Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Jacksonville, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Jacksonville, NC: $2,554 a month against $4,941 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $28,600 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Jacksonville, NC
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Jacksonville, NC Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,941

/mo nomad

Jacksonville, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,941 in New York, NY versus $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC.

New York, NY $4,941
Jacksonville, NC $2,554

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,225 in New York, NY versus $3,595 in Jacksonville, NC.

New York, NY $7,225
Jacksonville, NC $3,595

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,509 in New York, NY versus $4,637 in Jacksonville, NC.

New York, NY $9,509
Jacksonville, NC $4,637

Living in New York, NY is roughly 93% more expensive than in Jacksonville, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New York, NY 263% above, Jacksonville, NC 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.55 $28.55

$15.57 $15.57

83.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$58.9 $58.9

101.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.04 $15.04

$9.89 $9.89

52.07%

Cappuccino

$6.53 $6.53

$4.81 $4.81

35.76%

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

$3.96 $3.96

$2.56 $2.56

54.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.97 $1.97

52.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 $8.16

$4.94 $4.94

65.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.84 $9.84

$7.06 $7.06

39.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.17 $1.17

17.09%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$4.21 $4.21

18.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$11.08 $11.08

-29.51%

Eggs

$5.97 $5.97

$6.04 $6.04

-1.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$19.50 $19.50

-3.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.04 $18.04

$17.09 $17.09

5.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.05 $19.05

$24.53 $24.53

-22.34%

Apples (1kg)

$6.76 $6.76

$5.87 $5.87

15.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.86 $1.86

22.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.83 $6.83

$8.23 $8.23

-17.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$6.17 $6.17

14.91%

Potato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$6.88 $6.88

-38.66%

Onion (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$4.00 $4.00

16.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.77 $2.77

3.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$2.04 $2.04

27.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.77 $18.77

$8.96 $8.96

109.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.13 $20.13

$15.02 $15.02

34.02%

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

$3.96 $3.96

1.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.53 $1.53

90.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

$90.4 $90.4

53.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.54 $2.54

21.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 $2.12

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.96 $41.96

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$0.91 $0.91

28.57%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$27.4K $27.4K

25.94%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$25.7K $25.7K

0.59%

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

$219 $219

$174 $174

26.11%

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

$74.2 $74.2

$76.0 $76.0

-2.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$71.2 $71.2

-1.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 $112

$31.20 $31.20

258.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$74.9 $74.9

$1.71 $1.71

4277.78%

Cinema Ticket

$22.14 $22.14

$15.59 $15.59

42.01%

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

$3,558 $3,558

$796 $796

347.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$62.2K $62.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.6 $75.6

$60.9 $60.9

24.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 $51.2

$39.56 $39.56

29.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 $123

$103 $103

19.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$138 $138

0.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,499 $4,499

$1,384 $1,384

225.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,078 $3,078

$1,094 $1,094

181.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,447 $9,447

$1,809 $1,809

422.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,190 $5,190

$1,451 $1,451

257.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.1K $18.1K

$2,049 $2,049

783.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,693 $6,693

$1,833 $1,833

265.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,220 $5,220

$2,208 $2,208

136.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

6.37

7.69%

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 Jacksonville, NC: 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%

Jacksonville, NC

$1.1K 42.8% 64.5% $2K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$563 11.4%

Jacksonville, NC

$555 21.7% 1.4% $8

Eating Out

New York, NY

$440 8.9%

Jacksonville, NC

$269 10.5% 38.9% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.4%

Jacksonville, NC

$321 12.6% 11.7% $43

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$175 3.6%

Jacksonville, NC

$154 6% 12.3% $22

Getting Around

New York, NY

$164 3.3%

Jacksonville, NC

$99 * 3.9% 39.7% $65

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$156 3.2%

Jacksonville, NC

$62 2.4% 60.1% $94

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 $1,384 in Jacksonville, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $118 in New York, NY vs $59 in Jacksonville, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $563 vs $555 per month, with Jacksonville, NC cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇸 Jacksonville, NC

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

Same time as New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

949,611

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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New York, NY Jacksonville, NC 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
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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 Jacksonville, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,941 in New York, NY and $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC, so Jacksonville, NC is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in New York, NY is about 2.4 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: $4,499 in New York, NY versus $1,384 in Jacksonville, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,558 in New York, NY versus $796 in Jacksonville, NC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jacksonville, NC – a meal for two runs $59 versus $118 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC versus $4,941 in New York, NY, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Jacksonville, NC but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Jacksonville, NC 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 – Jacksonville, NC 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.