Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Durham, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Durham, NC: $2,423 a month against $4,941 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $30,200 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
116

Cost of Living Index in Durham, NC
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Durham, NC Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,941

/mo nomad

Durham, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,423

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,941 in New York, NY versus $2,423 in Durham, NC.

New York, NY $4,941
Durham, NC $2,423

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,225 in New York, NY versus $3,700 in Durham, NC.

New York, NY $7,225
Durham, NC $3,700

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,509 in New York, NY versus $4,978 in Durham, NC.

New York, NY $9,509
Durham, NC $4,978

Living in New York, NY is roughly 104% more expensive than in Durham, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New York, NY 263% above, Durham, NC 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.55 $28.55

$15.31 $15.31

86.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$106 $106

11.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.04 $15.04

$9.96 $9.96

51.00%

Cappuccino

$6.53 $6.53

$4.79 $4.79

36.33%

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

$3.96 $3.96

$3.02 $3.02

31.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.10 $2.10

43.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 $8.16

$6.18 $6.18

32.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.84 $9.84

$7.12 $7.12

38.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.13 $1.13

21.24%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$4.70 $4.70

5.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$4.52 $4.52

72.79%

Eggs

$5.97 $5.97

$3.45 $3.45

73.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$19.01 $19.01

-0.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.04 $18.04

$16.98 $16.98

6.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.05 $19.05

$17.05 $17.05

11.73%

Apples (1kg)

$6.76 $6.76

$5.67 $5.67

19.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.83 $1.83

24.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.83 $6.83

$3.90 $3.90

75.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$4.58 $4.58

54.80%

Potato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.27 $2.27

85.90%

Onion (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$3.90 $3.90

19.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.75 $2.75

4.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.96 $1.96

32.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.77 $18.77

$8.57 $8.57

119.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.13 $20.13

$15.23 $15.23

32.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.52 $1.52

126.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 $4.02

$4.01 $4.01

0.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 $2.91

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.96 $1.96

57.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 $2.12

$0.60 $0.60

253.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.96 $41.96

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.01 $1.01

15.84%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$30.9K $30.9K

11.57%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$26.0K $26.0K

-0.74%

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

$219 $219

$226 $226

-2.99%

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

$74.2 $74.2

$56.8 $56.8

30.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$71.5 $71.5

-1.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 $112

$51.5 $51.5

117.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$74.9 $74.9

Cinema Ticket

$22.14 $22.14

$12.36 $12.36

79.13%

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

$3,558 $3,558

$1,567 $1,567

127.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$62.2K $62.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.6 $75.6

$45.29 $45.29

66.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 $51.2

$35.33 $35.33

44.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 $123

$90.7 $90.7

35.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$134 $134

4.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,499 $4,499

$1,502 $1,502

199.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,078 $3,078

$1,118 $1,118

175.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,447 $9,447

$2,272 $2,272

315.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,190 $5,190

$1,970 $1,970

163.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.1K $18.1K

$3,463 $3,463

422.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,693 $6,693

$2,420 $2,420

176.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,220 $5,220

$4,786 $4,786

9.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

6.81

0.73%

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 26, 2026

Last update for Durham, NC: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 62.3%

Durham, NC

$1.1K 46.2% 63.7% $2K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$563 11.4%

Durham, NC

$456 18.8% 19% $107

Eating Out

New York, NY

$440 8.9%

Durham, NC

$276 11.4% 37.4% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.4%

Durham, NC

$355 14.6% 2.6% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$175 3.6%

Durham, NC

$137 5.7% 21.8% $38

Getting Around

New York, NY

$164 3.3%

Durham, NC

$5 * 0.2% 97% $159

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$156 3.2%

Durham, NC

$76 3.2% 51.2% $80

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 $4,499 in New York, NY and $1,502 in Durham, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays 9% 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: $118 in New York, NY vs $106 in Durham, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $563 vs $456 per month, with Durham, NC cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇸 Durham, NC

🕒 Local time

02:33 2:33 AM

Same time as New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

283,506

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Durham, NC 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Durham, NC

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 Durham, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Durham, NC wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in New York, NY. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Durham, NC the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 9% 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: $4,499 in New York, NY versus $1,502 in Durham, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $4,941 per month in New York, NY versus $2,423 in Durham, NC – Durham, NC is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Durham, NC is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Durham, NC delivers better value at $2,423 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Durham, NC hard to pass up.

It comes down to priorities – Durham, NC wins on affordability, New York, NY on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.