Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Acuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Acuna: $1,128 a month against $4,950 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $45,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

New York, NY
🇺🇸 United States
$4,950
/mo nomad
Acuna
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,128
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Acuna actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,950 per month in New York, NY vs $1,128 in Acuna, rent included.

  • New York, NY $4,950
  • Acuna $1,128

A couple spends around $7,265 per month in New York, NY vs $1,861 in Acuna, rent included.

  • New York, NY $7,265
  • Acuna $1,861

A family of three spends $9,581 per month in New York, NY vs $2,594 in Acuna, rent included.

  • New York, NY $9,581
  • Acuna $2,594

New York, NY costs about 339% more than Acuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 267% above the global median, while Acuna is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
New York, NY
Acuna
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$24.65 $24.65
$12.22 MX$226
101.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$122 $122
$40.26 MX$744
201.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.91 $13.91
$8.18 MX$151
70.05%
Cappuccino
$6.59 $6.59
$3.04 MX$56.1
116.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.84 $3.84
$1.26 MX$23.26
204.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.87 $2.87
$1.16 MX$21.43
147.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.79 $7.79
$2.25 MX$41.51
246.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.85 $9.85
$3.51 MX$64.9
180.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
New York, NY
Acuna
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 $1.38
$1.82 MX$33.55
-24.18%
White Bread (500g)
$4.68 $4.68
$2.58 MX$47.59
81.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$7.54 $7.54
$1.73 MX$31.92
335.84%
Eggs
$5.93 $5.93
$2.50 MX$46.18
137.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.83 $18.83
$7.88 MX$146
138.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$17.36 $17.36
$7.96 MX$147
118.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.51 $18.51
$12.30 MX$227
50.49%
Apples (1kg)
$6.74 $6.74
$3.08 MX$57.0
118.83%
Banana (1kg)
$2.09 $2.09
$1.52 MX$28.10
37.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.07 $6.07
$1.95 MX$35.95
211.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.74 $6.74
$1.74 MX$32.16
287.36%
Potato (1kg)
$4.05 $4.05
$1.95 MX$36.12
107.69%
Onion (1kg)
$4.37 $4.37
$1.86 MX$34.34
134.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.89 $2.89
$1.36 MX$25.17
112.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.60 $2.60
$1.22 MX$22.50
113.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$18.72 $18.72
$4.08 MX$75.3
358.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.06 $20.06
$10.98 MX$203
82.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.25 $3.25
$1.58 MX$29.24
105.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.73 $3.73
$3.32 MX$61.3
12.35%
🚌 Getting Around
New York, NY
Acuna
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.06 $3.06
$0.59 MX$10.92
418.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$140 $140
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.04 $3.04
$2.47 MX$45.72
23.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.15 $2.15
$2.14 MX$39.55
0.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$41.82 $41.82
$12.51 MX$231
234.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.12 $1.12
$1.31 MX$24.23
-14.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.5K $35.5K
$22.6K MX$417.6K
56.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.0K $26.0K
$26.6K MX$491.6K
-2.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
New York, NY
Acuna
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$219 $219
$55.5 MX$1,025
294.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$73.2 $73.2
$21.62 MX$399
238.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$72.0 $72.0
$29.24 MX$540
146.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
New York, NY
Acuna
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$123 $123
$37.72 MX$697
225.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$67.7 $67.7
$19.85 MX$367
240.91%
Cinema Ticket
$22.85 $22.85
$5.30 MX$97.9
331.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
New York, NY
Acuna
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,333 $3,333
$242 MX$4,477
1275.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$60.0K $60.0K
$4,625 MX$85.5K
1197.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
New York, NY
Acuna
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$75.2 $75.2
$55.0 MX$1,017
36.61%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.4 $52.4
$43.44 MX$803
20.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$122 $122
$111 MX$2,043
10.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 $133
$93.6 MX$1,729
42.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
New York, NY
Acuna
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,389 $4,389
$543 MX$10.0K
708.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,130 $3,130
$367 MX$6,785
752.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$8,918 $8,918
$963 MX$17.8K
826.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$5,354 $5,354
$817 MX$15.1K
555.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$19.4K $19.4K
$2,129 MX$39.4K
811.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,806 $6,806
$1,319 MX$24.4K
416.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
New York, NY
Acuna
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,343 $5,343
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.82
11.3
-39.65%

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

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

Last update for Acuna: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
New York, NY
$3.1K
Acuna
$367 88.3% $2.8K
Groceries & Markets
New York, NY
$545
Acuna
$268 50.8% $277
Eating Out
New York, NY
$404
Acuna
$187 53.7% $217
Monthly Utilities & Internet
New York, NY
$364
Acuna
$106 70.8% $258
Clothing & Footwear
New York, NY
$172
Acuna
$136 20.9% $36
Sport & Entertainment
New York, NY
$168
Acuna
$48 71.3% $120
Getting Around
New York, NY
$167
Acuna
$16 * 90.7% $151

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,389 in New York, NY versus $543 in Acuna. 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 $122 in New York, NY versus $40.00 in Acuna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $545 vs $268 – making Acuna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 New York, NY
🇲🇽 Acuna
🕒 Local time
03:15 3:15 AM
02:15 2:15 AM
1 h behind New York, NY
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,804,190
160,225
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • New York, NY Acuna 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • New York, NY
  • Acuna

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 Acuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Acuna cheaper than New York, NY?
Yes – New York, NY is pricier by about 339%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,424 per month in New York, NY and $1,693 in Acuna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Acuna, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in New York, NY or in Acuna?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in New York, NY and $40.00 in Acuna. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in New York, NY and in Acuna?
Groceries cost about 103% 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.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in New York, NY or in Acuna?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Acuna, where all-in costs run around $1,128, than in New York, NY at $4,950. In Acuna it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is New York, NY or Acuna more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Acuna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, New York, NY or Acuna?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Acuna. 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.

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