Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leon, Mexico and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Leon: $1,189 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.

Leon, Mexico
New York, NY, United States
Leon
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,189
/mo nomad
New York, NY
🇺🇸 United States
$4,906
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,189 per month in Leon vs $4,906 in New York, NY, rent included.

  • Leon $1,189
  • New York, NY $4,906

A couple spends around $1,925 per month in Leon vs $7,273 in New York, NY, rent included.

  • Leon $1,925
  • New York, NY $7,273

A family of three spends $2,661 per month in Leon vs $9,641 in New York, NY, rent included.

  • Leon $2,661
  • New York, NY $9,641

Leon is about 76% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Leon sits 12% below the global median, while New York, NY is 263% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Leon
New York, NY
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.65 MX$199
$26.93 $26.93
-60.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.8 MX$1,025
$117 $117
-53.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.53 MX$159
$14.60 $14.60
-41.58%
Cappuccino
$3.96 MX$74.0
$6.54 $6.54
-39.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 MX$29.90
$3.86 $3.86
-58.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.86
$2.95 $2.95
-56.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.88 MX$53.9
$8.08 $8.08
-64.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.88 MX$72.6
$9.85 $9.85
-60.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Leon
New York, NY
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 MX$31.12
$1.31 $1.31
26.72%
White Bread (500g)
$2.67 MX$49.94
$4.97 $4.97
-46.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.69
$7.70 $7.70
-76.62%
Eggs
$3.34 MX$62.5
$6.09 $6.09
-45.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.12 MX$133
$19.55 $19.55
-63.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.75 MX$145
$17.59 $17.59
-55.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.70 MX$200
$20.26 $20.26
-47.19%
Apples (1kg)
$2.45 MX$45.75
$6.99 $6.99
-64.95%
Banana (1kg)
$1.33 MX$24.97
$2.21 $2.21
-39.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.62
$6.72 $6.72
-73.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.29
$7.12 $7.12
-78.79%
Potato (1kg)
$2.06 MX$38.62
$4.61 $4.61
-55.31%
Onion (1kg)
$1.98 MX$37.10
$4.78 $4.78
-58.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.32 MX$24.65
$2.87 $2.87
-54.01%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 MX$13.39
$2.69 $2.69
-73.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.02 MX$131
$19.14 $19.14
-63.32%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.25 MX$248
$19.63 $19.63
-32.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.31 MX$43.16
$3.32 $3.32
-30.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.40 MX$63.6
$4.19 $4.19
-18.85%
🚌 Getting Around
Leon
New York, NY
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.78 MX$14.53
$3.02 $3.02
-74.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$37.64 MX$704
$139 $139
-72.98%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.63 MX$49.11
$3.04 $3.04
-13.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.64 MX$49.34
$2.20 $2.20
20.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.77 MX$276
$41.33 $41.33
-64.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 MX$26.64
$1.13 $1.13
25.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.4K MX$457.2K
$34.5K $34.5K
-29.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.2K MX$433.6K
$25.8K $25.8K
-10.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Leon
New York, NY
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$21.18 MX$396
$232 $232
-90.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.11 MX$750
$71.0 $71.0
-43.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$56.9 MX$1,064
$67.7 $67.7
-15.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Leon
New York, NY
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.59 MX$684
$115 $115
-68.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$33.36 MX$624
$76.8 $76.8
-56.57%
Cinema Ticket
$6.63 MX$124
$22.41 $22.41
-70.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Leon
New York, NY
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$177 MX$3,307
$3,606 $3,606
-95.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,709 MX$69.4K
$68.7K $68.7K
-94.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Leon
New York, NY
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.8 MX$1,024
$79.3 $79.3
-30.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$63.9 MX$1,194
$51.4 $51.4
24.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.8 MX$1,866
$121 $121
-17.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$114 MX$2,127
$140 $140
-19.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Leon
New York, NY
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$525 MX$9,818
$4,555 $4,555
-88.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$363 MX$6,796
$3,040 $3,040
-88.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$760 MX$14.2K
$9,742 $9,742
-92.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$672 MX$12.6K
$5,331 $5,331
-87.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$18.2K $18.2K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,685 $6,685
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Leon
New York, NY
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$854 MX$16.0K
$5,096 $5,096
-83.24%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.6
6.89
68.36%

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

Last update for Leon: 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
Leon
$363
New York, NY
$3K 737% $2.7K
Groceries & Markets
Leon
$260
New York, NY
$567 118% $307
Eating Out
Leon
$192
New York, NY
$425 122% $233
Clothing & Footwear
Leon
$149
New York, NY
$176 18.1% $27
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Leon
$118
New York, NY
$371 214% $253
Getting Around
Leon
$57
New York, NY
$165 193% $109
Sport & Entertainment
Leon
$50
New York, NY
$160 221% $110

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $525 in Leon versus $4,555 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 in New York, NY are about 6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Leon versus $117 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $567 – making Leon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Leon
🇺🇸 New York, NY
🕒 Local time
12:16 12:16 PM
13:16 1:16 PM
1 h ahead of Leon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,579,803
8,804,190
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Leon New York, NY 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Leon
  • 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
Leon vs New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Leon or New York, NY?
New York, NY costs about 313% more than Leon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Leon and in New York, NY?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,784 per month in Leon and $7,358 in New York, NY. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Leon or New York, NY?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Leon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $525 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.
Are groceries more expensive in Leon or in New York, NY?
Groceries cost about 118% more in New York, NY, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How do dining costs compare in Leon and in New York, NY?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Leon and $117 in New York, NY. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Leon or in New York, NY?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,189 in Leon and $4,906 in New York, NY. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Leon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Leon or to New York, NY?
If budget matters most, go with Leon. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, New York, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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