Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Alexandria

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $1,044 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $49,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

245

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,044

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $5,142 in New York, NY versus $1,044 in Alexandria.

New York, NY $5,142
Alexandria $1,044

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,455 in New York, NY versus $1,704 in Alexandria.

New York, NY $7,455
Alexandria $1,704

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,767 in New York, NY versus $2,364 in Alexandria.

New York, NY $9,767
Alexandria $2,364

Living in New York, NY is roughly 392% more expensive than in Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: New York, NY is 284% above, Alexandria is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.46 $26.46

$15.61 JMD 2,466

69.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$76.6 JMD 12.1K

55.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.43 $14.43

$8.75 JMD 1,381

64.91%

Cappuccino

$6.55 $6.55

$5.28 JMD 834

24.05%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$1.16 JMD 184

231.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$0.68 JMD 107

341.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.27 $8.27

$2.27 JMD 359

264.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.05 $10.05

$3.21 JMD 508

213.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$4.09 JMD 646

-67.97%

White Bread (500g)

$4.90 $4.90

$3.86 JMD 610

26.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.16 $7.16

$1.59 JMD 250

350.31%

Eggs

$5.92 $5.92

$3.53 JMD 557

67.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 $19.06

$11.57 JMD 1,826

64.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$6.39 JMD 1,009

171.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 $18.94

$10.30 JMD 1,626

83.88%

Apples (1kg)

$6.96 $6.96

$6.22 JMD 983

11.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$3.93 JMD 621

-47.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$7.47 JMD 1,180

-18.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$3.01 JMD 475

130.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$3.33 JMD 525

19.52%

Onion (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.59 JMD 409

71.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.12 JMD 492

-9.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.47 JMD 232

70.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.27 $19.27

$9.74 JMD 1,538

97.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.67 $19.67

$11.57 JMD 1,827

70.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.90 JMD 458

6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$4.07 JMD 643

-9.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.17 JMD 185

162.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

$3.13 JMD 494

-31.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

$6.42 JMD 1,013

541.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.42 JMD 224

-21.83%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$44.9K JMD 7.1M

-22.06%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

-22.87%

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

$217 $217

$174 JMD 27.5K

24.84%

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

$74.0 $74.0

$30.04 JMD 4,744

146.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$53.0 JMD 8,365

36.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.9 $66.9

Cinema Ticket

$22.32 $22.32

$13.14 JMD 2,074

69.86%

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

$3,425 $3,425

$359 JMD 56.7K

853.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.2K $61.2K

$8,225 JMD 1.3M

643.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 $76.3

$23.28 JMD 3,676

227.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 $55.5

$31.50 JMD 4,974

76.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

54.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$102 JMD 16.1K

27.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,506 $4,506

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,155 $3,155

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,817 $8,817

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,532 $5,532

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,754 $6,754

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,290 $5,290

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

9.45

-27.83%

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 3, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2%

Alexandria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$546 11%

Alexandria

$388 37.6% 28.9% $158

Eating Out

New York, NY

$422 8.5%

Alexandria

$240 23.2% 43.3% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.3%

Alexandria

$257 24.9% 29.3% $107

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.4%

Alexandria

$105 10.2% 38.6% $66

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Alexandria

$17 * 1.6% 89.8% $149

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Alexandria

$26 * 2.5% 84.1% $139

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $119 in New York, NY vs $77.0 in Alexandria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $546 vs $388 per month, with Alexandria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇯🇲 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

04:02 4:02 AM

03:02 3:02 AM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

1,927

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR).

JMD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

New York, NY Alexandria 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Alexandria

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 Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY and Alexandria differ by about 392% in total monthly costs ($5,142 vs $1,044 including rent). Alexandria is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $7,714 in New York, NY and $1,567 in Alexandria to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $3,425 in New York, NY versus $359 in Alexandria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Alexandria – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $119 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,044 in Alexandria versus $5,142 in New York, NY, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alexandria but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Alexandria 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 Alexandria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 392% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.