Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuernavaca and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuernavaca: $1,190 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $44,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cuernavaca
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Cuernavaca Living Index
234

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

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Cuernavaca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,190

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Cuernavaca versus $4,906 in New York, NY.

Cuernavaca $1,190
New York, NY $4,906

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,792 in Cuernavaca versus $7,273 in New York, NY.

Cuernavaca $1,792
New York, NY $7,273

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,393 in Cuernavaca versus $9,641 in New York, NY.

Cuernavaca $2,393
New York, NY $9,641

Living in Cuernavaca costs roughly 76% less than in New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cuernavaca is 12% below, New York, NY is 263% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.89 MX$148

$26.93 $26.93

-70.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.35 MX$720

$117 $117

-67.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 MX$128

$14.60 $14.60

-53.29%

Cappuccino

$2.35 MX$44.12

$6.54 $6.54

-64.07%

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

$1.25 MX$23.51

$3.86 $3.86

-67.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 MX$11.45

$2.95 $2.95

-79.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 MX$46.10

$8.08 $8.08

-69.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 MX$60.2

$9.85 $9.85

-67.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 MX$31.57

$1.31 $1.31

28.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 MX$40.85

$4.97 $4.97

-56.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 MX$26.39

$7.70 $7.70

-81.69%

Eggs

$1.89 MX$35.48

$6.09 $6.09

-68.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$19.55 $19.55

-59.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 MX$92.0

$17.59 $17.59

-72.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 MX$252

$20.26 $20.26

-33.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 MX$40.01

$6.99 $6.99

-69.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.90

$2.21 $2.21

-37.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 MX$41.00

$6.72 $6.72

-67.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.84

$7.12 $7.12

-77.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 MX$33.09

$4.61 $4.61

-61.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 MX$33.57

$4.78 $4.78

-62.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 MX$28.01

$2.87 $2.87

-48.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.77

$2.69 $2.69

-68.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 MX$81.8

$19.14 $19.14

-77.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.01 MX$151

$19.63 $19.63

-59.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.67

$3.32 $3.32

-63.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 MX$61.0

$4.19 $4.19

-22.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MX$13.64

$3.02 $3.02

-75.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.99 MX$638

$139 $139

-75.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 MX$34.85

$3.04 $3.04

-38.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.60 MX$48.78

$2.20 $2.20

18.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.45 MX$178

$41.33 $41.33

-77.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 MX$24.87

$1.13 $1.13

16.81%

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

$23.9K MX$448.8K

$34.5K $34.5K

-30.64%

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

$23.0K MX$432.0K

$25.8K $25.8K

-11.02%

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

$57.9 MX$1,087

$232 $232

-75.09%

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

$17.81 MX$335

$71.0 $71.0

-74.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.82 MX$447

$67.7 $67.7

-64.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.44 MX$534

$115 $115

-75.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

Cinema Ticket

$5.47 MX$103

$22.41 $22.41

-75.59%

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

$217 MX$4,069

$3,606 $3,606

-93.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,046 MX$151.1K

$68.7K $68.7K

-88.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.70 MX$746

$79.3 $79.3

-49.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.95 MX$600

$51.4 $51.4

-37.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 MX$1,732

$121 $121

-23.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.6 MX$1,832

$140 $140

-30.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$620 MX$11.7K

$4,555 $4,555

-86.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 MX$9,658

$3,040 $3,040

-83.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$893 MX$16.8K

$9,742 $9,742

-90.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 MX$15.6K

$5,331 $5,331

-84.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$854 MX$16.0K

$18.2K $18.2K

-95.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$602 MX$11.3K

$6,685 $6,685

-90.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$831 MX$15.6K

$5,096 $5,096

-83.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.4

6.89

65.46%

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

Last update for Cuernavaca: November 1, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cuernavaca

$514 43.2%

New York, NY

$3K 62% 491% $2.5K

Groceries & Markets

Cuernavaca

$229 19.3%

New York, NY

$567 11.6% 147% $338

Eating Out

Cuernavaca

$138 11.6%

New York, NY

$425 8.7% 208% $287

Clothing & Footwear

Cuernavaca

$118 9.9%

New York, NY

$176 3.6% 50% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuernavaca

$100 8.4%

New York, NY

$371 7.6% 273% $272

Getting Around

Cuernavaca

$52 4.4%

New York, NY

$165 3.4% 220% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Cuernavaca

$39 3.3%

New York, NY

$160 3.3% 307% $121

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $620 in Cuernavaca and $4,555 in New York, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays about 6.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Cuernavaca vs $117 in New York, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $229 vs $567 per month, with Cuernavaca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cuernavaca

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

04:17 4:17 AM

05:17 5:17 AM

1 h ahead of Cuernavaca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

341,029

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Cuernavaca New York, NY 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cuernavaca
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

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

Cuernavaca is about 76% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 84% lower in Cuernavaca. 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: $620 in Cuernavaca versus $4,555 in New York, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 147% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuernavaca – a meal for two runs $38 versus $117 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,190 in Cuernavaca versus $4,906 in New York, NY, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuernavaca but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Cuernavaca 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 Cuernavaca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.