Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: $1,661 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $41,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

245

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
Learn more

New York, NY Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Learn more

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur Living Index

Jump to prices

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New York, NY and in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

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 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $5,142 per month in New York, NY vs $1,661 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent included.

New York, NY $5,142
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $1,661

A couple spends around $7,455 per month in New York, NY vs $2,454 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent included.

New York, NY $7,455
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $2,454

A family of three spends $9,767 per month in New York, NY vs $3,248 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent included.

New York, NY $9,767
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $3,248

New York, NY costs about 210% more than Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both New York, NY and Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur sit above the global median – New York, NY by 284%, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.46 $26.46

$10.31 MX$188

156.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$50.6 MX$920

134.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.43 $14.43

$10.14 MX$185

42.31%

Cappuccino

$6.55 $6.55

$3.53 MX$64.2

85.55%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$1.49 MX$27.18

157.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$0.99 MX$17.99

203.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.27 $8.27

$2.51 MX$45.60

229.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.05 $10.05

$4.47 MX$81.3

124.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.77 MX$32.19

-25.99%

White Bread (500g)

$4.90 $4.90

$3.18 MX$57.8

54.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.16 $7.16

$2.56 MX$46.61

179.69%

Eggs

$5.92 $5.92

$2.35 MX$42.81

151.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 $19.06

$11.62 MX$211

64.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$10.11 MX$184

71.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 $18.94

$13.70 MX$249

38.25%

Apples (1kg)

$6.96 $6.96

$2.73 MX$49.60

154.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.55 MX$28.14

34.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$1.59 MX$28.97

283.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$1.73 MX$31.52

301.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$1.26 MX$22.88

215.87%

Onion (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$1.85 MX$33.58

140.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.77 MX$50.5

1.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.27 MX$23.17

97.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.27 $19.27

$5.06 MX$92.1

280.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.67 $19.67

$11.19 MX$204

75.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.49 MX$27.11

106.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.53 MX$64.2

4.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.87 MX$15.83

247.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

$53.2 MX$967

162.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$4.37 MX$79.4

-29.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

$3.06 MX$55.6

-30.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

$10.59 MX$193

289.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.46 MX$26.53

-23.97%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$21.5K MX$390.4K

63.05%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$24.4K MX$443.9K

4.08%

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

$217 $217

$86.9 MX$1,580

150.42%

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

$74.0 $74.0

$25.56 MX$465

189.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$32.06 MX$583

126.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$45.89 MX$835

162.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.9 $66.9

$30.59 MX$557

118.67%

Cinema Ticket

$22.32 $22.32

$4.24 MX$77.1

426.42%

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

$3,425 $3,425

$231 MX$4,207

1380.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.2K $61.2K

$8,373 MX$152.3K

630.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 $76.3

$72.7 MX$1,323

4.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 $55.5

$53.3 MX$970

3.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$97.2 MX$1,768

22.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$67.5 MX$1,229

93.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,506 $4,506

$1,197 MX$21.8K

276.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,155 $3,155

$758 MX$13.8K

315.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,817 $8,817

$2,543 MX$46.3K

246.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,532 $5,532

$1,215 MX$22.1K

355.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

$3,814 MX$69.4K

408.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,754 $6,754

$2,196 MX$39.9K

207.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,290 $5,290

$756 MX$13.8K

599.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.6

-41.21%

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$758 45.8% 76% $2.4K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$546 11%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$304 18.4% 44.3% $242

Eating Out

New York, NY

$422 8.5%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$187 11.3% 55.8% $236

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.3%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$144 8.7% 60.3% $220

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.4%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$131 7.9% 23.8% $41

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$76 4.6% 53.9% $89

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$54 3.3% 67.1% $111

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,506 in New York, NY versus $1,197 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. 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 599% 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 $119 in New York, NY versus $51.0 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $546 vs $304 – making Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇲🇽 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🕒 Local time

04:59 4:59 AM

01:59 1:59 AM

3 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

202,694

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

New York, NY Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur 3,870 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

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 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – New York, NY is pricier by about 210%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,714 per month in New York, NY and $2,491 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 162% less in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $3,425 per month in New York, NY and $231 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, where all-in costs run around $1,661, than in New York, NY at $5,142. In Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, New York, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.