Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Lages

For one person, living is cheaper in Lages: $931 a month against $4,938 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $48,100 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Lages
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Lages Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,938

/mo nomad

Lages

🇧🇷 Brazil

$931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $4,938 per month in New York, NY vs $931 in Lages, rent included.

New York, NY $4,938
Lages $931

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $1,494 in Lages, rent included.

New York, NY $7,273
Lages $1,494

A family of three spends $9,608 per month in New York, NY vs $2,058 in Lages, rent included.

New York, NY $9,608
Lages $2,058

New York, NY costs about 431% more than Lages, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 264% above the global median, while Lages is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.99 $24.99

$7.95 R$40.28

214.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$39.35 R$199

205.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.74 $13.74

$6.90 R$34.96

99.13%

Cappuccino

$6.60 $6.60

$2.52 R$12.77

161.90%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.42 R$7.22

169.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.06 R$5.39

170.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.95 $7.95

$2.48 R$12.56

220.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.06 $10.06

$2.98 R$15.10

237.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.00 R$5.07

37.00%

White Bread (500g)

$4.75 $4.75

$1.68 R$8.52

182.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.69 $7.69

$1.09 R$5.51

605.50%

Eggs

$5.87 $5.87

$2.46 R$12.45

138.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.25 $19.25

$10.28 R$52.1

87.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.83 $17.83

$4.88 R$24.73

265.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.03 $19.03

$9.90 R$50.2

92.22%

Apples (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$2.45 R$12.42

173.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.52 R$7.69

50.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$1.41 R$7.16

354.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$1.62 R$8.20

316.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$1.25 R$6.34

214.40%

Onion (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.08 R$5.47

318.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.79 $2.79

$0.94 R$4.79

196.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$0.81 R$4.11

209.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.10 $18.10

$2.54 R$12.87

612.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.16 $20.16

$8.22 R$41.66

145.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.14 R$5.76

185.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.26 R$11.47

65.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.00 R$5.09

192.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$143 $143

$44.06 R$223

223.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.28 R$6.51

139.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.81 R$4.12

166.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$8.29 R$42.05

398.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.34 R$6.77

-16.42%

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

$33.1K $33.1K

$23.9K R$121.4K

38.34%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$33.4K R$169.4K

-23.02%

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

$219 $219

$77.0 R$390

184.78%

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

$75.3 $75.3

$12.30 R$62.4

512.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$22.01 R$112

220.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$116 $116

$25.95 R$132

345.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

$27.71 R$140

144.03%

Cinema Ticket

$21.37 $21.37

$7.50 R$38.02

184.93%

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

$3,432 $3,432

$282 R$1,428

1117.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.7K $61.7K

$7,318 R$37.1K

742.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.9 $74.9

$50.3 R$255

48.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$57.6 R$292

-9.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$102 R$518

14.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$79.7 R$404

69.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,347 $4,347

$362 R$1,833

1102.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,117 $3,117

$245 R$1,241

1173.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,110 $9,110

$681 R$3,454

1236.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,379 $5,379

$465 R$2,358

1056.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.3K $19.3K

$1,705 R$8,643

1030.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,943 $6,943

$1,216 R$6,164

471.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,238 $5,238

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

11.5

-40.43%

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 Lages: 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%

Lages

$245 26.3% 92.1% $2.9K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$552 11.2%

Lages

$207 22.3% 62.5% $345

Eating Out

New York, NY

$407 8.2%

Lages

$143 15.3% 64.9% $264

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$365 7.4%

Lages

$111 12% 69.5% $254

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$170 3.5%

Lages

$130 14% 23.4% $40

Getting Around

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Lages

$53 5.7% 68.2% $115

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$158 3.2%

Lages

$41 4.4% 74.1% $117

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,347 in New York, NY versus $362 in Lages. 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 $39.00 in Lages. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $552 vs $207 – making Lages the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇧🇷 Lages

🕒 Local time

19:10 7:10 PM

20:10 8:10 PM

1 h ahead of New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

164,981

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Lages 8,000 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $4,938 in New York, NY, $931 in Lages – roughly 431% 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 $1,396 in Lages. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lages, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $3,432 per month in New York, NY and $282 in Lages. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 167% 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.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lages, where all-in costs run around $931, than in New York, NY at $4,938. In Lages it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. New York, NY has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $931 in Lages to $4,938 in New York, NY. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Lages. 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.