Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Colima

For one person, living is cheaper in Colima: $943 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $47,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

New York, NY, United States
Colima, Mexico
New York, NY
🇺🇸 United States
$4,906
/mo nomad
Colima
🇲🇽 Mexico
$943
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,906 in New York, NY versus $943 in Colima.

  • New York, NY $4,906
  • Colima $943

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,273 in New York, NY versus $1,538 in Colima.

  • New York, NY $7,273
  • Colima $1,538

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,641 in New York, NY versus $2,134 in Colima.

  • New York, NY $9,641
  • Colima $2,134

Living in New York, NY is roughly 420% more expensive than in Colima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: New York, NY is 263% above, Colima is 30% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
New York, NY
Colima
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.93 $26.93
$7.37 MX$138
265.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$117 $117
$32.03 MX$599
264.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.60 $14.60
$7.18 MX$134
103.34%
Cappuccino
$6.54 $6.54
$2.09 MX$39.01
212.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.86 $3.86
$0.98 MX$18.36
293.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 $2.95
$0.81 MX$15.10
264.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.08 $8.08
$2.09 MX$39.14
286.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.85 $9.85
$2.44 MX$45.60
303.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
New York, NY
Colima
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 $1.31
$1.45 MX$27.20
-9.66%
White Bread (500g)
$4.97 $4.97
$2.54 MX$47.58
95.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$7.70 $7.70
$1.14 MX$21.36
575.44%
Eggs
$6.09 $6.09
$2.68 MX$50.1
127.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.55 $19.55
$8.10 MX$152
141.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$17.59 $17.59
$8.48 MX$159
107.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.26 $20.26
$10.08 MX$189
100.99%
Apples (1kg)
$6.99 $6.99
$2.76 MX$51.7
153.26%
Banana (1kg)
$2.21 $2.21
$1.42 MX$26.60
55.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.72 $6.72
$1.67 MX$31.24
302.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.12 $7.12
$2.21 MX$41.36
222.17%
Potato (1kg)
$4.61 $4.61
$2.22 MX$41.56
107.66%
Onion (1kg)
$4.78 $4.78
$2.35 MX$43.97
103.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.87 $2.87
$1.41 MX$26.38
103.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.69 $2.69
$1.06 MX$19.83
153.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$19.14 $19.14
$3.71 MX$69.4
415.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.63 $19.63
$6.61 MX$124
196.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.32 $3.32
$1.54 MX$28.87
115.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.19 $4.19
$1.74 MX$32.61
140.80%
🚌 Getting Around
New York, NY
Colima
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.02 $3.02
$0.62 MX$11.60
387.10%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$139 $139
$19.64 MX$367
609.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.04 $3.04
$2.41 MX$45.06
26.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.20 $2.20
$2.65 MX$49.64
-16.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$41.33 $41.33
$8.03 MX$150
414.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 $1.13
$1.45 MX$27.18
-22.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.5K $34.5K
$22.8K MX$427.2K
50.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.8K $25.8K
$22.0K MX$410.9K
17.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
New York, NY
Colima
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$232 $232
$63.8 MX$1,194
264.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$71.0 $71.0
$20.15 MX$377
252.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.7 $67.7
$29.47 MX$551
129.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
New York, NY
Colima
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$115 $115
$34.54 MX$646
234.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$76.8 $76.8
$21.43 MX$401
258.42%
Cinema Ticket
$22.41 $22.41
$4.49 MX$84.0
399.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
New York, NY
Colima
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,606 $3,606
$144 MX$2,684
2412.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$68.7K $68.7K
$2,450 MX$45.8K
2704.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
New York, NY
Colima
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$79.3 $79.3
$44.85 MX$839
76.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.4 $51.4
$24.85 MX$465
106.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 $121
$72.8 MX$1,362
66.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$140 $140
$100 MX$1,875
40.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
New York, NY
Colima
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,555 $4,555
$258 MX$4,832
1663.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,040 $3,040
$264 MX$4,943
1050.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$9,742 $9,742
$362 MX$6,767
2592.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$5,331 $5,331
$582 MX$10.9K
816.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.2K $18.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,685 $6,685
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
New York, NY
Colima
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,096 $5,096
$278 MX$5,209
1729.95%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.89
11.3
-39.03%

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 Colima: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
New York, NY
$3K
Colima
$264 91.3% $2.8K
Groceries & Markets
New York, NY
$567
Colima
$246 56.6% $321
Eating Out
New York, NY
$425
Colima
$128 69.9% $297
Monthly Utilities & Internet
New York, NY
$371
Colima
$113 69.4% $258
Clothing & Footwear
New York, NY
$176
Colima
$109 38.1% $67
Getting Around
New York, NY
$165
Colima
$38 77.2% $128
Sport & Entertainment
New York, NY
$160
Colima
$44 72.8% $117

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $4,555 in New York, NY and $258 in Colima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays about 18 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $117 in New York, NY vs $32 in Colima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $567 vs $246 per month, with Colima cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 New York, NY
🇲🇽 Colima
🕒 Local time
15:20 3:20 PM
14:20 2:20 PM
1 h behind New York, NY
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,804,190
146,965
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • New York, NY Colima 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • New York, NY
  • Colima

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 Colima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in New York, NY and in Colima?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,906 in New York, NY and $943 in Colima, so Colima is about 81% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: New York, NY or Colima?
Average pay in New York, NY is about 18 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in New York, NY and in Colima?
Rent for a central apartment: $4,555 in New York, NY versus $258 in Colima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in New York, NY and in Colima?
A monthly transit pass in Colima runs roughly 86% less than in New York, NY. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between New York, NY and Colima?
Childcare runs $3,606 in New York, NY versus $144 in Colima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $943 in Colima versus $4,906 in New York, NY, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Colima but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Colima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between New York, NY and Colima?
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.
Where should expats move: New York, NY or Colima?
Expats usually find Colima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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