Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Arlington, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Arlington, WA: $2,779 a month against $4,941 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $25,900 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
135

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, WA
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Arlington, WA Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,941

/mo nomad

Arlington, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,941 in New York, NY versus $2,779 in Arlington, WA.

New York, NY $4,941
Arlington, WA $2,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,225 in New York, NY versus $4,295 in Arlington, WA.

New York, NY $7,225
Arlington, WA $4,295

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,509 in New York, NY versus $5,810 in Arlington, WA.

New York, NY $9,509
Arlington, WA $5,810

Living in New York, NY is roughly 78% more expensive than in Arlington, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New York, NY 263% above, Arlington, WA 104% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.55 $28.55

$24.91 $24.91

14.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$98.4 $98.4

20.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.04 $15.04

$13.96 $13.96

7.74%

Cappuccino

$6.53 $6.53

$5.90 $5.90

10.68%

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

$3.96 $3.96

$2.95 $2.95

34.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 $3.01

$3.04 $3.04

-0.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 $8.16

$6.92 $6.92

17.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.84 $9.84

$6.94 $6.94

41.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.03 $1.03

33.01%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.70 $3.70

34.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$4.16 $4.16

87.74%

Eggs

$5.97 $5.97

$3.97 $3.97

50.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$13.96 $13.96

35.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.04 $18.04

$12.96 $12.96

39.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.05 $19.05

$22.69 $22.69

-16.04%

Apples (1kg)

$6.76 $6.76

$5.07 $5.07

33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.85 $1.85

22.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.83 $6.83

$4.19 $4.19

63.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$4.72 $4.72

50.21%

Potato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.01 $2.01

109.95%

Onion (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$2.40 $2.40

93.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.68 $2.68

7.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$2.39 $2.39

8.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.77 $18.77

$12.08 $12.08

55.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.13 $20.13

$15.15 $15.15

32.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.06 $2.06

67.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 $4.02

$4.36 $4.36

-7.80%

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

$2.63 $2.63

17.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.65 $1.65

28.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.96 $41.96

$29.89 $29.89

40.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.41 $1.41

-17.02%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$27.6K $27.6K

24.89%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$26.5K $26.5K

-2.34%

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

$219 $219

$294 $294

-25.48%

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

$74.2 $74.2

$67.9 $67.9

9.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$86.9 $86.9

-19.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 $112

$32.47 $32.47

244.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$74.9 $74.9

Cinema Ticket

$22.14 $22.14

$17.68 $17.68

25.23%

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

$3,558 $3,558

$2,749 $2,749

29.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$62.2K $62.2K

$31.3K $31.3K

98.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.6 $75.6

$50.3 $50.3

50.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 $51.2

$55.7 $55.7

-8.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 $123

$102 $102

20.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$135 $135

3.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,499 $4,499

$1,519 $1,519

196.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,078 $3,078

$1,281 $1,281

140.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,447 $9,447

$2,805 $2,805

236.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,190 $5,190

$2,531 $2,531

105.09%

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

$5,787 $5,787

-9.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

6.81

0.73%

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 Arlington, WA: 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%

Arlington, WA

$1.3K 46.1% 58.4% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$563 11.4%

Arlington, WA

$431 15.5% 23.4% $132

Eating Out

New York, NY

$440 8.9%

Arlington, WA

$384 13.8% 12.7% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.4%

Arlington, WA

$449 16.2% 23.5% $85

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$175 3.6%

Arlington, WA

$155 5.6% 11.9% $21

Getting Around

New York, NY

$164 3.3%

Arlington, WA

$11 * 0.4% 93.4% $153

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$156 3.2%

Arlington, WA

$68 2.4% 56.6% $88

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 $1,519 in Arlington, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arlington, WA pays 11% 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 $98 in Arlington, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $563 vs $431 per month, with Arlington, WA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇸 Arlington, WA

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

10:27 10:27 AM

3 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

365,438

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

New York, NY Arlington, WA 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Arlington, WA

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 Arlington, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,941 in New York, NY and $2,779 in Arlington, WA, so Arlington, WA is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 10% 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 $1,519 in Arlington, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% 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 $2,779 in Arlington, WA – Arlington, WA is about 44% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.