Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Kearney, NE

For one person, living is cheaper in Kearney, NE: $2,077 a month against $4,941 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $34,400 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
100

Cost of Living Index in Kearney, NE
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Kearney, NE Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,941

/mo nomad

Kearney, NE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,077

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,941 in New York, NY versus $2,077 in Kearney, NE.

New York, NY $4,941
Kearney, NE $2,077

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,225 in New York, NY versus $2,910 in Kearney, NE.

New York, NY $7,225
Kearney, NE $2,910

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,509 in New York, NY versus $3,744 in Kearney, NE.

New York, NY $9,509
Kearney, NE $3,744

Living in New York, NY is roughly 138% more expensive than in Kearney, NE, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New York, NY 263% above, Kearney, NE 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.55 $28.55

$15.11 $15.11

88.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$59.7 $59.7

98.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.04 $15.04

$11.66 $11.66

28.99%

Cappuccino

$6.53 $6.53

$5.19 $5.19

25.82%

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

$3.96 $3.96

$2.21 $2.21

79.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.85 $1.85

62.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 $8.16

$4.08 $4.08

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.84 $9.84

$5.08 $5.08

93.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$0.82 $0.82

67.07%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$1.61 $1.61

208.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$3.64 $3.64

114.56%

Eggs

$5.97 $5.97

$3.59 $3.59

66.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$9.04 $9.04

109.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.04 $18.04

$6.44 $6.44

180.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.05 $19.05

$15.32 $15.32

24.35%

Apples (1kg)

$6.76 $6.76

$5.63 $5.63

20.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.06 $2.06

10.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.83 $6.83

$4.92 $4.92

38.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$4.19 $4.19

69.21%

Potato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.81 $1.81

133.15%

Onion (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$2.95 $2.95

57.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.95 $1.95

47.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$2.92 $2.92

-10.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.77 $18.77

$9.14 $9.14

105.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.13 $20.13

$15.04 $15.04

33.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.78 $1.78

93.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 $4.02

$1.98 $1.98

103.03%

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

$2.95 $2.95

4.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.33 $1.33

59.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.96 $41.96

$24.92 $24.92

68.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.00 $1.00

17.00%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$24.4K $24.4K

41.43%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$26.9K $26.9K

-4.01%

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

$219 $219

$277 $277

-20.89%

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

$74.2 $74.2

$64.4 $64.4

15.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$73.4 $73.4

-4.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 $112

$54.7 $54.7

104.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$74.9 $74.9

$5.86 $5.86

1177.47%

Cinema Ticket

$22.14 $22.14

$12.48 $12.48

77.40%

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

$3,558 $3,558

$1,033 $1,033

244.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$62.2K $62.2K

$19.4K $19.4K

220.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.6 $75.6

$30.51 $30.51

147.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 $51.2

$40.13 $40.13

27.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 $123

$94.5 $94.5

30.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$121 $121

15.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,499 $4,499

$1,038 $1,038

333.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,078 $3,078

$843 $843

265.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,447 $9,447

$1,487 $1,487

535.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,190 $5,190

$1,196 $1,196

334.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.1K $18.1K

$1,631 $1,631

1010.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,693 $6,693

$1,621 $1,621

312.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,220 $5,220

$7,624 $7,624

-31.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

6.57

4.41%

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 Kearney, NE: 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%

Kearney, NE

$843 40.6% 72.6% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$563 11.4%

Kearney, NE

$337 16.2% 40.2% $226

Eating Out

New York, NY

$440 8.9%

Kearney, NE

$265 12.8% 39.8% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.4%

Kearney, NE

$415 20% 14.1% $51

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$175 3.6%

Kearney, NE

$129 6.2% 26.7% $47

Getting Around

New York, NY

$164 3.3%

Kearney, NE

$9.6 * 0.5% 94.2% $155

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$156 3.2%

Kearney, NE

$80 3.8% 49% $77

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 $1,038 in Kearney, NE. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kearney, NE pays 46% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $118 in New York, NY vs $60 in Kearney, NE for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $563 vs $337 per month, with Kearney, NE cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇸 Kearney, NE

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

03:09 3:09 AM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

29,385

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Kearney, NE 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Kearney, NE

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 Kearney, NE: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,941 in New York, NY and $2,077 in Kearney, NE, so Kearney, NE is about 58% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in New York, NY. 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: $4,499 in New York, NY versus $1,038 in Kearney, NE. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 67% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $4,941 per month in New York, NY versus $2,077 in Kearney, NE – Kearney, NE is about 58% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,077 in Kearney, NE versus $4,941 in New York, NY, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Kearney, NE but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Kearney, NE 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.