Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Acapulco

For one person, living is cheaper in Acapulco: $848 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $48,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Acapulco
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Acapulco Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Acapulco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$848

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New York, NY and in Acapulco

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in New York, NY and in Acapulco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,906 per month in New York, NY vs $848 in Acapulco, rent included.

New York, NY $4,906
Acapulco $848

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $1,418 in Acapulco, rent included.

New York, NY $7,273
Acapulco $1,418

A family of three spends $9,641 per month in New York, NY vs $1,989 in Acapulco, rent included.

New York, NY $9,641
Acapulco $1,989

New York, NY costs about 479% more than Acapulco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 263% above the global median, while Acapulco is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.93 $26.93

$9.20 MX$172

192.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 $117

$37.33 MX$698

212.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.60 $14.60

$11.65 MX$218

25.32%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$3.74 MX$70.0

74.87%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$1.53 MX$28.68

152.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.65 MX$30.80

78.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$2.91 MX$54.5

177.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$4.94 MX$92.5

99.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.56 MX$29.21

-16.03%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.86 MX$53.6

73.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$1.64 MX$30.66

369.51%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$1.83 MX$34.20

232.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$6.60 MX$123

196.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$8.26 MX$155

112.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$10.93 MX$204

85.36%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 $6.99

$4.55 MX$85.2

53.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.64 MX$30.73

34.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$3.18 MX$59.5

111.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$3.04 MX$56.8

134.21%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.34 MX$62.5

38.02%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.93 MX$54.7

63.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.23 MX$23.06

133.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$0.82 MX$15.41

228.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.14 $19.14

$8.31 MX$155

130.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 $19.63

$6.39 MX$119

207.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.10 MX$20.54

201.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.77 MX$51.8

51.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.85 MX$15.91

255.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$4.96 MX$92.9

-38.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.45 MX$27.17

-22.07%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$21.2K MX$396.6K

62.50%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$23.9K MX$447.5K

8.05%

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

$232 $232

$39.02 MX$730

495.46%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$14.93 MX$279

375.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$21.05 MX$394

221.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$18.69 MX$350

517.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

$13.62 MX$255

463.95%

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

$3.82 MX$71.4

486.65%

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

$3,606 $3,606

$163 MX$3,058

2105.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 $79.3

$65.6 MX$1,228

20.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$43.81 MX$819

17.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$107 MX$2,004

13.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$81.2 MX$1,518

73.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,555 $4,555

$512 MX$9,575

789.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

$146 MX$2,737

1977.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,742 $9,742

$944 MX$17.7K

931.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,331 $5,331

$325 MX$6,071

1542.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K $18.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,685 $6,685

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,096 $5,096

$447 MX$8,367

1039.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

11.6

-40.60%

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

Last update for New York, NY: November 1, 2026

Last update for Acapulco: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3K 62%

Acapulco

$146 17.3% 95.2% $2.9K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$567 11.6%

Acapulco

$267 31.5% 52.9% $300

Eating Out

New York, NY

$425 8.7%

Acapulco

$191 22.5% 55.2% $234

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$371 7.6%

Acapulco

$75 8.9% 79.8% $296

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$176 3.6%

Acapulco

$134 15.8% 24.1% $43

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.4%

Acapulco

$8.4 * 1% 94.9% $157

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

Acapulco

$26 3.1% 83.6% $134

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,555 in New York, NY versus $512 in Acapulco. 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 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $117 in New York, NY versus $37 in Acapulco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $567 vs $267 – making Acapulco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇲🇽 Acapulco

🕒 Local time

16:20 4:20 PM

15:20 3:20 PM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

658,609

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

New York, NY Acapulco 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Acapulco

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

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

New York, NY costs about 479% more than Acapulco, 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 $7,358 per month in New York, NY and $1,272 in Acapulco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Acapulco, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $512 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,906 in New York, NY and $848 in Acapulco. That makes Acapulco about 83% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $3,606 per month in New York, NY and $163 in Acapulco. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,906 in New York, NY and $848 in Acapulco. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Acapulco – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Acapulco. 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.