Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Butte, MT

For one person, living is cheaper in Butte, MT: $1,847 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $36,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

New York, NY, United States
Butte, MT, United States
New York, NY
🇺🇸 United States
$4,906
/mo nomad
Butte, MT
🇺🇸 United States
$1,847
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New York, NY and in Butte, MT

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 Butte, MT actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,906 per month in New York, NY vs $1,847 in Butte, MT, rent included.

  • New York, NY $4,906
  • Butte, MT $1,847

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $2,811 in Butte, MT, rent included.

  • New York, NY $7,273
  • Butte, MT $2,811

A family of three spends $9,641 per month in New York, NY vs $3,775 in Butte, MT, rent included.

  • New York, NY $9,641
  • Butte, MT $3,775

New York, NY costs about 166% more than Butte, MT, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both New York, NY and Butte, MT sit above the global median – New York, NY by 263%, Butte, MT by 37%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
New York, NY
Butte, MT
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.93 $26.93
$14.93 $14.93
80.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$117 $117
$59.1 $59.1
97.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.60 $14.60
$9.39 $9.39
55.48%
Cappuccino
$6.54 $6.54
$4.27 $4.27
53.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.86 $3.86
$2.09 $2.09
84.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 $2.95
$2.36 $2.36
25.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.08 $8.08
$2.97 $2.97
172.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.85 $9.85
$5.10 $5.10
93.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
New York, NY
Butte, MT
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 $1.31
$1.13 $1.13
15.93%
White Bread (500g)
$4.97 $4.97
$2.52 $2.52
97.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$7.70 $7.70
$4.84 $4.84
59.09%
Eggs
$6.09 $6.09
$3.93 $3.93
54.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.55 $19.55
$6.70 $6.70
191.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$17.59 $17.59
$7.33 $7.33
139.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.26 $20.26
$19.18 $19.18
5.63%
Apples (1kg)
$6.99 $6.99
$4.90 $4.90
42.65%
Banana (1kg)
$2.21 $2.21
$1.48 $1.48
49.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.72 $6.72
$1.73 $1.73
288.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.12 $7.12
$2.19 $2.19
225.11%
Potato (1kg)
$4.61 $4.61
$0.56 $0.56
723.21%
Onion (1kg)
$4.78 $4.78
$2.18 $2.18
119.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.87 $2.87
$1.77 $1.77
62.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.69 $2.69
$1.54 $1.54
74.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$19.14 $19.14
$8.08 $8.08
136.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.63 $19.63
$9.64 $9.64
103.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.32 $3.32
$1.95 $1.95
70.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.19 $4.19
$2.21 $2.21
89.59%
🚌 Getting Around
New York, NY
Butte, MT
Difference
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
$4.87 $4.87
-37.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.20 $2.20
$0.65 $0.65
238.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$41.33 $41.33
$10.20 $10.20
305.20%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 $1.13
$1.09 $1.09
3.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.5K $34.5K
$32.6K $32.6K
5.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.8K $25.8K
$24.2K $24.2K
6.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
New York, NY
Butte, MT
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$232 $232
$137 $137
69.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$71.0 $71.0
$24.89 $24.89
185.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.7 $67.7
$69.9 $69.9
-3.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
New York, NY
Butte, MT
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$115 $115
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$76.8 $76.8
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$22.41 $22.41
$10.44 $10.44
114.66%
🧸 Childcare & Education
New York, NY
Butte, MT
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,606 $3,606
$1,992 $1,992
81.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$68.7K $68.7K
$17.4K $17.4K
293.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
New York, NY
Butte, MT
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$79.3 $79.3
$64.9 $64.9
22.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.4 $51.4
$43.27 $43.27
18.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 $121
$104 $104
16.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$140 $140
$145 $145
-3.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
New York, NY
Butte, MT
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,555 $4,555
$1,037 $1,037
339.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,040 $3,040
$881 $881
245.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$9,742 $9,742
$1,809 $1,809
438.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$5,331 $5,331
$1,619 $1,619
229.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.2K $18.2K
$2,308 $2,308
689.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,685 $6,685
$2,251 $2,251
196.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
New York, NY
Butte, MT
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,096 $5,096
$3,924 $3,924
29.88%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.89
6.25
10.24%

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 Butte, MT: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
New York, NY
$3K
Butte, MT
$881 71% $2.2K
Groceries & Markets
New York, NY
$567
Butte, MT
$302 46.7% $265
Eating Out
New York, NY
$425
Butte, MT
$242 43.1% $183
Monthly Utilities & Internet
New York, NY
$371
Butte, MT
$232 37.5% $139
Clothing & Footwear
New York, NY
$176
Butte, MT
$161 8.8% $16
Getting Around
New York, NY
$165
Butte, MT
$8.1 * 95.1% $157
Sport & Entertainment
New York, NY
$160
Butte, MT
$21 * 87% $139

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,555 in New York, NY versus $1,037 in Butte, MT. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 30% higher in New York, NY, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $117 in New York, NY versus $59 in Butte, MT. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $567 vs $302 – making Butte, MT the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 New York, NY
🇺🇸 Butte, MT
🕒 Local time
10:23 10:23 AM
08:23 8:23 AM
2 h behind New York, NY
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,804,190
35,000
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • New York, NY Butte, MT 3,130 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • New York, NY
  • Butte, MT

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 Butte, MT: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, New York, NY or Butte, MT?
New York, NY costs about 166% more than Butte, MT, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in New York, NY and in Butte, MT?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,358 per month in New York, NY and $2,770 in Butte, MT. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, New York, NY or Butte, MT?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Butte, MT, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,037 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.
How do dining costs compare in New York, NY and in Butte, MT?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $117 in New York, NY and $59 in Butte, MT. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in New York, NY or in Butte, MT?
Groceries cost about 88% more in New York, NY, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Butte, MT – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to New York, NY or to Butte, MT?
If budget matters most, go with Butte, MT. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, New York, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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