Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Escazu

For one person, living is cheaper in Escazu: $1,934 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $35,700 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Escazu
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Escazu Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Escazu

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,906 in New York, NY versus $1,934 in Escazu.

New York, NY $4,906
Escazu $1,934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,273 in New York, NY versus $2,959 in Escazu.

New York, NY $7,273
Escazu $2,959

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,641 in New York, NY versus $3,984 in Escazu.

New York, NY $9,641
Escazu $3,984

Living in New York, NY is roughly 154% more expensive than in Escazu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New York, NY 263% above, Escazu 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.93 $26.93

$12.06 ₡5,424

123.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 $117

$61.8 ₡27.8K

88.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.60 $14.60

$11.76 ₡5,289

24.15%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$4.49 ₡2,021

45.66%

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

$1.91 ₡860

54.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$3.35 ₡1,505

141.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$4.34 ₡1,953

126.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$2.45 ₡1,101

-46.53%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.09 ₡1,389

60.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$2.50 ₡1,124

208.00%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$3.45 ₡1,550

76.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$10.68 ₡4,804

83.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$10.28 ₡4,622

71.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$14.14 ₡6,359

43.28%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 $6.99

$5.16 ₡2,322

35.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.57 ₡704

40.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$3.23 ₡1,452

108.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$3.00 ₡1,351

137.33%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.79 ₡1,702

21.64%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.73 ₡1,676

28.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$0.99 ₡447

189.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.68 ₡755

60.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.14 $19.14

$5.48 ₡2,463

249.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 $19.63

$18.92 ₡8,508

3.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.68 ₡754

97.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.77 ₡1,245

51.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.05 ₡471

187.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.05 ₡922

48.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.86 ₡835

18.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$8.09 ₡3,637

410.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.48 ₡664

-23.65%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$28.0K ₡12.6M

23.27%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$36.6K ₡16.4M

-29.33%

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

$232 $232

$94.5 ₡42.5K

145.79%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$29.94 ₡13.5K

137.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$58.6 ₡26.3K

15.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$105 ₡47.3K

9.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

$9.81 ₡4,412

682.98%

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

$7.66 ₡3,446

192.56%

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

$3,606 $3,606

$458 ₡206.1K

686.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

$17.2K ₡7.7M

299.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 $79.3

$71.8 ₡32.3K

10.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-6.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$128 ₡57.3K

-5.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$133 ₡59.6K

6.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,555 $4,555

$866 ₡389.2K

426.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

$848 ₡381.3K

258.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,742 $9,742

$1,929 ₡867.2K

405.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,331 $5,331

$1,501 ₡674.8K

255.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K $18.2K

$1,404 ₡631.1K

1198.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,685 $6,685

$969 ₡435.9K

589.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,096 $5,096

$1,792 ₡805.7K

184.40%

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 Escazu: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3K 62%

Escazu

$848 43.9% 72.1% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$567 11.6%

Escazu

$363 18.8% 36% $204

Eating Out

New York, NY

$425 8.7%

Escazu

$229 11.9% 46% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$371 7.6%

Escazu

$183 9.5% 50.7% $188

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$176 3.6%

Escazu

$174 9% 1.4% $2.5

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.4%

Escazu

$16 * 0.8% 90.6% $150

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

Escazu

$121 6.2% 24.7% $40

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 $4,555 in New York, NY and $866 in Escazu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $117 in New York, NY vs $62 in Escazu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $567 vs $363 per month, with Escazu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇨🇷 Escazu

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

10:06 10:06 AM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

11,984

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

New York, NY
Escazu

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 Escazu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Escazu is about 61% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in New York, NY is about 2.8 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 $866 in Escazu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 56% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $4,906 per month in New York, NY versus $1,934 in Escazu – Escazu is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,934 in Escazu versus $4,906 in New York, NY, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Escazu but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Escazu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Escazu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in New York, NY, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Escazu 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.