Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kearney, NE and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Kearney, NE: $2,077 a month against $4,941 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $34,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Kearney, NE
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Kearney, NE Living Index
239

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

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Kearney, NE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,077

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,941

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,077 in Kearney, NE versus $4,941 in New York, NY.

Kearney, NE $2,077
New York, NY $4,941

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,910 in Kearney, NE versus $7,225 in New York, NY.

Kearney, NE $2,910
New York, NY $7,225

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,744 in Kearney, NE versus $9,509 in New York, NY.

Kearney, NE $3,744
New York, NY $9,509

Living in Kearney, NE costs roughly 58% less than in New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kearney, NE 53% above, New York, NY 263% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.11 $15.11

$28.55 $28.55

-47.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.7 $59.7

$118 $118

-49.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.66 $11.66

$15.04 $15.04

-22.47%

Cappuccino

$5.19 $5.19

$6.53 $6.53

-20.52%

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

$2.21 $2.21

$3.96 $3.96

-44.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$3.01 $3.01

-38.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.08 $4.08

$8.16 $8.16

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 $5.08

$9.84 $9.84

-48.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.37 $1.37

-40.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 $1.61

$4.97 $4.97

-67.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.64 $3.64

$7.81 $7.81

-53.39%

Eggs

$3.59 $3.59

$5.97 $5.97

-39.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.04 $9.04

$18.91 $18.91

-52.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.44 $6.44

$18.04 $18.04

-64.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.32 $15.32

$19.05 $19.05

-19.58%

Apples (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$6.76 $6.76

-16.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.27 $2.27

-9.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$6.83 $6.83

-27.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$7.09 $7.09

-40.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$4.22 $4.22

-57.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$4.65 $4.65

-36.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.87 $2.87

-32.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.60 $2.60

12.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.14 $9.14

$18.77 $18.77

-51.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.04 $15.04

$20.13 $20.13

-25.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$3.45 $3.45

-48.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$4.02 $4.02

-50.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 $2.91

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$3.08 $3.08

-4.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 $1.33

$2.12 $2.12

-37.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.92 $24.92

$41.96 $41.96

-40.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.17 $1.17

-14.53%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$34.5K $34.5K

-29.30%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$25.9K $25.9K

4.18%

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

$277 $277

$219 $219

26.41%

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

$64.4 $64.4

$74.2 $74.2

-13.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.4 $73.4

$70.2 $70.2

4.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 $54.7

$112 $112

-51.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.86 $5.86

$74.9 $74.9

-92.17%

Cinema Ticket

$12.48 $12.48

$22.14 $22.14

-43.63%

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

$1,033 $1,033

$3,558 $3,558

-70.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K $19.4K

$62.2K $62.2K

-68.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.51 $30.51

$75.6 $75.6

-59.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.13 $40.13

$51.2 $51.2

-21.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.5 $94.5

$123 $123

-23.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$140 $140

-13.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 $1,038

$4,499 $4,499

-76.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$843 $843

$3,078 $3,078

-72.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,487 $1,487

$9,447 $9,447

-84.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 $1,196

$5,190 $5,190

-76.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,631 $1,631

$18.1K $18.1K

-90.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,621 $1,621

$6,693 $6,693

-75.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,624 $7,624

$5,220 $5,220

46.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

6.86

-4.23%

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

Last update for Kearney, NE: October 25, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kearney, NE

$843 40.6%

New York, NY

$3.1K 62.3% 265% $2.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kearney, NE

$415 20%

New York, NY

$364 7.4% 12.4% $51

Groceries & Markets

Kearney, NE

$337 16.2%

New York, NY

$563 11.4% 67.2% $226

Eating Out

Kearney, NE

$265 12.8%

New York, NY

$440 8.9% 66.2% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Kearney, NE

$129 6.2%

New York, NY

$175 3.6% 36.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Kearney, NE

$80 3.8%

New York, NY

$156 3.2% 96.1% $77

Getting Around

Kearney, NE

$9.6 * 0.5%

New York, NY

$164 3.3% 1611% $155

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 $1,038 in Kearney, NE and $4,499 in New York, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kearney, NE pays 46% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60 in Kearney, NE vs $118 in New York, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $563 per month, with Kearney, NE cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kearney, NE

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

19:48 7:48 PM

1 h ahead of Kearney, NE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,385

8,804,190

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Kearney, NE New York, NY 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Kearney, NE
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,077 in Kearney, NE and $4,941 in New York, NY, so Kearney, NE is about 58% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 46% higher in Kearney, NE, 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: $1,038 in Kearney, NE versus $4,499 in New York, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 67% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,077 per month in Kearney, NE versus $4,941 in New York, NY – Kearney, NE is about 58% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,077 in Kearney, NE versus $4,941 in New York, NY, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Kearney, NE but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Kearney, NE 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.