Cost of Living Comparison Between Menlo Park, CA and New York, NY Cost of Living Comparison Between Menlo Park, CA and New York, NY

🙂 Solo nomad: Menlo Park, CA is 21.3% cheaper than New York, NY without rent, and 17.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Menlo Park, CA is 36.2% cheaper than New York, NY without rent, and 0.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Menlo Park, CA
New York, NY
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$30.12 $30.12
$29.68 $29.68
1.48%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$89.6 $89.6
$144 $144
-37.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.06 $12.06
$12.43 $12.43
-2.98%
Cappuccino
$4.75 $4.75
$5.84 $5.84
-18.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 $2.66
$3.26 $3.26
-18.40%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 $1.37
$2.58 $2.58
-46.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.11 $8.11
$8.24 $8.24
-1.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.95 $7.95
$11.86 $11.86
-32.97%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Menlo Park, CA
New York, NY
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.42 $1.42
$1.56 $1.56
-8.97%
White Bread (500g)
$4.81 $4.81
$5.23 $5.23
-8.03%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.16 $3.16
$8.11 $8.11
-61.04%
Eggs
$6.82 $6.82
$7.25 $7.25
-5.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.96 $10.96
$17.08 $17.08
-35.83%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.24 $11.24
$16.24 $16.24
-30.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.68 $12.68
$20.02 $20.02
-36.66%
Apples (1kg)
$4.75 $4.75
$7.49 $7.49
-36.58%
Banana (1kg)
$2.15 $2.15
$2.55 $2.55
-15.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.28 $4.28
$5.82 $5.82
-26.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.8 $4.8
$6.52 $6.52
-26.38%
Potato (1kg)
$2.93 $2.93
$3.72 $3.72
-21.24%
Onion (1kg)
$3.49 $3.49
$3.9 $3.9
-10.51%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.2 $2.2
$3.07 $3.07
-28.34%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.75 $2.75
$2.57 $2.57
7.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.67 $8.67
$19.21 $19.21
-54.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.93 $11.93
$17.79 $17.79
-32.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 $1.68
$3.01 $3.01
-44.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 $2.36
$3.72 $3.72
-36.56%
🚌 Getting Around
Menlo Park, CA
New York, NY
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.42 $4.42
$2.92 $2.92
51.37%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$134 $134
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.43 $3.43
$5.13 $5.13
-33.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.95 $1.95
$2.15 $2.15
-9.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.94 $29.94
$41.57 $41.57
-27.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.29 $1.29
$0.95 $0.95
35.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.9K $23.9K
$35K $35K
-31.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.1K $26.1K
$27.7K $27.7K
-5.65%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Menlo Park, CA
New York, NY
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$245 $245
$179 $179
37.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.63 $39.63
$60 $60
-33.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$72.5 $72.5
$63.8 $63.8
13.52%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Menlo Park, CA
New York, NY
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.14 $43.14
$141 $141
-69.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$63.9 $63.9
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.23 $15.23
$19.9 $19.9
-23.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Menlo Park, CA
New York, NY
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,655 $2,655
$3,206 $3,206
-17.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$37.2K $37.2K
$56.5K $56.5K
-34.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Menlo Park, CA
New York, NY
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.3 $55.3
$65.7 $65.7
-15.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.43 $40.43
$48.75 $48.75
-17.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90 $90
$111 $111
-19.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.7 $79.7
$172 $172
-53.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Menlo Park, CA
New York, NY
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,224 $3,224
$4,165 $4,165
-22.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,226 $2,226
$2,653 $2,653
-16.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$6,146 $6,146
$8,412 $8,412
-26.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$6,628 $6,628
$5,277 $5,277
25.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$21.9K $21.9K
$15.6K $15.6K
40.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$16.4K $16.4K
$11.2K $11.2K
47.20%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Menlo Park, CA
New York, NY
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,947 $4,947
$5,616 $5,616
-11.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.55
6.44
1.71%

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

Last update for Menlo Park, CA: October 29, 2025

Last update for New York, NY: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.