Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Ankeny, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Ankeny, IA: $2,340 a month against $4,941 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $31,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Ankeny, IA
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Ankeny, IA Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,941

/mo nomad

Ankeny, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,941 in New York, NY versus $2,340 in Ankeny, IA.

New York, NY $4,941
Ankeny, IA $2,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,225 in New York, NY versus $3,308 in Ankeny, IA.

New York, NY $7,225
Ankeny, IA $3,308

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,509 in New York, NY versus $4,275 in Ankeny, IA.

New York, NY $9,509
Ankeny, IA $4,275

Living in New York, NY is roughly 111% more expensive than in Ankeny, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New York, NY 263% above, Ankeny, IA 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.55 $28.55

$20.05 $20.05

42.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$79.4 $79.4

49.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.04 $15.04

$11.94 $11.94

25.96%

Cappuccino

$6.53 $6.53

$5.60 $5.60

16.61%

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

$3.96 $3.96

$3.04 $3.04

30.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.71 $1.71

76.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 $8.16

$5.05 $5.05

61.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.84 $9.84

$5.73 $5.73

71.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$0.89 $0.89

53.93%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.00 $3.00

65.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$3.26 $3.26

139.57%

Eggs

$5.97 $5.97

$3.96 $3.96

50.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$9.84 $9.84

92.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.04 $18.04

$8.29 $8.29

117.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.05 $19.05

$14.78 $14.78

28.89%

Apples (1kg)

$6.76 $6.76

$5.46 $5.46

23.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.50 $1.50

51.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.83 $6.83

$4.91 $4.91

39.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$3.66 $3.66

93.72%

Potato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.17 $2.17

94.47%

Onion (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$3.32 $3.32

40.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.91 $1.91

50.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$2.54 $2.54

2.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.77 $18.77

$8.83 $8.83

112.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.13 $20.13

$14.94 $14.94

34.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.74 $1.74

98.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.48 $2.48

62.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 $2.91

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.97 $1.97

56.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.26 $1.26

68.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.96 $41.96

$20.20 $20.20

107.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.00 $1.00

17.00%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$26.2K $26.2K

31.36%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$25.6K $25.6K

1.09%

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

$219 $219

$160 $160

36.74%

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

$74.2 $74.2

$52.9 $52.9

40.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$66.2 $66.2

6.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 $112

$74.6 $74.6

50.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$74.9 $74.9

Cinema Ticket

$22.14 $22.14

$9.82 $9.82

125.46%

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

$3,558 $3,558

$1,095 $1,095

225.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$62.2K $62.2K

$11.9K $11.9K

421.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.6 $75.6

$47.07 $47.07

60.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 $51.2

$34.51 $34.51

48.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 $123

$88.2 $88.2

39.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$118 $118

18.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,499 $4,499

$1,107 $1,107

306.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,078 $3,078

$1,157 $1,157

166.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,447 $9,447

$1,968 $1,968

380.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,190 $5,190

$1,600 $1,600

224.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.1K $18.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,693 $6,693

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,220 $5,220

$5,485 $5,485

-4.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

6.37

7.69%

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ankeny, IA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 62.3%

Ankeny, IA

$1.2K 49.4% 62.4% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$563 11.4%

Ankeny, IA

$352 15.1% 37.5% $211

Eating Out

New York, NY

$440 8.9%

Ankeny, IA

$319 13.6% 27.5% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.4%

Ankeny, IA

$280 12% 23.2% $84

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$175 3.6%

Ankeny, IA

$130 5.5% 26.1% $46

Getting Around

New York, NY

$164 3.3%

Ankeny, IA

$8.3 * 0.4% 95% $156

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$156 3.2%

Ankeny, IA

$94 4% 39.7% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $4,499 in New York, NY and $1,107 in Ankeny, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ankeny, IA pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $118 in New York, NY vs $79 in Ankeny, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $563 vs $352 per month, with Ankeny, IA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇸 Ankeny, IA

🕒 Local time

22:16 10:16 PM

21:16 9:16 PM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

67,887

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

New York, NY Ankeny, IA 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Ankeny, IA

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 Ankeny, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,941 in New York, NY and $2,340 in Ankeny, IA, so Ankeny, IA is about 53% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 5% 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: $4,499 in New York, NY versus $1,107 in Ankeny, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $4,941 per month in New York, NY versus $2,340 in Ankeny, IA – Ankeny, IA is about 53% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,340 in Ankeny, IA versus $4,941 in New York, NY, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Ankeny, IA but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Ankeny, IA 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.