Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Desamparados

For one person, living is cheaper in Desamparados: $1,692 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $38,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
Learn more

New York, NY Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Desamparados
Learn more

Desamparados Living Index

Jump to prices

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Desamparados

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $4,906 per month in New York, NY vs $1,692 in Desamparados, rent included.

New York, NY $4,906
Desamparados $1,692

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $2,664 in Desamparados, rent included.

New York, NY $7,273
Desamparados $2,664

A family of three spends $9,641 per month in New York, NY vs $3,636 in Desamparados, rent included.

New York, NY $9,641
Desamparados $3,636

New York, NY costs about 190% more than Desamparados, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both New York, NY and Desamparados sit above the global median – New York, NY by 263%, Desamparados by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.93 $26.93

$12.32 ₡5,538

118.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 $117

$58.8 ₡26.4K

98.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.60 $14.60

$11.56 ₡5,200

26.30%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$4.30 ₡1,935

52.09%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$2.66 ₡1,195

45.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.92 ₡863

53.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$3.22 ₡1,449

150.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$4.35 ₡1,954

126.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$2.35 ₡1,054

-44.26%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.77 ₡1,243

79.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$2.50 ₡1,124

208.00%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$3.57 ₡1,604

70.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$10.86 ₡4,885

80.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$10.28 ₡4,623

71.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$14.19 ₡6,382

42.78%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 $6.99

$5.22 ₡2,347

33.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.59 ₡716

38.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$3.27 ₡1,473

105.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$3.44 ₡1,548

106.98%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.10 ₡1,395

48.71%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.23 ₡1,452

47.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.05 ₡470

173.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.71 ₡1,219

-0.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.14 $19.14

$5.57 ₡2,504

243.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 $19.63

$16.73 ₡7,524

17.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.60 ₡1,168

27.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.74 ₡1,233

52.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.30 ₡586

132.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.50 ₡1,122

21.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.54 ₡694

42.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$8.71 ₡3,917

374.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.52 ₡682

-25.66%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$33.7K ₡15.1M

2.29%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$42.4K ₡19.1M

-39.08%

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

$232 $232

$93.1 ₡41.8K

149.70%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$29.52 ₡13.3K

140.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$58.9 ₡26.5K

14.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$69.0 ₡31.0K

67.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

$7.49 ₡3,367

199.20%

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

$3,606 $3,606

$845 ₡379.9K

326.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

$17.2K ₡7.7M

300.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 $79.3

$72.0 ₡32.4K

10.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-7.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$127 ₡57.1K

-4.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$134 ₡60.1K

5.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,555 $4,555

$800 ₡359.6K

469.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

$636 ₡286.1K

377.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,742 $9,742

$1,877 ₡844.0K

419.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,331 $5,331

$1,240 ₡557.5K

329.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K $18.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,685 $6,685

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,096 $5,096

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

8.62

-20.07%

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 Desamparados: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3K 62%

Desamparados

$636 37.6% 79.1% $2.4K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$567 11.6%

Desamparados

$372 22% 34.4% $195

Eating Out

New York, NY

$425 8.7%

Desamparados

$228 13.5% 46.4% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$371 7.6%

Desamparados

$181 10.7% 51.1% $190

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$176 3.6%

Desamparados

$175 10.3% 1% $1.8

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.4%

Desamparados

$15 * 0.9% 90.7% $150

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

Desamparados

$84 5% 47.6% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,555 in New York, NY versus $800 in Desamparados. 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 $117 in New York, NY versus $59 in Desamparados. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $567 vs $372 – making Desamparados the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇨🇷 Desamparados

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

16:26 4:26 PM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

38,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

New York, NY Desamparados 3,550 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Desamparados

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 Desamparados: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,906 in New York, NY, $1,692 in Desamparados – Desamparados comes out roughly 66% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,358 per month in New York, NY and $2,538 in Desamparados. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Desamparados, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $800 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $117 in New York, NY and $59 in Desamparados. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in New York, NY, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Desamparados, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in New York, NY at $4,906. In Desamparados it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Desamparados – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.