Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macaé and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $885 a month against $4,950 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $48,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Macaé
Learn more

Macaé Living Index
239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
Learn more

New York, NY Living Index

Jump to prices

Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$885

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,950

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $885 in Macaé versus $4,950 in New York, NY.

Macaé $885
New York, NY $4,950

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,498 in Macaé versus $7,265 in New York, NY.

Macaé $1,498
New York, NY $7,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,111 in Macaé versus $9,581 in New York, NY.

Macaé $2,111
New York, NY $9,581

Living in Macaé costs roughly 82% less than in New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Macaé is 34% below, New York, NY is 267% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.49 R$27.83

$24.65 $24.65

-77.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.40 R$154

$122 $122

-74.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 R$35.95

$13.91 $13.91

-49.03%

Cappuccino

$1.70 R$8.63

$6.59 $6.59

-74.20%

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

$1.41 R$7.15

$3.84 $3.84

-63.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 R$2.99

$2.87 $2.87

-79.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 R$6.26

$7.79 $7.79

-84.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 R$13.93

$9.85 $9.85

-72.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 R$4.91

$1.38 $1.38

-29.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 R$7.73

$4.68 $4.68

-67.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.95

$7.54 $7.54

-81.83%

Eggs

$1.96 R$9.92

$5.93 $5.93

-66.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 R$46.73

$18.83 $18.83

-51.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 R$17.04

$17.36 $17.36

-80.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.58 R$48.57

$18.51 $18.51

-48.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 R$9.91

$6.74 $6.74

-70.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.12

$2.09 $2.09

-42.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.93 R$4.69

$6.07 $6.07

-84.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.26

$6.74 $6.74

-81.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 R$3.53

$4.05 $4.05

-82.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 R$4.33

$4.37 $4.37

-80.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 R$2.88

$2.89 $2.89

-80.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 R$2.45

$2.60 $2.60

-81.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.58 R$8.00

$18.72 $18.72

-91.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.99 R$30.36

$20.06 $20.06

-70.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.21

$3.25 $3.25

-68.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 R$6.24

$3.73 $3.73

-67.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R$7.83

$3.06 $3.06

-49.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.2 R$427

$140 $140

-40.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 R$6.89

$3.04 $3.04

-55.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$3.96

$2.15 $2.15

-63.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 R$42.19

$41.82 $41.82

-80.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 R$6.41

$1.12 $1.12

12.50%

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

$21.7K R$110.0K

$35.5K $35.5K

-38.81%

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

$31.4K R$159.2K

$26.0K $26.0K

20.62%

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

$99.6 R$505

$219 $219

-54.51%

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

$9.95 R$50.4

$73.2 $73.2

-86.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.03 R$96.5

$72.0 $72.0

-73.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.47 R$205

$123 $123

-67.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.67 R$150

$67.7 $67.7

-56.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 R$34.31

$22.85 $22.85

-70.37%

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

$659 R$3,339

$3,333 $3,333

-80.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,291 R$37.0K

$60.0K $60.0K

-87.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 R$323

$75.2 $75.2

-15.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.54 R$160

$52.4 $52.4

-39.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.8 R$343

$122 $122

-44.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.84 R$248

$133 $133

-63.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$375 R$1,899

$4,389 $4,389

-91.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 R$1,199

$3,130 $3,130

-92.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$911 R$4,620

$8,918 $8,918

-89.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 R$3,410

$5,354 $5,354

-87.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,275 R$6,465

$19.4K $19.4K

-93.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$787 R$3,989

$6,806 $6,806

-88.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$809 R$4,104

$5,343 $5,343

-84.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

6.82

56.45%

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

Last update for Macaé: October 11, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macaé

$237 26.7%

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.2% 1223% $2.9K

Groceries & Markets

Macaé

$170 19.2%

New York, NY

$545 11% 221% $375

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macaé

$129 14.5%

New York, NY

$364 7.4% 183% $236

Eating Out

Macaé

$105 11.9%

New York, NY

$404 8.2% 283% $298

Getting Around

Macaé

$96 10.8%

New York, NY

$167 3.4% 74.1% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Macaé

$95 10.8%

New York, NY

$172 3.5% 80.5% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Macaé

$54 6.1%

New York, NY

$168 3.4% 212% $114

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $375 in Macaé and $4,389 in New York, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays 560% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Macaé vs $122 in New York, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $545 per month, with Macaé cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Macaé

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

04:28 4:28 AM

1 h behind Macaé

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,391

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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Macaé New York, NY 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Macaé
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

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

Macaé and New York, NY differ by about 459% in total monthly costs ($885 vs $4,950 including rent). Macaé is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 560% lower in New York, NY. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $375 in Macaé versus $4,389 in New York, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Macaé – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $122 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $885 per month in Macaé versus $4,950 in New York, NY – a 459% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $885 in Macaé versus $4,950 in New York, NY, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macaé but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Macaé 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 Macaé gentler on the wallet – expenses run 459% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.