Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Fort Madison, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Fort Madison, IA: $2,559 a month against $4,938 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $28,500 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
124

Cost of Living Index in Fort Madison, IA
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Fort Madison, IA Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,938

/mo nomad

Fort Madison, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,559

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New York, NY and in Fort Madison, IA

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 Fort Madison, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,938 per month in New York, NY vs $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, rent included.

New York, NY $4,938
Fort Madison, IA $2,559

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $3,754 in Fort Madison, IA, rent included.

New York, NY $7,273
Fort Madison, IA $3,754

A family of three spends $9,608 per month in New York, NY vs $4,950 in Fort Madison, IA, rent included.

New York, NY $9,608
Fort Madison, IA $4,950

New York, NY costs about 93% more than Fort Madison, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both New York, NY and Fort Madison, IA sit above the global median – New York, NY by 264%, Fort Madison, IA by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.99 $24.99

$19.82 $19.82

26.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$76.2 $76.2

57.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.74 $13.74

$11.40 $11.40

20.53%

Cappuccino

$6.60 $6.60

$5.49 $5.49

20.22%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.63 $2.63

45.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.98 $1.98

44.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.95 $7.95

$6.13 $6.13

29.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.06 $10.06

$7.37 $7.37

36.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.05 $1.05

30.48%

White Bread (500g)

$4.75 $4.75

$3.45 $3.45

37.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.69 $7.69

$4.30 $4.30

78.84%

Eggs

$5.87 $5.87

$4.15 $4.15

41.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.25 $19.25

$12.60 $12.60

52.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.83 $17.83

$11.33 $11.33

57.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.03 $19.03

$17.07 $17.07

11.48%

Apples (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$4.89 $4.89

36.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.58 $1.58

44.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$4.23 $4.23

51.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$4.82 $4.82

40.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.84 $2.84

38.38%

Onion (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.94 $2.94

53.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.14 $2.14

30.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.21 $2.21

13.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.10 $18.10

$10.10 $10.10

79.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.16 $20.16

$15.04 $15.04

34.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.68 $1.68

94.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.00 $3.00

25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.27 $2.27

28.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$143 $143

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.33 $3.33

-8.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.76 $1.76

22.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$31.70 $31.70

30.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.92 $0.92

21.74%

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

$33.1K $33.1K

$26.6K $26.6K

24.75%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.8K $23.8K

7.99%

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

$219 $219

$201 $201

8.87%

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

$75.3 $75.3

$59.0 $59.0

27.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$71.0 $71.0

-0.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$116 $116

$41.05 $41.05

181.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

Cinema Ticket

$21.37 $21.37

$14.14 $14.14

51.13%

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

$3,432 $3,432

$1,439 $1,439

138.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.7K $61.7K

$23.7K $23.7K

160.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.9 $74.9

$53.8 $53.8

39.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$40.89 $40.89

27.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$88.0 $88.0

32.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$115 $115

17.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,347 $4,347

$1,582 $1,582

174.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,117 $3,117

$1,287 $1,287

142.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,110 $9,110

$2,533 $2,533

259.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,379 $5,379

$2,141 $2,141

151.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.3K $19.3K

$2,414 $2,414

698.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,943 $6,943

$2,589 $2,589

168.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,238 $5,238

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

6.57

4.26%

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 Fort Madison, IA: 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%

Fort Madison, IA

$1.3K 50.3% 58.7% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$552 11.2%

Fort Madison, IA

$393 15.4% 28.8% $159

Eating Out

New York, NY

$407 8.2%

Fort Madison, IA

$322 12.6% 20.8% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$365 7.4%

Fort Madison, IA

$331 13% 9.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$170 3.5%

Fort Madison, IA

$134 5.2% 21.4% $36

Getting Around

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Fort Madison, IA

$21 * 0.8% 87.4% $147

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$158 3.2%

Fort Madison, IA

$69 2.7% 56.2% $89

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 $1,582 in Fort Madison, IA. 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 $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $552 vs $393 – making Fort Madison, IA the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇸 Fort Madison, IA

🕒 Local time

21:00 9:00 PM

20:00 8:00 PM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

10,270

💱 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 Fort Madison, IA 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Fort Madison, IA

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 Fort Madison, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,938 in New York, NY, $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA – roughly 93% 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 $3,838 in Fort Madison, IA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Fort Madison, IA, 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 $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% 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 $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA. 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 $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA to $4,938 in New York, NY. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Fort Madison, IA. 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.