Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Elizabeth City, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Elizabeth City, NC: $2,456 a month against $4,938 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $29,800 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
120

Cost of Living Index in Elizabeth City, NC
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Elizabeth City, NC Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,938

/mo nomad

Elizabeth City, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,456

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New York, NY and in Elizabeth City, 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 Elizabeth City, NC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,938 per month in New York, NY vs $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC, rent included.

New York, NY $4,938
Elizabeth City, NC $2,456

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $3,522 in Elizabeth City, NC, rent included.

New York, NY $7,273
Elizabeth City, NC $3,522

A family of three spends $9,608 per month in New York, NY vs $4,588 in Elizabeth City, NC, rent included.

New York, NY $9,608
Elizabeth City, NC $4,588

New York, NY costs about 101% more than Elizabeth City, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both New York, NY and Elizabeth City, NC sit above the global median – New York, NY by 264%, Elizabeth City, NC by 81%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.99 $24.99

$11.95 $11.95

109.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$34.93 $34.93

244.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.74 $13.74

$11.60 $11.60

18.45%

Cappuccino

$6.60 $6.60

$5.84 $5.84

13.01%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.52 $2.52

51.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.04 $2.04

40.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.95 $7.95

$6.14 $6.14

29.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.06 $10.06

$7.09 $7.09

41.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$0.95 $0.95

44.21%

White Bread (500g)

$4.75 $4.75

$3.65 $3.65

30.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.69 $7.69

$3.00 $3.00

156.33%

Eggs

$5.87 $5.87

$4.78 $4.78

22.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.25 $19.25

$10.81 $10.81

78.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.83 $17.83

$10.01 $10.01

78.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.03 $19.03

$17.49 $17.49

8.81%

Apples (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$4.38 $4.38

52.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.28 $1.28

78.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$4.39 $4.39

46.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$4.53 $4.53

49.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.16 $2.16

81.94%

Onion (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.21 $2.21

104.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.01 $2.01

38.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.23 $2.23

12.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.10 $18.10

$8.86 $8.86

104.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.16 $20.16

$14.74 $14.74

36.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.12 $2.12

53.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.65 $2.65

41.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.81 $1.81

61.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$143 $143

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.92 $2.92

4.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.93 $1.93

11.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$18.19 $18.19

127.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.00 $1.00

12.00%

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

$33.1K $33.1K

$30.6K $30.6K

8.28%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$25.6K $25.6K

0.36%

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

$219 $219

$183 $183

19.80%

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

$75.3 $75.3

$56.8 $56.8

32.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$59.6 $59.6

18.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$116 $116

$45.64 $45.64

153.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

Cinema Ticket

$21.37 $21.37

$15.06 $15.06

41.90%

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

$3,432 $3,432

$1,491 $1,491

130.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.7K $61.7K

$24.9K $24.9K

148.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.9 $74.9

$54.7 $54.7

37.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$40.11 $40.11

29.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$87.8 $87.8

32.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$143 $143

-5.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,347 $4,347

$1,584 $1,584

174.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,117 $3,117

$1,279 $1,279

143.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,110 $9,110

$2,494 $2,494

265.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,379 $5,379

$2,164 $2,164

148.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.3K $19.3K

$2,870 $2,870

571.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,943 $6,943

$2,355 $2,355

194.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,238 $5,238

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

6.61

3.63%

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 17, 2026

Last update for Elizabeth City, NC: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.1%

Elizabeth City, NC

$1.3K 52.1% 59% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$552 11.2%

Elizabeth City, NC

$373 15.2% 32.4% $179

Eating Out

New York, NY

$407 8.2%

Elizabeth City, NC

$264 10.7% 35.2% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$365 7.4%

Elizabeth City, NC

$299 12.2% 18% $66

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$170 3.5%

Elizabeth City, NC

$146 6% 14.1% $24

Getting Around

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Elizabeth City, NC

$20 * 0.8% 88.2% $148

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$158 3.2%

Elizabeth City, NC

$76 3.1% 52.1% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,347 in New York, NY versus $1,584 in Elizabeth City, NC. 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 $120 in New York, NY versus $35.00 in Elizabeth City, NC. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $552 vs $373 – making Elizabeth City, NC the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇸 Elizabeth City, NC

🕒 Local time

22:35 10:35 PM

Same time as New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

18,683

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

New York, NY Elizabeth City, NC 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Elizabeth City, 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 Elizabeth City, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,938 in New York, NY, $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC – roughly 101% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,407 per month in New York, NY and $3,685 in Elizabeth City, NC. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Elizabeth City, NC, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $120 in New York, NY and $35.00 in Elizabeth City, NC. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% more in New York, NY, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,938 in New York, NY and $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. New York, NY has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC to $4,938 in New York, NY. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Elizabeth City, NC. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, New York, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.