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $788 per month in Contagem vs $4,950 in New York, NY, rent included.

Contagem $788
New York, NY $4,950

A couple spends around $1,272 per month in Contagem vs $7,265 in New York, NY, rent included.

Contagem $1,272
New York, NY $7,265

A family of three spends $1,755 per month in Contagem vs $9,581 in New York, NY, rent included.

Contagem $1,755
New York, NY $9,581

Contagem is about 84% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Contagem sits 42% below the global median, while New York, NY is 267% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.06 R$30.73

$24.65 $24.65

-75.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.50 R$155

$122 $122

-74.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.32 R$37.10

$13.91 $13.91

-47.38%

Cappuccino

$1.76 R$8.93

$6.59 $6.59

-73.29%

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

$1.42 R$7.19

$3.84 $3.84

-63.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 R$2.96

$2.87 $2.87

-79.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 R$6.69

$7.79 $7.79

-83.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 R$13.05

$9.85 $9.85

-73.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 R$5.09

$1.38 $1.38

-27.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.34

$4.68 $4.68

-60.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.94

$7.54 $7.54

-81.83%

Eggs

$1.98 R$10.06

$5.93 $5.93

-66.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 R$51.1

$18.83 $18.83

-46.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.47 R$17.61

$17.36 $17.36

-80.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.50 R$38.03

$18.51 $18.51

-59.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 R$9.69

$6.74 $6.74

-71.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 R$5.91

$2.09 $2.09

-44.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 R$4.75

$6.07 $6.07

-84.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 R$8.48

$6.74 $6.74

-75.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.53

$4.05 $4.05

-73.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.00

$4.37 $4.37

-77.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 R$4.33

$2.89 $2.89

-70.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.14

$2.60 $2.60

-68.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.64 R$8.31

$18.72 $18.72

-91.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.04 R$30.61

$20.06 $20.06

-69.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 R$5.18

$3.25 $3.25

-68.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 R$6.94

$3.73 $3.73

-63.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R$7.61

$3.06 $3.06

-50.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.1 R$406

$140 $140

-42.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 R$6.04

$3.04 $3.04

-60.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R$3.99

$2.15 $2.15

-63.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.28 R$31.84

$41.82 $41.82

-84.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 R$6.67

$1.12 $1.12

17.86%

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

$23.5K R$119.3K

$35.5K $35.5K

-33.64%

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

$31.6K R$160.4K

$26.0K $26.0K

21.49%

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

$76.2 R$386

$219 $219

-65.23%

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

$10.11 R$51.3

$73.2 $73.2

-86.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.26 R$97.7

$72.0 $72.0

-73.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.55 R$135

$123 $123

-78.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.62 R$120

$67.7 $67.7

-65.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.31 R$37.04

$22.85 $22.85

-68.01%

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

$144 R$732

$3,333 $3,333

-95.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,630 R$13.3K

$60.0K $60.0K

-95.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.6 R$312

$75.2 $75.2

-18.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.74 R$252

$52.4 $52.4

-5.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$348

$122 $122

-43.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.25 R$245

$133 $133

-63.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$232 R$1,174

$4,389 $4,389

-94.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 R$798

$3,130 $3,130

-94.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$488 R$2,475

$8,918 $8,918

-94.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 R$1,693

$5,354 $5,354

-93.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,991 R$10.1K

$19.4K $19.4K

-89.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,015 R$5,146

$6,806 $6,806

-85.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$261 R$1,324

$5,343 $5,343

-95.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

6.82

56.45%

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

Last update for Contagem: 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

Contagem

$179 22.7%

New York, NY

$545 11% 205% $366

Accommodation & Living

Contagem

$158 20%

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.2% 1887% $3K

Eating Out

Contagem

$111 14.1%

New York, NY

$404 8.2% 262% $292

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Contagem

$106 13.4%

New York, NY

$364 7.4% 245% $259

Clothing & Footwear

Contagem

$103 13%

New York, NY

$172 3.5% 67.6% $69

Getting Around

Contagem

$91 11.6%

New York, NY

$167 3.4% 82.5% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Contagem

$41 5.2%

New York, NY

$168 3.4% 309% $127

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $232 in Contagem versus $4,389 in New York, NY. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1946% higher in New York, NY, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Contagem versus $122 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $179 vs $545 – making Contagem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Contagem

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

06:30 6:30 AM

05:30 5:30 AM

1 h behind Contagem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

621,863

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Contagem New York, NY 7,420 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Contagem
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

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

Yes – New York, NY is pricier by about 528%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,183 per month in Contagem and $7,424 in New York, NY. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Contagem, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 75% less in Contagem. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $144 per month in Contagem and $3,333 in New York, NY. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Contagem, where all-in costs run around $788, than in New York, NY at $4,950. In Contagem it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Contagem – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Contagem. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, New York, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.