Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Lazaro Cardenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Lazaro Cardenas: $1,191 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $44,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

New York, NY, United States
Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico
New York, NY
🇺🇸 United States
$4,906
/mo nomad
Lazaro Cardenas
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,191
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,906 in New York, NY versus $1,191 in Lazaro Cardenas.

  • New York, NY $4,906
  • Lazaro Cardenas $1,191

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,273 in New York, NY versus $1,859 in Lazaro Cardenas.

  • New York, NY $7,273
  • Lazaro Cardenas $1,859

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,641 in New York, NY versus $2,527 in Lazaro Cardenas.

  • New York, NY $9,641
  • Lazaro Cardenas $2,527

Living in New York, NY is roughly 312% more expensive than in Lazaro Cardenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: New York, NY is 263% above, Lazaro Cardenas is 12% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
New York, NY
Lazaro Cardenas
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.93 $26.93
$10.68 MX$200
152.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$117 $117
$43.73 MX$818
167.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.60 $14.60
$8.24 MX$154
77.18%
Cappuccino
$6.54 $6.54
$3.45 MX$64.5
89.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.86 $3.86
$1.39 MX$25.94
177.70%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 $2.95
$1.00 MX$18.63
195.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.08 $8.08
$2.35 MX$43.91
243.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.85 $9.85
$3.93 MX$73.5
150.64%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
New York, NY
Lazaro Cardenas
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 $1.31
$1.55 MX$28.90
-15.48%
White Bread (500g)
$4.97 $4.97
$2.59 MX$48.37
91.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$7.70 $7.70
$1.62 MX$30.39
375.31%
Eggs
$6.09 $6.09
$2.48 MX$46.41
145.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.55 $19.55
$8.03 MX$150
143.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$17.59 $17.59
$7.96 MX$149
120.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.26 $20.26
$11.16 MX$209
81.54%
Apples (1kg)
$6.99 $6.99
$2.64 MX$49.34
164.77%
Banana (1kg)
$2.21 $2.21
$1.50 MX$27.98
47.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.72 $6.72
$1.93 MX$36.12
248.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.12 $7.12
$1.82 MX$34.07
291.21%
Potato (1kg)
$4.61 $4.61
$1.98 MX$37.05
132.83%
Onion (1kg)
$4.78 $4.78
$1.86 MX$34.78
156.99%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.87 $2.87
$1.45 MX$27.08
97.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.69 $2.69
$1.11 MX$20.85
142.34%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$19.14 $19.14
$4.33 MX$81.0
342.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.63 $19.63
$10.16 MX$190
93.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.32 $3.32
$1.72 MX$32.19
93.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.19 $4.19
$3.19 MX$59.7
31.35%
🚌 Getting Around
New York, NY
Lazaro Cardenas
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.02 $3.02
$0.62 MX$11.64
387.10%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$139 $139
$30.73 MX$575
353.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.04 $3.04
$2.53 MX$47.29
20.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.20 $2.20
$1.89 MX$35.31
16.40%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$41.33 $41.33
$10.70 MX$200
286.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 $1.13
$1.48 MX$27.62
-23.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.5K $34.5K
$23.4K MX$437.6K
47.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.8K $25.8K
$23.4K MX$438.1K
10.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
New York, NY
Lazaro Cardenas
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$232 $232
$56.8 MX$1,063
308.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$71.0 $71.0
$22.12 MX$414
221.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.7 $67.7
$28.79 MX$539
134.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
New York, NY
Lazaro Cardenas
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$115 $115
$31.98 MX$598
260.76%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$76.8 $76.8
$19.79 MX$370
288.13%
Cinema Ticket
$22.41 $22.41
$5.14 MX$96.1
335.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
New York, NY
Lazaro Cardenas
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,606 $3,606
$212 MX$3,956
1604.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$68.7K $68.7K
$4,483 MX$83.9K
1432.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
New York, NY
Lazaro Cardenas
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$79.3 $79.3
$54.0 MX$1,010
46.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.4 $51.4
$40.06 MX$749
28.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 $121
$97.4 MX$1,821
24.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$140 $140
$89.2 MX$1,669
57.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
New York, NY
Lazaro Cardenas
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,555 $4,555
$607 MX$11.4K
650.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,040 $3,040
$431 MX$8,059
605.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$9,742 $9,742
$1,029 MX$19.2K
847.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$5,331 $5,331
$745 MX$13.9K
615.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.2K $18.2K
$1,901 MX$35.6K
858.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,685 $6,685
$1,115 MX$20.9K
499.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
New York, NY
Lazaro Cardenas
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,096 $5,096
$536 MX$10.0K
851.53%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.89
11.31
-39.08%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for New York, NY: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lazaro Cardenas: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
New York, NY
$3K
Lazaro Cardenas
$431 85.8% $2.6K
Groceries & Markets
New York, NY
$567
Lazaro Cardenas
$258 54.5% $309
Eating Out
New York, NY
$425
Lazaro Cardenas
$181 57.5% $244
Monthly Utilities & Internet
New York, NY
$371
Lazaro Cardenas
$108 71% $263
Clothing & Footwear
New York, NY
$176
Lazaro Cardenas
$126 28.4% $50
Getting Around
New York, NY
$165
Lazaro Cardenas
$45 72.7% $120
Sport & Entertainment
New York, NY
$160
Lazaro Cardenas
$42 73.6% $118

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $4,555 in New York, NY and $607 in Lazaro Cardenas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays about 9.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $117 in New York, NY vs $44 in Lazaro Cardenas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $567 vs $258 per month, with Lazaro Cardenas cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 New York, NY
🇲🇽 Lazaro Cardenas
🕒 Local time
18:39 6:39 PM
17:39 5:39 PM
1 h behind New York, NY
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,804,190
83,637
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • New York, NY Lazaro Cardenas 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • New York, NY
  • Lazaro Cardenas

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 Lazaro Cardenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, New York, NY or Lazaro Cardenas?
Lazaro Cardenas wins on cost – living expenses run 76% lower than in New York, NY. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lazaro Cardenas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in New York, NY or in Lazaro Cardenas?
Average pay in New York, NY is about 9.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in New York, NY compared to Lazaro Cardenas?
Rent for a central apartment: $4,555 in New York, NY versus $607 in Lazaro Cardenas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in New York, NY and in Lazaro Cardenas?
Childcare runs $3,606 in New York, NY versus $212 in Lazaro Cardenas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in New York, NY or in Lazaro Cardenas?
Supermarket bills run roughly 120% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Can you live on $1,000/month in New York, NY or in Lazaro Cardenas?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Lazaro Cardenas is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: New York, NY or Lazaro Cardenas?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Lazaro Cardenas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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