Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Fond du Lac, WI

For one person, living is cheaper in Fond du Lac, WI: $986 a month against $4,941 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $47,500 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Fond du Lac, WI
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Fond du Lac, WI Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,941

/mo nomad

Fond du Lac, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New York, NY and in Fond du Lac, WI

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 Fond du Lac, WI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,941 in New York, NY versus $986 in Fond du Lac, WI.

New York, NY $4,941
Fond du Lac, WI $986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,225 in New York, NY versus $1,651 in Fond du Lac, WI.

New York, NY $7,225
Fond du Lac, WI $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,509 in New York, NY versus $2,316 in Fond du Lac, WI.

New York, NY $9,509
Fond du Lac, WI $2,316

Living in New York, NY is roughly 401% more expensive than in Fond du Lac, WI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: New York, NY is 263% above, Fond du Lac, WI is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.55 $28.55

$12.53 $12.53

127.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$67.7 $67.7

75.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.04 $15.04

$8.02 $8.02

87.53%

Cappuccino

$6.53 $6.53

$4.04 $4.04

61.63%

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

$3.96 $3.96

$2.93 $2.93

35.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.25 $2.25

33.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 $8.16

$3.90 $3.90

109.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.84 $9.84

$6.13 $6.13

60.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$0.77 $0.77

77.92%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.68 $2.68

85.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$2.92 $2.92

167.47%

Eggs

$5.97 $5.97

$3.15 $3.15

89.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$16.78 $16.78

12.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.04 $18.04

$11.31 $11.31

59.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.05 $19.05

$12.99 $12.99

46.65%

Apples (1kg)

$6.76 $6.76

$4.37 $4.37

54.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.66 $1.66

36.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.83 $6.83

$3.43 $3.43

99.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$6.08 $6.08

16.61%

Potato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$4.74 $4.74

-10.97%

Onion (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$2.61 $2.61

78.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$0.97 $0.97

195.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.78 $1.78

46.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.77 $18.77

$11.20 $11.20

67.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.13 $20.13

$8.16 $8.16

146.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.76 $1.76

96.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 $4.02

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

$9.98 $9.98

-69.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 $2.12

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.96 $41.96

$19.79 $19.79

112.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$0.95 $0.95

23.16%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$24.5K $24.5K

40.44%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$25.6K $25.6K

1.08%

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

$219 $219

$99.4 $99.4

120.78%

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

$74.2 $74.2

$37.66 $37.66

97.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$51.0 $51.0

37.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 $112

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$74.9 $74.9

Cinema Ticket

$22.14 $22.14

$11.82 $11.82

87.31%

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

$3,558 $3,558

$1,492 $1,492

138.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$62.2K $62.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.6 $75.6

$56.6 $56.6

33.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 $51.2

$47.39 $47.39

8.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 $123

$88.5 $88.5

39.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$227 $227

-38.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,499 $4,499

$1,189 $1,189

278.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,078 $3,078

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,447 $9,447

$1,472 $1,472

541.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,190 $5,190

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.1K $18.1K

$2,022 $2,022

795.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,693 $6,693

$2,007 $2,007

233.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,220 $5,220

$2,964 $2,964

76.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

6.43

6.69%

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 Fond du Lac, WI: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 62.3%

Fond du Lac, WI

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$563 11.4%

Fond du Lac, WI

$350 * 35.5% 37.8% $213

Eating Out

New York, NY

$440 8.9%

Fond du Lac, WI

$225 22.8% 48.8% $215

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.4%

Fond du Lac, WI

$188 19.1% 48.3% $176

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$175 3.6%

Fond du Lac, WI

$189 19.1% 7.6% $13

Getting Around

New York, NY

$164 3.3%

Fond du Lac, WI

$10 * 1% 93.9% $154

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$156 3.2%

Fond du Lac, WI

$24 * 2.4% 84.9% $133

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 $1,189 in Fond du Lac, WI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays 76% 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 $68 in Fond du Lac, WI for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $563 vs $350 per month, with Fond du Lac, WI cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇸 Fond du Lac, WI

🕒 Local time

23:19 11:19 PM

22:19 10:19 PM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

43,021

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

New York, NY Fond du Lac, WI 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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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 Fond du Lac, WI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,941 in New York, NY and $986 in Fond du Lac, WI, so Fond du Lac, WI is about 80% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 76% 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 $1,189 in Fond du Lac, WI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,558 in New York, NY versus $1,492 in Fond du Lac, WI. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Fond du Lac, WI – a meal for two runs $68 versus $118 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $986 in Fond du Lac, WI versus $4,941 in New York, NY, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Fond du Lac, WI but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Fond du Lac, WI the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Fond du Lac, WI 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.