Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Cartago, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartago: $1,645 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $39,100 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Cartago

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,906 in New York, NY versus $1,645 in Cartago.

New York, NY $4,906
Cartago $1,645

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,273 in New York, NY versus $2,325 in Cartago.

New York, NY $7,273
Cartago $2,325

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,641 in New York, NY versus $3,006 in Cartago.

New York, NY $9,641
Cartago $3,006

Living in New York, NY is roughly 198% more expensive than in Cartago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New York, NY 263% above, Cartago 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.93 $26.93

$8.91 ₡4,006

202.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 $117

$34.81 ₡15.7K

235.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.60 $14.60

$9.73 ₡4,374

50.05%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$4.42 ₡1,985

47.96%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$2.15 ₡966

79.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.36 ₡613

116.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$2.13 ₡960

279.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$4.23 ₡1,903

132.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$2.38 ₡1,070

-44.96%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.47 ₡1,111

101.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$2.42 ₡1,089

218.18%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$3.58 ₡1,610

70.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$8.56 ₡3,850

128.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$10.63 ₡4,778

65.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$14.11 ₡6,345

43.59%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 $6.99

$5.28 ₡2,375

32.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.28 ₡578

72.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$4.32 ₡1,941

55.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$3.00 ₡1,348

137.33%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.22 ₡999

107.66%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.17 ₡977

120.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.09 ₡489

163.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.25 ₡1,010

19.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.14 $19.14

$6.00 ₡2,699

219.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 $19.63

$15.26 ₡6,863

28.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.82 ₡1,267

17.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.97 ₡886

112.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.34 ₡604

125.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

$74.3 ₡33.4K

87.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.34 ₡604

126.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.61 ₡722

36.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$8.60 ₡3,865

380.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.57 ₡707

-28.03%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$34.0K ₡15.3M

1.41%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$42.1K ₡18.9M

-38.66%

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

$232 $232

$52.5 ₡23.6K

342.49%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$36.19 ₡16.3K

96.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$59.7 ₡26.8K

13.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$68.7 ₡30.9K

67.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

$78.4 ₡35.2K

-2.00%

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

$7.04 ₡3,164

218.32%

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

$3,606 $3,606

$560 ₡251.7K

544.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

$7,838 ₡3.5M

776.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 $79.3

$70.9 ₡31.9K

11.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$56.5 ₡25.4K

-9.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$121 ₡54.6K

-0.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$88.0 ₡39.6K

59.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,555 $4,555

$790 ₡355.0K

476.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

$635 ₡285.6K

378.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,742 $9,742

$1,925 ₡865.5K

406.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,331 $5,331

$715 ₡321.4K

645.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K $18.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,685 $6,685

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,096 $5,096

$1,350 ₡607.0K

277.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

8.62

-20.07%

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 Cartago: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3K 62%

Cartago

$635 38.6% 79.1% $2.4K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$567 11.6%

Cartago

$351 21.3% 38.1% $216

Eating Out

New York, NY

$425 8.7%

Cartago

$187 11.4% 56.1% $238

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$371 7.6%

Cartago

$148 9% 60% $223

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$176 3.6%

Cartago

$152 9.2% 14.1% $25

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.4%

Cartago

$89 5.4% 46.2% $76

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

Cartago

$83 5% 48.3% $77

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $4,555 in New York, NY and $790 in Cartago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays about 3.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $117 in New York, NY vs $35 in Cartago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $567 vs $351 per month, with Cartago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇨🇷 Cartago

🕒 Local time

03:31 3:31 AM

02:31 2:31 AM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

110,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

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Between locations

New York, NY Cartago 3,550 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Cartago

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 Cartago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartago is about 66% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in New York, NY is about 3.8 times higher, 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: $4,555 in New York, NY versus $790 in Cartago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cartago runs roughly 47% less than in New York, NY. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $3,606 in New York, NY versus $560 in Cartago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,645 in Cartago versus $4,906 in New York, NY, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Cartago but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Cartago the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Cartago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.