Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Cuernavaca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuernavaca: $1,190 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $44,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Cuernavaca
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Cuernavaca Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Cuernavaca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,906 in New York, NY versus $1,190 in Cuernavaca.

New York, NY $4,906
Cuernavaca $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,273 in New York, NY versus $1,792 in Cuernavaca.

New York, NY $7,273
Cuernavaca $1,792

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,641 in New York, NY versus $2,393 in Cuernavaca.

New York, NY $9,641
Cuernavaca $2,393

Living in New York, NY is roughly 312% more expensive than in Cuernavaca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: New York, NY is 263% above, Cuernavaca is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.93 $26.93

$7.89 MX$148

241.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 $117

$38.35 MX$717

204.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.60 $14.60

$6.82 MX$128

114.08%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$2.35 MX$43.95

178.30%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$1.25 MX$23.41

208.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$0.61 MX$11.41

383.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$2.45 MX$45.91

229.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$3.20 MX$59.9

207.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.68 MX$31.44

-22.02%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.18 MX$40.69

127.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$1.41 MX$26.28

446.10%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$1.89 MX$35.33

222.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$7.95 MX$149

145.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$4.90 MX$91.6

258.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$13.41 MX$251

51.08%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 $6.99

$2.13 MX$39.85

228.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.38 MX$25.79

60.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$2.18 MX$40.84

208.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$1.59 MX$29.72

347.80%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$1.76 MX$32.96

161.93%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$1.79 MX$33.43

167.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.49 MX$27.89

92.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$0.84 MX$15.71

220.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.14 $19.14

$4.36 MX$81.5

338.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 $19.63

$8.01 MX$150

145.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.21 MX$22.57

174.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.25 MX$60.7

28.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.73 MX$13.59

313.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

$33.99 MX$636

309.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.86 MX$34.71

63.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.60 MX$48.58

-15.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$9.45 MX$177

337.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.32 MX$24.77

-14.39%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$23.9K MX$447.0K

44.17%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$23.0K MX$430.2K

12.38%

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

$232 $232

$57.9 MX$1,083

301.36%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$17.81 MX$333

298.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$23.82 MX$446

184.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$28.44 MX$532

305.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

$5.47 MX$102

309.69%

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

$3,606 $3,606

$217 MX$4,053

1564.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

$8,046 MX$150.5K

753.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 $79.3

$39.70 MX$743

99.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$31.95 MX$598

60.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$92.3 MX$1,725

31.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$97.6 MX$1,825

43.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,555 $4,555

$620 MX$11.6K

634.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

$514 MX$9,619

491.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,742 $9,742

$893 MX$16.7K

990.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,331 $5,331

$830 MX$15.5K

542.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K $18.2K

$854 MX$16.0K

2035.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,685 $6,685

$602 MX$11.3K

1010.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,096 $5,096

$831 MX$15.5K

513.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

11.4

-39.56%

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 Cuernavaca: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3K 62%

Cuernavaca

$514 43.2% 83.1% $2.5K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$567 11.6%

Cuernavaca

$229 19.3% 59.6% $338

Eating Out

New York, NY

$425 8.7%

Cuernavaca

$138 11.6% 67.6% $287

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$371 7.6%

Cuernavaca

$100 8.4% 73.2% $272

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$176 3.6%

Cuernavaca

$118 9.9% 33.3% $59

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.4%

Cuernavaca

$52 4.4% 68.7% $114

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

Cuernavaca

$39 3.3% 75.4% $121

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $4,555 in New York, NY and $620 in Cuernavaca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays about 6.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $117 in New York, NY vs $38 in Cuernavaca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $567 vs $229 per month, with Cuernavaca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇲🇽 Cuernavaca

🕒 Local time

08:56 8:56 AM

07:56 7:56 AM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

341,029

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Cuernavaca 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Cuernavaca

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 Cuernavaca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuernavaca is about 76% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in New York, NY is about 6.1 times higher, 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: $4,555 in New York, NY versus $620 in Cuernavaca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 147% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuernavaca – a meal for two runs $38 versus $117 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,190 in Cuernavaca versus $4,906 in New York, NY, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuernavaca but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Cuernavaca 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.

Expats usually find Cuernavaca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.