Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Cali

For one person, living is cheaper in Cali: $1,054 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $49,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

245

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Cali
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Cali Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,054

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $5,142 in New York, NY versus $1,054 in Cali.

New York, NY $5,142
Cali $1,054

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,455 in New York, NY versus $1,614 in Cali.

New York, NY $7,455
Cali $1,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,767 in New York, NY versus $2,174 in Cali.

New York, NY $9,767
Cali $2,174

Living in New York, NY is roughly 388% more expensive than in Cali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: New York, NY is 284% above, Cali is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.46 $26.46

$7.26 COP 23.1K

264.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$37.04 COP 118.0K

220.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.43 $14.43

$8.05 COP 25.6K

79.25%

Cappuccino

$6.55 $6.55

$1.54 COP 4,920

325.32%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$1.25 COP 3,986

207.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$0.84 COP 2,675

257.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.27 $8.27

$3.16 COP 10.1K

161.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.05 $10.05

$3.58 COP 11.4K

180.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.55 COP 4,946

-15.48%

White Bread (500g)

$4.90 $4.90

$1.87 COP 5,964

162.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.16 $7.16

$1.50 COP 4,772

377.33%

Eggs

$5.92 $5.92

$2.77 COP 8,814

113.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 $19.06

$6.40 COP 20.4K

197.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$6.89 COP 22.0K

152.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 $18.94

$9.92 COP 31.6K

90.93%

Apples (1kg)

$6.96 $6.96

$3.43 COP 10.9K

102.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.30 COP 4,143

60.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$1.76 COP 5,600

246.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$1.68 COP 5,365

313.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$1.47 COP 4,681

170.75%

Onion (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$1.47 COP 4,673

202.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.10 COP 3,514

155.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$0.93 COP 2,973

169.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.27 $19.27

$3.63 COP 11.6K

430.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.67 $19.67

$12.56 COP 40.0K

56.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.42 COP 4,517

116.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.40 COP 7,632

53.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.05 COP 3,335

187.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

$29.00 COP 92.4K

381.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$0.83 COP 2,637

269.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.25 COP 3,999

-11.20%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$33.7K COP 107.4M

-24.64%

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

$217 $217

$111 COP 354.4K

95.57%

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

$74.0 $74.0

$12.79 COP 40.8K

478.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$29.75 COP 94.8K

143.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$28.38 COP 90.4K

324.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.9 $66.9

Cinema Ticket

$22.32 $22.32

$8.24 COP 26.2K

170.87%

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

$3,425 $3,425

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.2K $61.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 $76.3

$75.8 COP 241.4K

0.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 $55.5

$53.8 COP 171.5K

3.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$122 COP 390.3K

-2.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$109 COP 347.1K

19.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,506 $4,506

$638 COP 2.0M

605.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,155 $3,155

$291 COP 927.7K

983.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,817 $8,817

$1,498 COP 4.8M

488.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,532 $5,532

$479 COP 1.5M

1054.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,754 $6,754

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,290 $5,290

$567 COP 1.8M

833.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.58

-41.11%

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 Cali: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2%

Cali

$291 27.6% 90.8% $2.9K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$546 11%

Cali

$235 22.3% 57% $311

Eating Out

New York, NY

$422 8.5%

Cali

$132 12.5% 68.7% $290

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.3%

Cali

$154 14.6% 57.8% $210

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.4%

Cali

$162 15.4% 5.4% $9.3

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Cali

$34 * 3.2% 79.4% $131

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Cali

$45 4.3% 72.8% $120

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 $4,506 in New York, NY and $638 in Cali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays 833% 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: $119 in New York, NY vs $37.00 in Cali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $546 vs $235 per month, with Cali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇨🇴 Cali

🕒 Local time

08:26 8:26 AM

07:26 7:26 AM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

2,568,609

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Cali 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Cali

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 Cali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cali is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 388% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 833% 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: $4,506 in New York, NY versus $638 in Cali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cali – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $119 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Cali runs roughly 381% less than in New York, NY. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,054 in Cali versus $5,142 in New York, NY, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cali but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Cali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cali is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in New York, NY, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Cali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 388% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.