Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Fajardo

For one person, living is cheaper in Fajardo: $1,245 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $43,900 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Fajardo
Learn more

Fajardo Living Index

Jump to prices

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Fajardo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,245

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,906 in New York, NY versus $1,245 in Fajardo.

New York, NY $4,906
Fajardo $1,245

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,273 in New York, NY versus $1,955 in Fajardo.

New York, NY $7,273
Fajardo $1,955

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,641 in New York, NY versus $2,665 in Fajardo.

New York, NY $9,641
Fajardo $2,665

Living in New York, NY is roughly 294% more expensive than in Fajardo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: New York, NY is 263% above, Fajardo is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.93 $26.93

$9.94 $9.94

170.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 $117

$80.5 $80.5

45.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.60 $14.60

$9.17 $9.17

59.21%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$3.58 $3.58

82.68%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$1.84 $1.84

109.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.46 $1.46

102.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$2.94 $2.94

174.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$5.12 $5.12

92.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$2.14 $2.14

-38.79%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.56 $3.56

39.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$2.45 $2.45

214.29%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$7.37 $7.37

-17.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$12.69 $12.69

54.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$9.92 $9.92

77.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$13.15 $13.15

54.07%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 $6.99

$4.93 $4.93

41.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.53 $2.53

-12.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$4.97 $4.97

35.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$4.95 $4.95

43.84%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.69 $3.69

24.93%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.94 $3.94

21.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$3.48 $3.48

-17.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.64 $1.64

64.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.14 $19.14

$11.70 $11.70

63.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 $19.63

$15.85 $15.85

23.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.98 $2.98

11.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$4.08 $4.08

2.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.56 $2.56

18.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.46 $1.46

50.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$41.78 $41.78

-1.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.23 $1.23

-8.13%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$35.1K $35.1K

-1.73%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$28.3K $28.3K

-8.62%

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

$232 $232

$319 $319

-27.05%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$69.2 $69.2

2.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$69.4 $69.4

-2.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

$10.67 $10.67

110.03%

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

$3,606 $3,606

$808 $808

346.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

$12.3K $12.3K

458.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 $79.3

$55.1 $55.1

43.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$61.3 $61.3

-16.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$109 $109

11.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$115 $115

21.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,555 $4,555

$983 $983

363.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,742 $9,742

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,331 $5,331

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

6.55

5.19%

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 Fajardo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3K 62%

Fajardo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$567 11.6%

Fajardo

$415 33.4% 26.8% $152

Eating Out

New York, NY

$425 8.7%

Fajardo

$188 15.1% 55.7% $237

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$371 7.6%

Fajardo

$457 36.7% 23.2% $86

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$176 3.6%

Fajardo

$153 12.3% 13.2% $23

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.4%

Fajardo

$9.9 * 0.8% 94% $156

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

Fajardo

$21 * 1.7% 86.7% $139

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 $983 in Fajardo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $117 in New York, NY vs $80 in Fajardo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $567 vs $415 per month, with Fajardo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇵🇷 Fajardo

🕒 Local time

17:55 5:55 PM

18:55 6:55 PM

1 h ahead of New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

11,647

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

New York, NY Fajardo 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Fajardo

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 Fajardo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fajardo wins on cost – living expenses run 75% lower than in New York, NY. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Fajardo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $7,358 in New York, NY and $1,867 in Fajardo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $4,555 in New York, NY versus $983 in Fajardo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% 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 $1,245 in Fajardo – Fajardo is about 75% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Fajardo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.