Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Helena, MT

For one person, living is cheaper in Helena, MT: $3,141 a month against $4,938 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 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
152

Cost of Living Index in Helena, MT
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Helena, MT Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,938

/mo nomad

Helena, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$3,141

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,938 in New York, NY versus $3,141 in Helena, MT.

New York, NY $4,938
Helena, MT $3,141

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,273 in New York, NY versus $4,591 in Helena, MT.

New York, NY $7,273
Helena, MT $4,591

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,608 in New York, NY versus $6,041 in Helena, MT.

New York, NY $9,608
Helena, MT $6,041

Living in New York, NY is roughly 57% more expensive than in Helena, MT, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New York, NY 264% above, Helena, MT 132% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.99 $24.99

$21.24 $21.24

17.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$112 $112

7.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.74 $13.74

$17.91 $17.91

-23.28%

Cappuccino

$6.60 $6.60

$5.20 $5.20

26.92%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.24 $2.24

70.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.79 $1.79

60.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.95 $7.95

$5.04 $5.04

57.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.06 $10.06

$7.09 $7.09

41.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.07 $1.07

28.04%

White Bread (500g)

$4.75 $4.75

$3.70 $3.70

28.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.69 $7.69

$4.39 $4.39

75.17%

Eggs

$5.87 $5.87

$3.70 $3.70

58.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.25 $19.25

$17.86 $17.86

7.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.83 $17.83

$8.87 $8.87

101.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.03 $19.03

$20.20 $20.20

-5.79%

Apples (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$4.86 $4.86

37.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.82 $1.82

25.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$4.48 $4.48

43.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$4.16 $4.16

62.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.13 $2.13

84.51%

Onion (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.51 $1.51

199.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.65 $1.65

69.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.58 $1.58

58.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.10 $18.10

$10.30 $10.30

75.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.16 $20.16

$13.14 $13.14

53.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.69 $1.69

92.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.52 $2.52

48.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.58 $3.58

-18.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$143 $143

$59.3 $59.3

140.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$9.85 $9.85

-68.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 $2.16

$3.52 $3.52

-38.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$44.58 $44.58

-7.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.97 $0.97

15.46%

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

$33.1K $33.1K

$35.6K $35.6K

-7.01%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$30.1K $30.1K

-14.44%

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

$219 $219

$372 $372

-40.99%

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

$75.3 $75.3

$68.1 $68.1

10.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$82.8 $82.8

-14.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$116 $116

$52.5 $52.5

119.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

$14.81 $14.81

356.58%

Cinema Ticket

$21.37 $21.37

$11.80 $11.80

81.10%

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

$3,432 $3,432

$1,963 $1,963

74.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.7K $61.7K

$27.3K $27.3K

126.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.9 $74.9

$63.9 $63.9

17.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$117 $117

-55.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$82.9 $82.9

40.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$123 $123

9.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,347 $4,347

$1,747 $1,747

148.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,117 $3,117

$1,539 $1,539

102.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,110 $9,110

$2,909 $2,909

213.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,379 $5,379

$2,543 $2,543

111.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.3K $19.3K

$3,525 $3,525

447.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,943 $6,943

$3,062 $3,062

126.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,238 $5,238

$6,282 $6,282

-16.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

6.51

5.22%

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 Helena, MT: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.1%

Helena, MT

$1.5K 49% 50.6% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$552 11.2%

Helena, MT

$387 12.3% 29.9% $165

Eating Out

New York, NY

$407 8.2%

Helena, MT

$342 10.9% 16.1% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$365 7.4%

Helena, MT

$522 16.6% 43.1% $157

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$170 3.5%

Helena, MT

$174 5.5% 2% $3.4

Getting Around

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Helena, MT

$101 3.2% 39.9% $67

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$158 3.2%

Helena, MT

$76 2.4% 51.9% $82

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $4,347 in New York, NY and $1,747 in Helena, MT. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Helena, MT pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $120 in New York, NY vs $112 in Helena, MT for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $552 vs $387 per month, with Helena, MT cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇸 Helena, MT

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

12:20 12:20 PM

2 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

32,091

💱 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 Helena, MT 3,090 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Helena, MT

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 Helena, MT: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY and Helena, MT differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($4,938 vs $3,141 including rent). Helena, MT is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Helena, MT. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $4,347 in New York, NY versus $1,747 in Helena, MT. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,432 in New York, NY versus $1,963 in Helena, MT. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Helena, MT 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.

Safety-wise, New York, NY and Helena, MT are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Helena, MT gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.