Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Augusta, ME

For one person, living is cheaper in Augusta, ME: $2,388 a month against $4,941 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $30,600 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
114

Cost of Living Index in Augusta, ME
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Augusta, ME Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,941

/mo nomad

Augusta, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,941 in New York, NY versus $2,388 in Augusta, ME.

New York, NY $4,941
Augusta, ME $2,388

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,225 in New York, NY versus $3,317 in Augusta, ME.

New York, NY $7,225
Augusta, ME $3,317

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,509 in New York, NY versus $4,246 in Augusta, ME.

New York, NY $9,509
Augusta, ME $4,246

Living in New York, NY is roughly 107% more expensive than in Augusta, ME, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New York, NY 263% above, Augusta, ME 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.55 $28.55

$19.90 $19.90

43.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$53.1 $53.1

122.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.04 $15.04

$10.39 $10.39

44.75%

Cappuccino

$6.53 $6.53

$5.40 $5.40

20.93%

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

$3.96 $3.96

$2.36 $2.36

67.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.59 $1.59

89.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 $8.16

$5.02 $5.02

62.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.84 $9.84

$7.72 $7.72

27.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.14 $1.14

20.18%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$4.56 $4.56

8.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$1.45 $1.45

438.62%

Eggs

$5.97 $5.97

$3.96 $3.96

50.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$15.09 $15.09

25.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.04 $18.04

$14.12 $14.12

27.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.05 $19.05

$19.52 $19.52

-2.41%

Apples (1kg)

$6.76 $6.76

$7.48 $7.48

-9.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.31 $1.31

73.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.83 $6.83

$3.09 $3.09

121.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$4.59 $4.59

54.47%

Potato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.33 $2.33

81.12%

Onion (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$2.86 $2.86

62.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.08 $2.08

37.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.81 $1.81

43.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.77 $18.77

$11.98 $11.98

56.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.13 $20.13

$12.99 $12.99

54.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.56 $1.56

121.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 $4.02

$1.55 $1.55

159.35%

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

$2.55 $2.55

20.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.27 $1.27

66.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.96 $41.96

$28.55 $28.55

46.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$0.90 $0.90

30.00%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$29.6K $29.6K

16.57%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$24.3K $24.3K

6.51%

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

$219 $219

$243 $243

-9.69%

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

$74.2 $74.2

$45.59 $45.59

62.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$61.0 $61.0

15.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 $112

$22.60 $22.60

395.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$74.9 $74.9

Cinema Ticket

$22.14 $22.14

$14.13 $14.13

56.69%

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

$3,558 $3,558

$2,656 $2,656

33.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$62.2K $62.2K

$36.6K $36.6K

69.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.6 $75.6

$73.5 $73.5

2.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 $51.2

$50.9 $50.9

0.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 $123

$113 $113

8.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$154 $154

-9.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,499 $4,499

$1,200 $1,200

275.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,078 $3,078

$1,078 $1,078

185.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,447 $9,447

$1,602 $1,602

489.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,190 $5,190

$1,473 $1,473

252.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.1K $18.1K

$2,386 $2,386

658.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,693 $6,693

$2,378 $2,378

181.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,220 $5,220

$1,948 $1,948

167.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

6.3

8.89%

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 Augusta, ME: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 62.3%

Augusta, ME

$1.1K 45.2% 65% $2K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$563 11.4%

Augusta, ME

$413 17.3% 26.6% $150

Eating Out

New York, NY

$440 8.9%

Augusta, ME

$312 13% 29.2% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.4%

Augusta, ME

$349 14.6% 4% $14

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$175 3.6%

Augusta, ME

$176 7.4% 0.6% $1

Getting Around

New York, NY

$164 3.3%

Augusta, ME

$8.9 * 0.4% 94.6% $155

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$156 3.2%

Augusta, ME

$51 2.1% 67.5% $105

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 $1,200 in Augusta, ME. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $118 in New York, NY vs $53 in Augusta, ME for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $563 vs $413 per month, with Augusta, ME cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇸 Augusta, ME

🕒 Local time

00:31 12:31 AM

Same time as New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

194,343

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

New York, NY Augusta, ME 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Augusta, ME

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 Augusta, ME: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,941 in New York, NY and $2,388 in Augusta, ME, so Augusta, ME is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in New York, NY is about 2.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $4,499 in New York, NY versus $1,200 in Augusta, ME. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,558 in New York, NY versus $2,656 in Augusta, ME. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Augusta, ME – a meal for two runs $53 versus $118 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,388 in Augusta, ME versus $4,941 in New York, NY, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Augusta, ME but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Augusta, ME 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.

It comes down to priorities – Augusta, ME wins on affordability, New York, NY on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.