Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Cozumel

For one person, living is cheaper in Cozumel: $1,167 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $47,700 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Cozumel
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Cozumel Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Cozumel

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,167

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $5,142 in New York, NY versus $1,167 in Cozumel.

New York, NY $5,142
Cozumel $1,167

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,455 in New York, NY versus $1,884 in Cozumel.

New York, NY $7,455
Cozumel $1,884

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,767 in New York, NY versus $2,602 in Cozumel.

New York, NY $9,767
Cozumel $2,602

Living in New York, NY is roughly 341% more expensive than in Cozumel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: New York, NY is 284% above, Cozumel is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.46 $26.46

$8.71 MX$160

203.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$45.03 MX$827

163.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.43 $14.43

$8.23 MX$151

75.33%

Cappuccino

$6.55 $6.55

$2.79 MX$51.2

134.77%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$1.11 MX$20.39

245.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.02 MX$18.80

194.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.27 $8.27

$1.69 MX$31.02

389.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.05 $10.05

$3.17 MX$58.2

217.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.43 MX$26.29

-8.39%

White Bread (500g)

$4.90 $4.90

$1.64 MX$30.20

198.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.16 $7.16

$1.76 MX$32.32

306.82%

Eggs

$5.92 $5.92

$1.89 MX$34.72

213.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 $19.06

$10.33 MX$190

84.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$8.06 MX$148

115.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 $18.94

$12.85 MX$236

47.39%

Apples (1kg)

$6.96 $6.96

$2.47 MX$45.33

181.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.40 MX$25.70

48.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$2.13 MX$39.07

186.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$1.53 MX$28.16

354.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.24 MX$41.12

77.68%

Onion (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$1.77 MX$32.43

150.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.46 MX$26.81

92.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.20 MX$22.04

109.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.27 $19.27

$4.43 MX$81.3

334.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.67 $19.67

$10.96 MX$201

79.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.54 MX$28.23

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.57 MX$47.14

43.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.69 MX$12.58

337.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

$67.2 MX$1,233

107.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.84 MX$52.1

8.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.97 MX$36.21

8.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

$9.29 MX$171

343.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.37 MX$25.12

-18.98%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$20.5K MX$377.1K

70.39%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$24.3K MX$446.9K

4.35%

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

$217 $217

$59.7 MX$1,097

264.06%

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

$74.0 $74.0

$20.99 MX$385

252.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$22.26 MX$409

225.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$39.08 MX$717

208.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.9 $66.9

$20.46 MX$376

226.93%

Cinema Ticket

$22.32 $22.32

$6.13 MX$113

264.11%

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

$3,425 $3,425

$261 MX$4,789

1213.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.2K $61.2K

$3,671 MX$67.4K

1566.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 $76.3

$54.3 MX$997

40.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 $55.5

$54.2 MX$994

2.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$104 MX$1,911

14.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$84.7 MX$1,555

54.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,506 $4,506

$606 MX$11.1K

643.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,155 $3,155

$399 MX$7,327

690.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,817 $8,817

$1,619 MX$29.7K

444.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,532 $5,532

$767 MX$14.1K

621.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

$1,922 MX$35.3K

908.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,754 $6,754

$1,163 MX$21.4K

480.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,290 $5,290

$662 MX$12.2K

698.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.64

-41.41%

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 Cozumel: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2%

Cozumel

$399 33.9% 87.4% $2.8K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$546 11%

Cozumel

$257 21.8% 52.9% $289

Eating Out

New York, NY

$422 8.5%

Cozumel

$151 12.8% 64.2% $271

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.3%

Cozumel

$103 8.7% 71.7% $261

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.4%

Cozumel

$134 11.4% 22.1% $38

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Cozumel

$83 7% 50% $83

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Cozumel

$51 4.4% 68.9% $114

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $4,506 in New York, NY and $606 in Cozumel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays 699% 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 $45.00 in Cozumel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $546 vs $257 per month, with Cozumel cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇲🇽 Cozumel

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

07:06 7:06 AM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

77,236

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Cozumel 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Cozumel

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 Cozumel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY and Cozumel differ by about 341% in total monthly costs ($5,142 vs $1,167 including rent). Cozumel is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 699% 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 $606 in Cozumel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 112% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cozumel – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $119 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,167 in Cozumel versus $5,142 in New York, NY, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cozumel but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Cozumel 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.

Safety-wise, New York, NY and Cozumel are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cozumel gentler on the wallet – expenses run 341% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.