Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Crystal Lake, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Crystal Lake, IL: $2,999 a month against $4,938 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $23,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
Learn more

New York, NY Living Index
146

Cost of Living Index in Crystal Lake, IL
Learn more

Crystal Lake, IL Living Index

Jump to prices

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,938

/mo nomad

Crystal Lake, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,999

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New York, NY and in Crystal Lake, IL

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 Crystal Lake, IL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,938 per month in New York, NY vs $2,999 in Crystal Lake, IL, rent included.

New York, NY $4,938
Crystal Lake, IL $2,999

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $4,051 in Crystal Lake, IL, rent included.

New York, NY $7,273
Crystal Lake, IL $4,051

A family of three spends $9,608 per month in New York, NY vs $5,103 in Crystal Lake, IL, rent included.

New York, NY $9,608
Crystal Lake, IL $5,103

New York, NY costs about 65% more than Crystal Lake, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both New York, NY and Crystal Lake, IL sit above the global median – New York, NY by 264%, Crystal Lake, IL by 121%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.99 $24.99

$19.75 $19.75

26.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$66.9 $66.9

79.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.74 $13.74

$12.93 $12.93

6.26%

Cappuccino

$6.60 $6.60

$5.67 $5.67

16.40%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$3.07 $3.07

24.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.44 $2.44

17.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.95 $7.95

$7.10 $7.10

11.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.06 $10.06

$8.04 $8.04

25.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$0.93 $0.93

47.31%

White Bread (500g)

$4.75 $4.75

$3.43 $3.43

38.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.69 $7.69

$4.34 $4.34

77.19%

Eggs

$5.87 $5.87

$3.72 $3.72

57.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.25 $19.25

$14.83 $14.83

29.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.83 $17.83

$13.00 $13.00

37.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.03 $19.03

$19.90 $19.90

-4.37%

Apples (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$4.64 $4.64

44.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.65 $1.65

38.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$5.38 $5.38

19.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$4.83 $4.83

39.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.86 $2.86

37.41%

Onion (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.97 $2.97

52.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.15 $2.15

29.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.41 $2.41

4.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.10 $18.10

$10.81 $10.81

67.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.16 $20.16

$15.49 $15.49

30.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.67 $2.67

22.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 $3.75

$4.55 $4.55

-17.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.23 $2.23

30.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$143 $143

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.91 $3.91

-21.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.95 $1.95

10.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$44.13 $44.13

-6.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.99 $0.99

13.13%

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

$33.1K $33.1K

$30.7K $30.7K

7.93%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$26.3K $26.3K

-2.17%

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

$219 $219

$273 $273

-19.65%

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

$75.3 $75.3

$52.1 $52.1

44.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$81.5 $81.5

-13.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$116 $116

$36.73 $36.73

214.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

Cinema Ticket

$21.37 $21.37

$14.86 $14.86

43.81%

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

$3,432 $3,432

$1,706 $1,706

101.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.7K $61.7K

$23.2K $23.2K

165.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.9 $74.9

$65.1 $65.1

14.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$51.2 $51.2

1.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$106 $106

10.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$120 $120

12.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,347 $4,347

$1,622 $1,622

168.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,117 $3,117

$1,582 $1,582

97.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,110 $9,110

$2,470 $2,470

268.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,379 $5,379

$2,127 $2,127

152.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.3K $19.3K

$2,626 $2,626

634.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,943 $6,943

$2,034 $2,034

241.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,238 $5,238

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

6.69

2.39%

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 17, 2026

Last update for Crystal Lake, IL: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.1%

Crystal Lake, IL

$1.6K 52.7% 49.3% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$552 11.2%

Crystal Lake, IL

$429 14.3% 22.3% $123

Eating Out

New York, NY

$407 8.2%

Crystal Lake, IL

$338 11.3% 16.8% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$365 7.4%

Crystal Lake, IL

$406 13.6% 11.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$170 3.5%

Crystal Lake, IL

$154 5.1% 9.6% $16

Getting Around

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Crystal Lake, IL

$23 * 0.8% 86.6% $146

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$158 3.2%

Crystal Lake, IL

$66 2.2% 58% $92

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,347 in New York, NY versus $1,622 in Crystal Lake, IL. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $120 in New York, NY versus $67.0 in Crystal Lake, IL. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $552 vs $429 – making Crystal Lake, IL the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇸 Crystal Lake, IL

🕒 Local time

23:20 11:20 PM

22:20 10:20 PM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

40,269

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

New York, NY Crystal Lake, IL 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Crystal Lake, IL

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 Crystal Lake, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,938 in New York, NY, $2,999 in Crystal Lake, IL – roughly 65% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,407 per month in New York, NY and $4,498 in Crystal Lake, IL. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $120 in New York, NY and $67.0 in Crystal Lake, IL. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% 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.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,938 in New York, NY and $2,999 in Crystal Lake, IL. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. New York, NY has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,999 in Crystal Lake, IL to $4,938 in New York, NY. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Crystal Lake, IL. 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.