Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Laurel, MD

For one person, living is cheaper in Laurel, MD: $2,538 a month against $4,938 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $28,800 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 Laurel, MD
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Laurel, MD Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,938

/mo nomad

Laurel, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,938 in New York, NY versus $2,538 in Laurel, MD.

New York, NY $4,938
Laurel, MD $2,538

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,273 in New York, NY versus $4,254 in Laurel, MD.

New York, NY $7,273
Laurel, MD $4,254

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,608 in New York, NY versus $5,969 in Laurel, MD.

New York, NY $9,608
Laurel, MD $5,969

Living in New York, NY is roughly 95% more expensive than in Laurel, MD, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New York, NY 264% above, Laurel, MD 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.99 $24.99

$18.12 $18.12

37.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$94.9 $94.9

26.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.74 $13.74

$10.82 $10.82

26.99%

Cappuccino

$6.60 $6.60

$5.53 $5.53

19.35%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$3.07 $3.07

24.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.71 $2.71

5.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.95 $7.95

$6.82 $6.82

16.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.06 $10.06

$7.80 $7.80

28.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.15 $1.15

19.13%

White Bread (500g)

$4.75 $4.75

$3.94 $3.94

20.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.69 $7.69

$3.88 $3.88

98.20%

Eggs

$5.87 $5.87

$4.71 $4.71

24.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.25 $19.25

$12.86 $12.86

49.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.83 $17.83

$13.10 $13.10

36.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.03 $19.03

$18.67 $18.67

1.93%

Apples (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$6.12 $6.12

9.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.52 $1.52

50.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$4.09 $4.09

56.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$4.26 $4.26

58.45%

Potato (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.17 $2.17

81.11%

Onion (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.77 $2.77

63.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.49 $2.49

12.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.54 $2.54

-1.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.10 $18.10

$13.44 $13.44

34.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.16 $20.16

$15.90 $15.90

26.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.71 $1.71

90.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.18 $3.18

17.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$143 $143

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.83 $1.83

67.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.38 $1.38

56.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$23.67 $23.67

74.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.04 $1.04

7.69%

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

$33.1K $33.1K

$23.0K $23.0K

43.86%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.8K $23.8K

8.23%

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

$219 $219

$203 $203

8.27%

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

$75.3 $75.3

$67.7 $67.7

11.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$90.5 $90.5

-22.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$116 $116

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

Cinema Ticket

$21.37 $21.37

$14.46 $14.46

47.79%

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

$3,432 $3,432

$1,933 $1,933

77.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.7K $61.7K

$35.2K $35.2K

75.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.9 $74.9

$52.3 $52.3

43.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$57.3 $57.3

-9.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$91.4 $91.4

27.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$113 $113

18.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,347 $4,347

$1,352 $1,352

221.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,117 $3,117

$1,260 $1,260

147.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,110 $9,110

$2,399 $2,399

279.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,379 $5,379

$3,073 $3,073

75.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.3K $19.3K

$2,215 $2,215

770.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,943 $6,943

$2,568 $2,568

170.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,238 $5,238

$5,478 $5,478

-4.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

6.72

1.93%

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 Laurel, MD: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.1%

Laurel, MD

$1.3K 49.7% 59.6% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$552 11.2%

Laurel, MD

$422 16.6% 23.6% $130

Eating Out

New York, NY

$407 8.2%

Laurel, MD

$317 12.5% 22.2% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$365 7.4%

Laurel, MD

$361 14.2% 1.2% $4.4

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$170 3.5%

Laurel, MD

$141 5.6% 16.9% $29

Getting Around

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Laurel, MD

$8.8 * 0.3% 94.8% $159

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$158 3.2%

Laurel, MD

$29 * 1.1% 81.7% $129

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 $1,352 in Laurel, MD. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Laurel, MD pays 5% 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 $95.0 in Laurel, MD for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $552 vs $422 per month, with Laurel, MD cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇸 Laurel, MD

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

Same time as New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

18,540

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Laurel, MD 280 km

From you

New York, NY
Laurel, MD

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 Laurel, MD: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY and Laurel, MD differ by about 95% in total monthly costs ($4,938 vs $2,538 including rent). Laurel, MD is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Laurel, MD. 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 $1,352 in Laurel, MD. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $4,938 per month in New York, NY versus $2,538 in Laurel, MD – a 95% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,538 in Laurel, MD versus $4,938 in New York, NY, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Laurel, MD but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Laurel, MD 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.

Expats usually find Laurel, MD gentler on the wallet – expenses run 95% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.