Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Lake Geneva, WI

For one person, living is cheaper in Lake Geneva, WI: $2,464 a month against $4,938 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $29,700 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 Lake Geneva, WI
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Lake Geneva, WI Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,938

/mo nomad

Lake Geneva, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,464

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New York, NY and in Lake Geneva, WI

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 Lake Geneva, WI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,938 in New York, NY versus $2,464 in Lake Geneva, WI.

New York, NY $4,938
Lake Geneva, WI $2,464

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,273 in New York, NY versus $3,622 in Lake Geneva, WI.

New York, NY $7,273
Lake Geneva, WI $3,622

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,608 in New York, NY versus $4,780 in Lake Geneva, WI.

New York, NY $9,608
Lake Geneva, WI $4,780

Living in New York, NY is roughly 100% more expensive than in Lake Geneva, WI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New York, NY 264% above, Lake Geneva, WI 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.99 $24.99

$21.49 $21.49

16.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$90.0 $90.0

33.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.74 $13.74

$12.95 $12.95

6.10%

Cappuccino

$6.60 $6.60

$5.82 $5.82

13.40%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.70 $2.70

41.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.36 $2.36

21.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.95 $7.95

$6.95 $6.95

14.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.06 $10.06

$8.86 $8.86

13.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.01 $1.01

35.64%

White Bread (500g)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.46 $2.46

93.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.69 $7.69

$5.06 $5.06

51.98%

Eggs

$5.87 $5.87

$2.00 $2.00

193.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.25 $19.25

$13.97 $13.97

37.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.83 $17.83

$9.65 $9.65

84.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.03 $19.03

$9.92 $9.92

91.83%

Apples (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$4.13 $4.13

61.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.93 $1.93

18.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$4.14 $4.14

54.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$4.72 $4.72

43.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.66 $2.66

47.74%

Onion (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.66 $2.66

69.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.21 $2.21

26.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.97 $2.97

-15.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.10 $18.10

$8.45 $8.45

114.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.16 $20.16

$12.84 $12.84

57.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.66 $2.66

22.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.37 $3.37

11.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.15 $2.15

35.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$143 $143

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.30 $3.30

-7.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.36 $1.36

58.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$25.17 $25.17

64.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.91 $0.91

23.08%

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

$33.1K $33.1K

$35.4K $35.4K

-6.38%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$26.3K $26.3K

-2.15%

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

$219 $219

$192 $192

14.35%

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

$75.3 $75.3

$67.3 $67.3

11.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$50.6 $50.6

39.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$116 $116

$42.35 $42.35

172.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

Cinema Ticket

$21.37 $21.37

$10.13 $10.13

110.96%

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

$3,432 $3,432

$1,687 $1,687

103.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.7K $61.7K

$31.5K $31.5K

95.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.9 $74.9

$66.7 $66.7

12.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$50.7 $50.7

2.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$98.3 $98.3

18.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$146 $146

-7.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,347 $4,347

$1,610 $1,610

170.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,117 $3,117

$1,198 $1,198

160.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,110 $9,110

$2,754 $2,754

230.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,379 $5,379

$1,911 $1,911

181.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.3K $19.3K

$2,513 $2,513

667.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,943 $6,943

$2,682 $2,682

158.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,238 $5,238

$3,761 $3,761

39.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

6.45

6.20%

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 Lake Geneva, WI: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.1%

Lake Geneva, WI

$1.2K 48.6% 61.6% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$552 11.2%

Lake Geneva, WI

$359 14.6% 35% $193

Eating Out

New York, NY

$407 8.2%

Lake Geneva, WI

$353 14.3% 13.2% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$365 7.4%

Lake Geneva, WI

$310 12.6% 15.2% $56

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$170 3.5%

Lake Geneva, WI

$163 6.6% 4.5% $7.6

Getting Around

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Lake Geneva, WI

$19 * 0.8% 88.9% $149

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$158 3.2%

Lake Geneva, WI

$63 2.5% 60.4% $96

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 $4,347 in New York, NY and $1,610 in Lake Geneva, WI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays 39% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $120 in New York, NY vs $90.0 in Lake Geneva, WI for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $552 vs $359 per month, with Lake Geneva, WI cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇸 Lake Geneva, WI

🕒 Local time

23:18 11:18 PM

22:18 10:18 PM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

8,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

New York, NY Lake Geneva, WI 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Lake Geneva, WI

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 Lake Geneva, WI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY and Lake Geneva, WI differ by about 100% in total monthly costs ($4,938 vs $2,464 including rent). Lake Geneva, WI is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 39% higher in New York, NY, 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: $4,347 in New York, NY versus $1,610 in Lake Geneva, WI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,432 in New York, NY versus $1,687 in Lake Geneva, WI. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lake Geneva, WI – a meal for two runs $90.0 versus $120 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Lake Geneva, WI 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.

Expats usually find Lake Geneva, WI gentler on the wallet – expenses run 100% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.