Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Castro

For one person, living is cheaper in Castro: $875 a month against $4,950 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $48,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Castro
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Castro Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,950

/mo nomad

Castro

🇨🇱 Chile

$875

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $4,950 per month in New York, NY vs $875 in Castro, rent included.

New York, NY $4,950
Castro $875

A couple spends around $7,265 per month in New York, NY vs $1,381 in Castro, rent included.

New York, NY $7,265
Castro $1,381

A family of three spends $9,581 per month in New York, NY vs $1,887 in Castro, rent included.

New York, NY $9,581
Castro $1,887

New York, NY costs about 466% more than Castro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 267% above the global median, while Castro is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.65 $24.65

$8.29 CLP 8,163

197.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$46.10 CLP 45.4K

163.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 $13.91

$5.66 CLP 5,568

145.76%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$1.49 CLP 1,464

342.28%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$1.20 CLP 1,181

220.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.01 CLP 990

184.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 $7.79

$5.15 CLP 5,066

51.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$7.29 CLP 7,173

35.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.08 CLP 1,065

27.78%

White Bread (500g)

$4.68 $4.68

$3.51 CLP 3,451

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.54 $7.54

$1.25 CLP 1,232

503.20%

Eggs

$5.93 $5.93

$4.12 CLP 4,056

43.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.83 $18.83

$9.67 CLP 9,523

94.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.36 $17.36

$4.03 CLP 3,965

330.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.51 $18.51

$8.49 CLP 8,358

118.02%

Apples (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$1.40 CLP 1,373

381.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.30 CLP 2,268

-9.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$1.48 CLP 1,461

310.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$1.98 CLP 1,947

240.40%

Potato (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.13 CLP 1,109

258.41%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.52 CLP 1,494

90.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.56 CLP 1,531

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.72 $18.72

$3.75 CLP 3,688

399.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.06 $20.06

$7.78 CLP 7,662

157.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.00 CLP 987

225.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 $3.73

$3.13 CLP 3,085

19.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.06 $3.06

$0.66 CLP 654

363.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.82 $41.82

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.30 CLP 1,282

-13.85%

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

$35.5K $35.5K

$15.5K CLP 15.2M

129.32%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$18.2K CLP 17.9M

42.90%

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

$219 $219

$131 CLP 128.8K

67.36%

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

$73.2 $73.2

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.0 $72.0

$31.25 CLP 30.8K

130.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$123 $123

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.7 $67.7

Cinema Ticket

$22.85 $22.85

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

$3,333 $3,333

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$60.0K $60.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 $75.2

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 $52.4

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

$81.0 CLP 79.7K

50.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,389 $4,389

$355 CLP 349.2K

1137.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,130 $3,130

$290 CLP 285.5K

979.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,918 $8,918

$1,002 CLP 986.6K

789.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,354 $5,354

$576 CLP 566.8K

829.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,806 $6,806

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,343 $5,343

$614 CLP 604.7K

769.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

-2.57%

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 13, 2026

Last update for Castro: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.2%

Castro

$290 33.2% 90.7% $2.8K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$545 11%

Castro

$234 * 26.7% 57.1% $311

Eating Out

New York, NY

$404 8.2%

Castro

$150 17.2% 62.8% $253

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.4%

Castro

$162 * 18.5% 55.5% $202

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.5%

Castro

$36 * 4.2% 78.8% $136

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Castro

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

New York, NY

$167 3.4%

Castro

$2.7 * 0.3% 98.4% $164

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,389 in New York, NY versus $355 in Castro. 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 770% 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 $122 in New York, NY versus $46.00 in Castro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $545 vs $234 – making Castro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇨🇱 Castro

🕒 Local time

23:39 11:39 PM

00:39 12:39 AM

1 h ahead of New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

33,417

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

CLP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Castro 9,240 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Castro

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 Castro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 466% more than Castro, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,424 per month in New York, NY and $1,313 in Castro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Castro, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,950 in New York, NY and $875 in Castro. That's a gap of about 466%.

Groceries cost about 133% more in New York, NY, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Castro, where all-in costs run around $875, than in New York, NY at $4,950. In Castro it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Castro costs $875 versus $4,950 in New York, NY. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Castro. 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.