Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Burlington, IA: $1,769 a month against $4,938 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $38,000 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
86

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, IA
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Burlington, IA Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,938

/mo nomad

Burlington, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,769

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New York, NY and in Burlington, 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 Burlington, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,938 in New York, NY versus $1,769 in Burlington, IA.

New York, NY $4,938
Burlington, IA $1,769

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,273 in New York, NY versus $2,675 in Burlington, IA.

New York, NY $7,273
Burlington, IA $2,675

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,608 in New York, NY versus $3,580 in Burlington, IA.

New York, NY $9,608
Burlington, IA $3,580

Living in New York, NY is roughly 179% more expensive than in Burlington, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New York, NY 264% above, Burlington, IA 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.99 $24.99

$11.35 $11.35

120.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$59.1 $59.1

103.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.74 $13.74

$8.84 $8.84

55.43%

Cappuccino

$6.60 $6.60

$4.74 $4.74

39.24%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.95 $1.95

95.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.02 $2.02

42.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.95 $7.95

$3.41 $3.41

133.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.06 $10.06

$4.58 $4.58

119.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$0.81 $0.81

69.14%

White Bread (500g)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.82 $2.82

68.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.69 $7.69

$4.34 $4.34

77.19%

Eggs

$5.87 $5.87

$2.92 $2.92

101.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.25 $19.25

$11.37 $11.37

69.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.83 $17.83

$11.93 $11.93

49.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.03 $19.03

$14.20 $14.20

34.01%

Apples (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$4.02 $4.02

66.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.98 $1.98

15.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$4.61 $4.61

39.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$4.65 $4.65

45.16%

Potato (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.74 $2.74

43.43%

Onion (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.60 $2.60

73.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.54 $1.54

81.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.06 $2.06

21.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.10 $18.10

$8.16 $8.16

121.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.16 $20.16

$16.29 $16.29

23.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.89 $1.89

72.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.27 $2.27

65.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.94 $1.94

50.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$143 $143

$15.76 $15.76

804.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$4.67 $4.67

-34.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.02 $1.02

111.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$22.19 $22.19

86.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.94 $0.94

19.15%

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

$33.1K $33.1K

$22.7K $22.7K

45.74%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$25.0K $25.0K

2.95%

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

$219 $219

$184 $184

19.13%

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

$75.3 $75.3

$47.16 $47.16

59.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$59.2 $59.2

19.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$116 $116

$42.42 $42.42

172.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

Cinema Ticket

$21.37 $21.37

$11.92 $11.92

79.28%

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

$3,432 $3,432

$1,210 $1,210

183.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.7K $61.7K

$13.3K $13.3K

363.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.9 $74.9

$44.72 $44.72

67.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$30.53 $30.53

70.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$87.0 $87.0

34.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$37.90 $37.90

255.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,347 $4,347

$754 $754

476.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,117 $3,117

$707 $707

340.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,110 $9,110

$1,172 $1,172

677.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,379 $5,379

$1,280 $1,280

320.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.3K $19.3K

$1,026 $1,026

1778.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,943 $6,943

$1,033 $1,033

572.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,238 $5,238

$4,446 $4,446

17.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

6.54

4.74%

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 17, 2026

Last update for Burlington, IA: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.1%

Burlington, IA

$707 40% 77.3% $2.4K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$552 11.2%

Burlington, IA

$366 20.7% 33.7% $186

Eating Out

New York, NY

$407 8.2%

Burlington, IA

$216 12.2% 46.8% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$365 7.4%

Burlington, IA

$290 16.4% 20.5% $75

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$170 3.5%

Burlington, IA

$90 5.1% 47.1% $80

Getting Around

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Burlington, IA

$33 1.9% 80.2% $135

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$158 3.2%

Burlington, IA

$66 3.7% 58.1% $92

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $4,347 in New York, NY and $754 in Burlington, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays 18% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $120 in New York, NY vs $59.0 in Burlington, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $552 vs $366 per month, with Burlington, IA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇸 Burlington, IA

🕒 Local time

21:00 9:00 PM

20:00 8:00 PM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

44,743

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Burlington, IA 1,420 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Burlington, 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 Burlington, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burlington, IA wins on cost – living expenses run 179% lower than in New York, NY. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Burlington, IA the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 18% higher in New York, NY, 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: $4,347 in New York, NY versus $754 in Burlington, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,432 in New York, NY versus $1,210 in Burlington, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,769 in Burlington, IA versus $4,938 in New York, NY, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Burlington, IA but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Burlington, IA the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Burlington, IA delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,769 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Burlington, IA hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, New York, NY and Burlington, IA are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Burlington, IA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 179% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.