Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Brea, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Brea, CA: $3,746 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
178

Cost of Living Index in Brea, CA
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Brea, CA Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Brea, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,746

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,906 in New York, NY versus $3,746 in Brea, CA.

New York, NY $4,906
Brea, CA $3,746

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,273 in New York, NY versus $5,108 in Brea, CA.

New York, NY $7,273
Brea, CA $5,108

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,641 in New York, NY versus $6,470 in Brea, CA.

New York, NY $9,641
Brea, CA $6,470

Living in New York, NY is roughly 31% more expensive than in Brea, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New York, NY 263% above, Brea, CA 177% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.93 $26.93

$24.77 $24.77

8.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 $117

$76.4 $76.4

52.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.60 $14.60

$12.18 $12.18

19.87%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$5.79 $5.79

12.95%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$2.79 $2.79

38.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.95 $1.95

51.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$7.20 $7.20

12.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$9.95 $9.95

-1.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.19 $1.19

10.08%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$5.20 $5.20

-4.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$4.28 $4.28

79.91%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$5.09 $5.09

19.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$15.61 $15.61

25.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$8.92 $8.92

97.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$13.79 $13.79

46.92%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 $6.99

$4.64 $4.64

50.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.76 $1.76

25.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$4.19 $4.19

60.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$5.72 $5.72

24.48%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.62 $3.62

27.35%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.14 $3.14

52.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.06 $2.06

39.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.23 $2.23

20.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.14 $19.14

$11.62 $11.62

64.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 $19.63

$15.03 $15.03

30.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.77 $1.77

87.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.84 $3.84

9.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$4.42 $4.42

-31.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.91 $1.91

15.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$35.52 $35.52

16.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.64 $1.64

-31.10%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$27.6K $27.6K

24.92%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$26.8K $26.8K

-3.58%

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

$232 $232

$213 $213

8.94%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$70.7 $70.7

0.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$69.2 $69.2

-2.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$29.63 $29.63

289.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

$19.82 $19.82

287.54%

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

$19.74 $19.74

13.53%

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

$3,606 $3,606

$1,159 $1,159

210.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

$12.9K $12.9K

432.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 $79.3

$61.7 $61.7

28.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$41.43 $41.43

24.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$79.8 $79.8

51.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$105 $105

34.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,555 $4,555

$2,208 $2,208

106.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

$2,390 $2,390

27.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,742 $9,742

$3,108 $3,108

213.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,331 $5,331

$3,476 $3,476

53.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K $18.2K

$5,864 $5,864

210.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,685 $6,685

$6,180 $6,180

8.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,096 $5,096

$10.0K $10.0K

-49.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

6.31

9.19%

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

Last update for New York, NY: November 1, 2026

Last update for Brea, CA: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3K 62%

Brea, CA

$2.4K 63.8% 21.4% $650

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$567 11.6%

Brea, CA

$412 11% 27.4% $155

Eating Out

New York, NY

$425 8.7%

Brea, CA

$379 10.1% 10.8% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$371 7.6%

Brea, CA

$353 9.4% 4.8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$176 3.6%

Brea, CA

$129 3.5% 26.7% $47

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.4%

Brea, CA

$14 * 0.4% 91.5% $151

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

Brea, CA

$69 1.8% 56.9% $91

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 $4,555 in New York, NY and $2,208 in Brea, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brea, CA pays 97% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $117 in New York, NY vs $76 in Brea, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $567 vs $412 per month, with Brea, CA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇸 Brea, CA

🕒 Local time

13:43 1:43 PM

10:43 10:43 AM

3 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

38,585

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Brea, CA 3,900 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Brea, CA

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 Brea, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brea, CA wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in New York, NY. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Brea, CA the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 49% 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: $4,555 in New York, NY versus $2,208 in Brea, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,606 in New York, NY versus $1,159 in Brea, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Brea, CA – a meal for two runs $76 versus $117 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Brea, CA is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Brea, CA delivers better value at $3,746 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Brea, CA hard to pass up.