Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Caruaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Caruaru: $665 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $53,700 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Caruaru
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Caruaru Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Caruaru

🇧🇷 Brazil

$665

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $5,142 in New York, NY versus $665 in Caruaru.

New York, NY $5,142
Caruaru $665

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,455 in New York, NY versus $1,106 in Caruaru.

New York, NY $7,455
Caruaru $1,106

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,767 in New York, NY versus $1,547 in Caruaru.

New York, NY $9,767
Caruaru $1,547

Living in New York, NY is roughly 673% more expensive than in Caruaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: New York, NY is 284% above, Caruaru is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.46 $26.46

$5.95 R$29.70

344.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$29.63 R$148

300.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.43 $14.43

$8.08 R$40.35

78.59%

Cappuccino

$6.55 $6.55

$1.53 R$7.62

328.10%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$1.06 R$5.27

262.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$0.70 R$3.50

328.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.27 $8.27

$1.74 R$8.71

375.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.05 $10.05

$2.33 R$11.63

331.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.23 R$6.13

6.50%

White Bread (500g)

$4.90 $4.90

$1.12 R$5.62

337.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.16 $7.16

$1.38 R$6.88

418.84%

Eggs

$5.92 $5.92

$2.09 R$10.43

183.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 $19.06

$4.54 R$22.65

319.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$5.07 R$25.31

242.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 $18.94

$7.68 R$38.34

146.61%

Apples (1kg)

$6.96 $6.96

$1.38 R$6.89

404.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.02 R$5.07

103.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$0.86 R$4.27

609.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$1.13 R$5.63

515.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$1.64 R$8.20

142.68%

Onion (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$1.24 R$6.19

258.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 $2.81

$0.76 R$3.78

269.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$0.89 R$4.45

182.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.27 $19.27

$3.05 R$15.23

531.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.67 $19.67

$7.83 R$39.10

151.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.53 R$7.66

101.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.44 R$12.18

50.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.93 R$4.62

224.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

$26.88 R$134

419.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.22 R$6.09

151.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.94 R$9.69

9.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

$3.11 R$15.51

1225.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.29 R$6.46

-13.95%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$23.6K R$118.0K

48.02%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$33.1K R$165.1K

-23.20%

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

$217 $217

$56.4 R$282

285.48%

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

$74.0 $74.0

$8.13 R$40.58

810.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$9.96 R$49.73

627.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$14.85 R$74.1

711.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.9 $66.9

$30.39 R$152

120.11%

Cinema Ticket

$22.32 $22.32

$7.14 R$35.65

212.61%

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

$3,425 $3,425

$109 R$545

3034.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.2K $61.2K

$6,766 R$33.8K

804.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 $76.3

$40.41 R$202

88.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 $55.5

$50.7 R$253

9.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$89.4 R$446

33.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$66.1 R$330

97.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,506 $4,506

$164 R$820

2643.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,155 $3,155

$132 R$657

2297.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,817 $8,817

$349 R$1,740

2429.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,532 $5,532

$263 R$1,314

2001.85%

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

$263 R$1,312

1912.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

-38.00%

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 Caruaru: 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%

Caruaru

$132 19.7% 95.8% $3K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$546 11%

Caruaru

$171 25.5% 68.7% $375

Eating Out

New York, NY

$422 8.5%

Caruaru

$111 16.5% 73.8% $312

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.3%

Caruaru

$75 11.1% 79.5% $289

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.4%

Caruaru

$111 16.6% 35.4% $61

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Caruaru

$42 6.2% 74.9% $124

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Caruaru

$29 4.4% 82.4% $136

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $4,506 in New York, NY and $164 in Caruaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays 1913% 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 $30.00 in Caruaru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $546 vs $171 per month, with Caruaru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇧🇷 Caruaru

🕒 Local time

05:55 5:55 AM

06:55 6:55 AM

1 h ahead of New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

377,911

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

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Between locations

New York, NY Caruaru 6,700 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Caruaru

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 Caruaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY and Caruaru differ by about 673% in total monthly costs ($5,142 vs $665 including rent). Caruaru is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1913% 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 $164 in Caruaru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,425 in New York, NY versus $109 in Caruaru. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 220% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $665 in Caruaru versus $5,142 in New York, NY, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Caruaru but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Caruaru 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 Caruaru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 673% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.