Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Ángeles and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Ángeles: $925 a month against $4,950 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $48,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Los Ángeles
Learn more

Los Ángeles Living Index
239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
Learn more

New York, NY Living Index

Jump to prices

Los Ángeles

🇨🇱 Chile

$925

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,950

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Los Ángeles vs $4,950 in New York, NY, rent included.

Los Ángeles $925
New York, NY $4,950

A couple spends around $1,378 per month in Los Ángeles vs $7,265 in New York, NY, rent included.

Los Ángeles $1,378
New York, NY $7,265

A family of three spends $1,831 per month in Los Ángeles vs $9,581 in New York, NY, rent included.

Los Ángeles $1,831
New York, NY $9,581

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

Los Ángeles sits 32% below the global median, while New York, NY is 267% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.46 CLP 12.3K

$24.65 $24.65

-49.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.23 CLP 24.8K

$122 $122

-79.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.17 CLP 10.0K

$13.91 $13.91

-26.89%

Cappuccino

$2.03 CLP 1,996

$6.59 $6.59

-69.20%

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

$1.50 CLP 1,474

$3.84 $3.84

-60.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CLP 1,542

$2.87 $2.87

-45.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 CLP 2,437

$7.79 $7.79

-68.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 CLP 2,998

$9.85 $9.85

-69.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 CLP 1,189

$1.38 $1.38

-12.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 CLP 2,756

$4.68 $4.68

-40.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 CLP 2,939

$7.54 $7.54

-60.48%

Eggs

$4.33 CLP 4,269

$5.93 $5.93

-26.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.05 CLP 7,928

$18.83 $18.83

-57.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.69 CLP 10.5K

$17.36 $17.36

-38.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.17 CLP 14.0K

$18.51 $18.51

-23.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 CLP 2,587

$6.74 $6.74

-60.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 CLP 1,582

$2.09 $2.09

-22.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 CLP 2,673

$6.07 $6.07

-55.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.28 CLP 2,248

$6.74 $6.74

-66.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 CLP 1,483

$4.05 $4.05

-62.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,570

$4.37 $4.37

-63.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 CLP 1,416

$2.89 $2.89

-50.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 CLP 1,083

$2.60 $2.60

-57.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.67 CLP 5,586

$18.72 $18.72

-69.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.27 CLP 4,203

$20.06 $20.06

-78.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 CLP 978

$3.25 $3.25

-69.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 $3.73

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 CLP 488

$3.06 $3.06

-83.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 CLP 2,032

$3.04 $3.04

-32.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.82 $41.82

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 CLP 1,245

$1.12 $1.12

12.50%

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

$35.5K $35.5K

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

$26.0K $26.0K

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

$123 CLP 120.9K

$219 $219

-43.98%

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

$73.2 $73.2

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.82 CLP 20.5K

$72.0 $72.0

-71.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.7 CLP 79.5K

$123 $123

-34.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.27 CLP 10.1K

$67.7 $67.7

-84.82%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 CLP 4,355

$22.85 $22.85

-80.66%

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

$3,333 $3,333

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$60.0K $60.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 $75.2

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 $52.4

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 CLP 269.6K

$4,389 $4,389

-93.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$228 CLP 224.2K

$3,130 $3,130

-92.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$442 CLP 435.3K

$8,918 $8,918

-95.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 CLP 331.6K

$5,354 $5,354

-93.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,806 $6,806

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,343 $5,343

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

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

Last update for Los Ángeles: October 12, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Los Ángeles

$275 * 29.7%

New York, NY

$545 11% 98.5% $270

Accommodation & Living

Los Ángeles

$228 24.6%

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.2% 1275% $2.9K

Eating Out

Los Ángeles

$185 20%

New York, NY

$404 8.2% 118% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Ángeles

$144 * 15.5%

New York, NY

$364 7.4% 154% $221

Sport & Entertainment

Los Ángeles

$90 9.7%

New York, NY

$168 3.4% 88% $79

Getting Around

Los Ángeles

$4 * 0.4%

New York, NY

$167 3.4% 4022% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Los Ángeles

- * 0%

New York, NY

$172 3.5%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $274 in Los Ángeles versus $4,389 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 $25.00 in Los Ángeles versus $122 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $545 – making Los Ángeles the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Los Ángeles

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

03:02 3:02 AM

02:02 2:02 AM

1 h behind Los Ángeles

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

143,023

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.15 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.07 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 985 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,103 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.07 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Los Ángeles New York, NY 8,690 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Los Ángeles
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

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

New York, NY costs about 435% more than Los Ángeles, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,387 per month in Los Ángeles and $7,424 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 Los Ángeles, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $925 in Los Ángeles and $4,950 in New York, NY. That's a gap of about 435%.

Groceries cost about 98% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Los Ángeles, where all-in costs run around $925, than in New York, NY at $4,950. In Los Ángeles it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Los Ángeles costs $925 versus $4,950 in New York, NY. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Los Ángeles. 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.