Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Cucuta

For one person, living is cheaper in Cucuta: $1,335 a month against $4,950 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $43,400 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Cucuta
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Cucuta Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,950

/mo nomad

Cucuta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,335

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,950 in New York, NY versus $1,335 in Cucuta.

New York, NY $4,950
Cucuta $1,335

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,265 in New York, NY versus $2,003 in Cucuta.

New York, NY $7,265
Cucuta $2,003

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,581 in New York, NY versus $2,670 in Cucuta.

New York, NY $9,581
Cucuta $2,670

Living in New York, NY is roughly 271% more expensive than in Cucuta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: New York, NY is 267% above, Cucuta is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.65 $24.65

$7.44 COP 23.6K

231.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$48.54 COP 153.9K

150.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 $13.91

$9.16 COP 29.1K

51.86%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$2.91 COP 9,235

126.46%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$1.43 COP 4,544

168.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.08 COP 3,420

165.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 $7.79

$3.09 COP 9,785

152.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$3.70 COP 11.7K

166.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.61 COP 5,112

-14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$4.68 $4.68

$2.47 COP 7,844

89.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.54 $7.54

$1.54 COP 4,893

389.61%

Eggs

$5.93 $5.93

$2.99 COP 9,488

98.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.83 $18.83

$9.00 COP 28.5K

109.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.36 $17.36

$8.58 COP 27.2K

102.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.51 $18.51

$11.41 COP 36.2K

62.23%

Apples (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$3.54 COP 11.2K

90.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.60 COP 5,061

30.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$2.07 COP 6,574

193.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$1.94 COP 6,139

247.42%

Potato (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.28 COP 4,071

216.41%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.31 COP 4,149

233.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.10 COP 3,497

162.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.02 COP 3,221

154.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.72 $18.72

$4.35 COP 13.8K

330.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.06 $20.06

$14.74 COP 46.7K

36.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.65 COP 5,217

96.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 $3.73

$2.29 COP 7,271

62.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.19 COP 3,783

157.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.52 COP 4,830

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.09 COP 6,624

2.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.82 $41.82

$9.90 COP 31.4K

322.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.28 COP 4,055

-12.50%

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

$35.5K $35.5K

$28.7K COP 90.9M

23.70%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$40.2K COP 127.6M

-35.29%

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

$219 $219

$126 COP 397.9K

74.51%

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

$73.2 $73.2

$13.88 COP 44.0K

427.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.0 $72.0

$29.14 COP 92.4K

147.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$123 $123

$33.45 COP 106.1K

266.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.7 $67.7

Cinema Ticket

$22.85 $22.85

$6.95 COP 22.0K

228.78%

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

$3,333 $3,333

$647 COP 2.1M

415.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$60.0K $60.0K

$6,396 COP 20.3M

837.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 $75.2

$86.4 COP 273.8K

-12.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 $52.4

$49.97 COP 158.4K

4.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

$154 COP 489.8K

-21.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$102 COP 323.2K

30.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,389 $4,389

$643 COP 2.0M

582.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,130 $3,130

$497 COP 1.6M

529.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,918 $8,918

$1,017 COP 3.2M

776.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,354 $5,354

$792 COP 2.5M

576.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

$1,980 COP 6.3M

880.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,806 $6,806

$1,498 COP 4.7M

354.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,343 $5,343

$565 COP 1.8M

846.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.58

-41.11%

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 Cucuta: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.2%

Cucuta

$497 37.2% 84.1% $2.6K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$545 11%

Cucuta

$274 20.5% 49.8% $271

Eating Out

New York, NY

$404 8.2%

Cucuta

$155 11.6% 61.6% $249

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.4%

Cucuta

$169 12.6% 53.7% $196

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.5%

Cucuta

$177 13.2% 2.7% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Cucuta

$47 3.6% 71.9% $121

Getting Around

New York, NY

$167 3.4%

Cucuta

$17 * 1.3% 89.9% $150

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $4,389 in New York, NY and $643 in Cucuta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays 846% 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: $122 in New York, NY vs $49.00 in Cucuta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $545 vs $274 per month, with Cucuta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇨🇴 Cucuta

🕒 Local time

22:40 10:40 PM

21:40 9:40 PM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

777,106

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Cucuta 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Cucuta

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 Cucuta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cucuta is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 271% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 846% 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: $4,389 in New York, NY versus $643 in Cucuta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,333 in New York, NY versus $647 in Cucuta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cucuta – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $122 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,335 in Cucuta versus $4,950 in New York, NY, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cucuta but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Cucuta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cucuta is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in New York, NY, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Cucuta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 271% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.