Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Celaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Celaya: $898 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $48,100 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Celaya
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Celaya Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Celaya

🇲🇽 Mexico

$898

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,906 in New York, NY versus $898 in Celaya.

New York, NY $4,906
Celaya $898

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,273 in New York, NY versus $1,417 in Celaya.

New York, NY $7,273
Celaya $1,417

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,641 in New York, NY versus $1,936 in Celaya.

New York, NY $9,641
Celaya $1,936

Living in New York, NY is roughly 446% more expensive than in Celaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: New York, NY is 263% above, Celaya is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.93 $26.93

$12.58 MX$236

114.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 $117

$42.29 MX$794

176.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.60 $14.60

$7.17 MX$135

103.63%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$3.18 MX$59.7

105.66%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$1.15 MX$21.51

235.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.05 MX$19.74

180.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$2.18 MX$40.94

270.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$3.31 MX$62.1

197.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.44 MX$27.05

-9.03%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.12 MX$39.73

134.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$1.52 MX$28.46

406.58%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$2.20 MX$41.36

176.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$7.70 MX$145

153.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$8.01 MX$150

119.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$11.21 MX$210

80.73%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 $6.99

$2.21 MX$41.53

216.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.10 MX$20.66

100.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$1.53 MX$28.72

339.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$1.11 MX$20.80

541.44%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$1.53 MX$28.74

201.31%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$1.33 MX$24.93

259.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.01 MX$19.05

184.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$0.77 MX$14.49

249.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.14 $19.14

$4.25 MX$79.8

350.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 $19.63

$8.85 MX$166

121.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.78 MX$33.52

86.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.40 MX$63.9

23.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.60 MX$11.27

403.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

$27.44 MX$515

407.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.23 MX$23.12

147.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.07 MX$20.07

105.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$4.32 MX$81.1

856.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.46 MX$27.48

-22.60%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$24.3K MX$457.2K

41.51%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$23.3K MX$437.6K

10.93%

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

$232 $232

$36.67 MX$689

533.62%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$18.78 MX$353

278.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$18.81 MX$353

259.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$31.65 MX$594

264.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

$27.21 MX$511

182.29%

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

$4.97 MX$93.4

350.91%

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

$3,606 $3,606

$212 MX$3,977

1602.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

$2,847 MX$53.5K

2312.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 $79.3

$53.7 MX$1,008

47.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$37.02 MX$695

38.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$99.8 MX$1,873

21.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$68.2 MX$1,282

105.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,555 $4,555

$243 MX$4,563

1774.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

$213 MX$3,994

1329.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,742 $9,742

$383 MX$7,184

2446.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,331 $5,331

$277 MX$5,207

1822.83%

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

$813 MX$15.3K

526.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

11.2

-38.48%

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 Celaya: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3K 62%

Celaya

$213 23.7% 93% $2.8K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$567 11.6%

Celaya

$230 25.7% 59.4% $337

Eating Out

New York, NY

$425 8.7%

Celaya

$187 20.8% 56.1% $239

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$371 7.6%

Celaya

$74 8.3% 80% $297

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$176 3.6%

Celaya

$116 13% 34% $60

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.4%

Celaya

$36 4.1% 78% $129

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

Celaya

$42 4.6% 74% $119

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $4,555 in New York, NY and $243 in Celaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays about 6.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $117 in New York, NY vs $42 in Celaya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $567 vs $230 per month, with Celaya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇲🇽 Celaya

🕒 Local time

05:51 5:51 AM

04:51 4:51 AM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

378,143

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Celaya 3,370 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Celaya

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 Celaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,906 in New York, NY and $898 in Celaya, so Celaya is about 82% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in New York, NY is about 6.3 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 $243 in Celaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Celaya – a meal for two runs $42 versus $117 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $4,906 per month in New York, NY versus $898 in Celaya – Celaya is about 82% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $898 in Celaya versus $4,906 in New York, NY, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Celaya but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Celaya 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 Celaya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 82% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.