Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Contagem

For one person, living is cheaper in Contagem: $788 a month against $4,950 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $49,900 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Contagem
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Contagem Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,950

/mo nomad

Contagem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$788

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $4,950 per month in New York, NY vs $788 in Contagem, rent included.

New York, NY $4,950
Contagem $788

A couple spends around $7,265 per month in New York, NY vs $1,272 in Contagem, rent included.

New York, NY $7,265
Contagem $1,272

A family of three spends $9,581 per month in New York, NY vs $1,755 in Contagem, rent included.

New York, NY $9,581
Contagem $1,755

New York, NY costs about 528% more than Contagem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 267% above the global median, while Contagem is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.65 $24.65

$6.06 R$30.73

306.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$30.50 R$155

298.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 $13.91

$7.32 R$37.10

90.03%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$1.76 R$8.93

274.43%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$1.42 R$7.19

170.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$0.58 R$2.96

394.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 $7.79

$1.32 R$6.69

490.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$2.57 R$13.05

283.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.00 R$5.09

38.00%

White Bread (500g)

$4.68 $4.68

$1.84 R$9.34

154.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.54 $7.54

$1.37 R$6.94

450.36%

Eggs

$5.93 $5.93

$1.98 R$10.06

199.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.83 $18.83

$10.07 R$51.1

86.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.36 $17.36

$3.47 R$17.61

400.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.51 $18.51

$7.50 R$38.03

146.80%

Apples (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$1.91 R$9.69

252.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.17 R$5.91

78.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$0.94 R$4.75

545.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$1.67 R$8.48

303.59%

Potato (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.09 R$5.53

271.56%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$0.99 R$5.00

341.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

$0.85 R$4.33

240.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$0.82 R$4.14

217.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.72 $18.72

$1.64 R$8.31

1041.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.06 $20.06

$6.04 R$30.61

232.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.02 R$5.18

218.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 $3.73

$1.37 R$6.94

172.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.50 R$7.61

104.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

$80.1 R$406

75.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.19 R$6.04

155.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

$0.79 R$3.99

172.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.82 $41.82

$6.28 R$31.84

565.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.32 R$6.67

-15.15%

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

$35.5K $35.5K

$23.5K R$119.3K

50.68%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$31.6K R$160.4K

-17.69%

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

$219 $219

$76.2 R$386

187.57%

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

$73.2 $73.2

$10.11 R$51.3

623.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.0 $72.0

$19.26 R$97.7

273.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$123 $123

$26.55 R$135

362.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.7 $67.7

$23.62 R$120

186.49%

Cinema Ticket

$22.85 $22.85

$7.31 R$37.04

212.59%

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

$3,333 $3,333

$144 R$732

2208.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$60.0K $60.0K

$2,630 R$13.3K

2180.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 $75.2

$61.6 R$312

22.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 $52.4

$49.74 R$252

5.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

$68.6 R$348

77.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$48.25 R$245

175.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,389 $4,389

$232 R$1,174

1794.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,130 $3,130

$158 R$798

1887.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,918 $8,918

$488 R$2,475

1726.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,354 $5,354

$334 R$1,693

1503.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

$1,991 R$10.1K

874.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,806 $6,806

$1,015 R$5,146

570.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,343 $5,343

$261 R$1,324

1946.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

10.67

-36.08%

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 Contagem: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.2%

Contagem

$158 20% 95% $3K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$545 11%

Contagem

$179 22.7% 67.2% $366

Eating Out

New York, NY

$404 8.2%

Contagem

$111 14.1% 72.4% $292

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.4%

Contagem

$106 13.4% 71% $259

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.5%

Contagem

$103 13% 40.3% $69

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Contagem

$41 5.2% 75.6% $127

Getting Around

New York, NY

$167 3.4%

Contagem

$91 11.6% 45.2% $75

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,389 in New York, NY versus $232 in Contagem. 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 1946% 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 $31.00 in Contagem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $545 vs $179 – making Contagem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇧🇷 Contagem

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

11:19 11:19 AM

1 h ahead of New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

621,863

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

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Between locations

New York, NY Contagem 7,420 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Contagem

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 Contagem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – New York, NY is pricier by about 528%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,424 per month in New York, NY and $1,183 in Contagem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 75% less in Contagem. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $3,333 per month in New York, NY and $144 in Contagem. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Contagem, where all-in costs run around $788, than in New York, NY at $4,950. In Contagem it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Contagem – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Contagem. 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.