Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Curitiba

For one person, living is cheaper in Curitiba: $1,035 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $49,300 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Curitiba
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Curitiba Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,035

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $5,142 in New York, NY versus $1,035 in Curitiba.

New York, NY $5,142
Curitiba $1,035

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,455 in New York, NY versus $1,617 in Curitiba.

New York, NY $7,455
Curitiba $1,617

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,767 in New York, NY versus $2,199 in Curitiba.

New York, NY $9,767
Curitiba $2,199

Living in New York, NY is roughly 397% more expensive than in Curitiba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: New York, NY is 284% above, Curitiba is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.46 $26.46

$8.04 R$40.15

229.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$40.63 R$203

192.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.43 $14.43

$9.14 R$45.64

57.88%

Cappuccino

$6.55 $6.55

$2.71 R$13.55

141.70%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$1.16 R$5.77

231.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$0.90 R$4.47

233.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.27 $8.27

$2.74 R$13.66

201.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.05 $10.05

$4.08 R$20.38

146.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.10 R$5.47

19.09%

White Bread (500g)

$4.90 $4.90

$1.85 R$9.23

164.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.16 $7.16

$1.35 R$6.73

430.37%

Eggs

$5.92 $5.92

$2.49 R$12.42

137.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 $19.06

$10.30 R$51.4

85.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$4.93 R$24.59

252.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 $18.94

$10.54 R$52.6

79.70%

Apples (1kg)

$6.96 $6.96

$1.75 R$8.75

297.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.12 R$5.57

85.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$1.00 R$5.01

510.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$1.35 R$6.73

414.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$0.86 R$4.27

362.79%

Onion (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$0.78 R$3.92

469.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 $2.81

$0.73 R$3.66

284.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$0.83 R$4.15

202.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.27 $19.27

$3.05 R$15.21

531.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.67 $19.67

$7.64 R$38.12

157.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.30 R$6.49

136.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.44 R$12.16

50.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.17 R$5.83

158.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

$73.4 R$367

89.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.32 R$6.61

132.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.81 R$4.07

162.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

$5.98 R$29.85

589.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.36 R$6.79

-18.38%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$23.4K R$117.0K

49.27%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$33.4K R$166.8K

-24.01%

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

$217 $217

$103 R$516

110.34%

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

$74.0 $74.0

$14.97 R$74.7

394.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$23.58 R$118

207.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$29.27 R$146

311.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.9 $66.9

$20.06 R$100

233.45%

Cinema Ticket

$22.32 $22.32

$7.64 R$38.14

192.15%

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

$3,425 $3,425

$379 R$1,894

802.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.2K $61.2K

$11.2K R$55.7K

448.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 $76.3

$56.5 R$282

35.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 $55.5

$56.0 R$280

-1.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$97.4 R$486

22.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$80.1 R$400

62.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,506 $4,506

$520 R$2,596

766.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,155 $3,155

$300 R$1,499

950.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,817 $8,817

$827 R$4,128

966.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,532 $5,532

$545 R$2,723

914.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

$2,450 R$12.2K

691.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,754 $6,754

$1,755 R$8,762

284.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,290 $5,290

$689 R$3,438

668.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.54

-40.90%

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 Curitiba: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2%

Curitiba

$300 28.4% 90.5% $2.9K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$546 11%

Curitiba

$202 19.1% 63% $344

Eating Out

New York, NY

$422 8.5%

Curitiba

$154 14.6% 63.4% $268

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.3%

Curitiba

$142 13.4% 61% $222

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.4%

Curitiba

$130 12.3% 24% $41

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Curitiba

$84 7.9% 49.5% $82

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Curitiba

$45 4.2% 73% $121

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $4,506 in New York, NY and $520 in Curitiba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays 668% 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 $41.00 in Curitiba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $546 vs $202 per month, with Curitiba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇧🇷 Curitiba

🕒 Local time

06:52 6:52 AM

07:52 7:52 AM

1 h ahead of New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

1,773,718

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

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Between locations

New York, NY Curitiba 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Curitiba

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 Curitiba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Curitiba wins on cost – living expenses run 397% lower than in New York, NY. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Curitiba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 668% 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 $520 in Curitiba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Curitiba runs roughly 90% less than in New York, NY. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $3,425 in New York, NY versus $379 in Curitiba. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,035 in Curitiba versus $5,142 in New York, NY, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Curitiba but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Curitiba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Curitiba delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,035 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Curitiba hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Curitiba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 397% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.