Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Laurel, MD and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Laurel, MD: $2,538 a month against $4,938 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $28,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Laurel, MD
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Laurel, MD Living Index
239

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

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Laurel, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,538

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,538 in Laurel, MD versus $4,938 in New York, NY.

Laurel, MD $2,538
New York, NY $4,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,254 in Laurel, MD versus $7,273 in New York, NY.

Laurel, MD $4,254
New York, NY $7,273

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,969 in Laurel, MD versus $9,608 in New York, NY.

Laurel, MD $5,969
New York, NY $9,608

Living in Laurel, MD costs roughly 49% less than in New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Laurel, MD 87% above, New York, NY 264% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.12 $18.12

$24.99 $24.99

-27.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.9 $94.9

$120 $120

-21.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 $10.82

$13.74 $13.74

-21.25%

Cappuccino

$5.53 $5.53

$6.60 $6.60

-16.21%

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

$3.07 $3.07

$3.82 $3.82

-19.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.87 $2.87

-5.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.82 $6.82

$7.95 $7.95

-14.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.80 $7.80

$10.06 $10.06

-22.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.37 $1.37

-16.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 $3.94

$4.75 $4.75

-17.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$7.69 $7.69

-49.54%

Eggs

$4.71 $4.71

$5.87 $5.87

-19.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.86 $12.86

$19.25 $19.25

-33.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.10 $13.10

$17.83 $17.83

-26.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.67 $18.67

$19.03 $19.03

-1.89%

Apples (1kg)

$6.12 $6.12

$6.69 $6.69

-8.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.29 $2.29

-33.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$6.41 $6.41

-36.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$6.75 $6.75

-36.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$3.93 $3.93

-44.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$4.52 $4.52

-38.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.79 $2.79

-10.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.51 $2.51

1.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.44 $13.44

$18.10 $18.10

-25.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.90 $15.90

$20.16 $20.16

-21.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$3.26 $3.26

-47.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 $3.18

$3.75 $3.75

-15.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$143 $143

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 $1.83

$3.06 $3.06

-40.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 $1.38

$2.16 $2.16

-36.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.67 $23.67

$41.33 $41.33

-42.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.12 $1.12

-7.14%

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

$23.0K $23.0K

$33.1K $33.1K

-30.49%

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

$23.8K $23.8K

$25.7K $25.7K

-7.60%

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

$203 $203

$219 $219

-7.64%

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

$67.7 $67.7

$75.3 $75.3

-10.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.5 $90.5

$70.5 $70.5

28.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$116 $116

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

Cinema Ticket

$14.46 $14.46

$21.37 $21.37

-32.34%

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

$1,933 $1,933

$3,432 $3,432

-43.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.2K $35.2K

$61.7K $61.7K

-42.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 $52.3

$74.9 $74.9

-30.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.3 $57.3

$52.1 $52.1

9.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 $91.4

$117 $117

-21.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$135 $135

-15.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,352 $1,352

$4,347 $4,347

-68.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 $1,260

$3,117 $3,117

-59.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,399 $2,399

$9,110 $9,110

-73.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,073 $3,073

$5,379 $5,379

-42.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,215 $2,215

$19.3K $19.3K

-88.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,568 $2,568

$6,943 $6,943

-63.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,478 $5,478

$5,238 $5,238

4.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

6.85

-1.90%

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

Last update for Laurel, MD: October 20, 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

Laurel, MD

$1.3K 49.7%

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.1% 147% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Laurel, MD

$422 16.6%

New York, NY

$552 11.2% 30.9% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Laurel, MD

$361 14.2%

New York, NY

$365 7.4% 1.2% $4.4

Eating Out

Laurel, MD

$317 12.5%

New York, NY

$407 8.2% 28.5% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Laurel, MD

$141 5.6%

New York, NY

$170 3.5% 20.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Laurel, MD

$29 * 1.1%

New York, NY

$158 3.2% 447% $129

Getting Around

Laurel, MD

$8.8 * 0.3%

New York, NY

$168 3.4% 1822% $159

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 $1,352 in Laurel, MD and $4,347 in New York, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Laurel, MD pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $95.0 in Laurel, MD vs $120 in New York, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $422 vs $552 per month, with Laurel, MD cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Laurel, MD

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

Same time as Laurel, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,540

8,804,190

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Laurel, MD New York, NY 280 km

From you

Laurel, MD
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

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

Laurel, MD and New York, NY differ by about 95% in total monthly costs ($2,538 vs $4,938 including rent). Laurel, MD is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 5% higher in Laurel, MD, 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: $1,352 in Laurel, MD versus $4,347 in New York, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,538 per month in Laurel, MD versus $4,938 in New York, NY – a 95% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,538 in Laurel, MD versus $4,938 in New York, NY, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Laurel, MD but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Laurel, MD 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 Laurel, MD gentler on the wallet – expenses run 95% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.