Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lages and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Lages: $931 a month against $4,938 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $48,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Lages
Learn more

Lages Living Index
239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
Learn more

New York, NY Living Index

Jump to prices

Lages

🇧🇷 Brazil

$931

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $931 per month in Lages vs $4,938 in New York, NY, rent included.

Lages $931
New York, NY $4,938

A couple spends around $1,494 per month in Lages vs $7,273 in New York, NY, rent included.

Lages $1,494
New York, NY $7,273

A family of three spends $2,058 per month in Lages vs $9,608 in New York, NY, rent included.

Lages $2,058
New York, NY $9,608

Lages is about 81% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lages sits 31% below the global median, while New York, NY is 264% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.95 R$40.28

$24.99 $24.99

-68.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.35 R$199

$120 $120

-67.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.90 R$34.96

$13.74 $13.74

-49.78%

Cappuccino

$2.52 R$12.77

$6.60 $6.60

-61.82%

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

$1.42 R$7.22

$3.82 $3.82

-62.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 R$5.39

$2.87 $2.87

-63.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 R$12.56

$7.95 $7.95

-68.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 R$15.10

$10.06 $10.06

-70.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 R$5.07

$1.37 $1.37

-27.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 R$8.52

$4.75 $4.75

-64.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.51

$7.69 $7.69

-85.83%

Eggs

$2.46 R$12.45

$5.87 $5.87

-58.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.28 R$52.1

$19.25 $19.25

-46.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.88 R$24.73

$17.83 $17.83

-72.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.90 R$50.2

$19.03 $19.03

-47.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 R$12.42

$6.69 $6.69

-63.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 R$7.69

$2.29 $2.29

-33.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.16

$6.41 $6.41

-78.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 R$8.20

$6.75 $6.75

-76.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.34

$3.93 $3.93

-68.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.47

$4.52 $4.52

-76.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 R$4.79

$2.79 $2.79

-66.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.11

$2.51 $2.51

-67.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 R$12.87

$18.10 $18.10

-85.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.22 R$41.66

$20.16 $20.16

-59.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R$5.76

$3.26 $3.26

-65.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 R$11.47

$3.75 $3.75

-39.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$5.09

$2.92 $2.92

-65.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.06 R$223

$143 $143

-69.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 R$6.51

$3.06 $3.06

-58.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 R$4.12

$2.16 $2.16

-62.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.29 R$42.05

$41.33 $41.33

-79.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.77

$1.12 $1.12

19.64%

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

$23.9K R$121.4K

$33.1K $33.1K

-27.72%

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

$33.4K R$169.4K

$25.7K $25.7K

29.90%

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

$77.0 R$390

$219 $219

-64.89%

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

$12.30 R$62.4

$75.3 $75.3

-83.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.01 R$112

$70.5 $70.5

-68.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.95 R$132

$116 $116

-77.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.71 R$140

$67.6 $67.6

-59.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 R$38.02

$21.37 $21.37

-64.90%

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

$282 R$1,428

$3,432 $3,432

-91.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,318 R$37.1K

$61.7K $61.7K

-88.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 R$255

$74.9 $74.9

-32.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.6 R$292

$52.1 $52.1

10.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R$518

$117 $117

-12.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.7 R$404

$135 $135

-40.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$362 R$1,833

$4,347 $4,347

-91.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$245 R$1,241

$3,117 $3,117

-92.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 R$3,454

$9,110 $9,110

-92.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$465 R$2,358

$5,379 $5,379

-91.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,705 R$8,643

$19.3K $19.3K

-91.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,216 R$6,164

$6,943 $6,943

-82.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,238 $5,238

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

6.85

67.88%

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

Last update for Lages: October 19, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lages

$245 26.3%

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.1% 1173% $2.9K

Groceries & Markets

Lages

$207 22.3%

New York, NY

$552 11.2% 167% $345

Eating Out

Lages

$143 15.3%

New York, NY

$407 8.2% 185% $264

Clothing & Footwear

Lages

$130 14%

New York, NY

$170 3.5% 30.6% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lages

$111 12%

New York, NY

$365 7.4% 228% $254

Getting Around

Lages

$53 5.7%

New York, NY

$168 3.4% 215% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Lages

$41 4.4%

New York, NY

$158 3.2% 286% $117

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $362 in Lages versus $4,347 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Lages versus $120 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $552 – making Lages the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Lages

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

19:37 7:37 PM

18:37 6:37 PM

1 h behind Lages

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

164,981

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 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lages New York, NY 8,000 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lages
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $931 in Lages, $4,938 in New York, NY – roughly 431% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,396 per month in Lages and $7,407 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 Lages, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $282 per month in Lages and $3,432 in New York, NY. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 167% more in New York, NY, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lages, where all-in costs run around $931, than in New York, NY at $4,938. In Lages it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. New York, NY has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $931 in Lages to $4,938 in New York, NY. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Lages. 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.