Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Leon, Mexico

For one person, living is cheaper in Leon: $1,189 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.

234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Leon
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Leon Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Leon

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,189

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $4,906 per month in New York, NY vs $1,189 in Leon, rent included.

New York, NY $4,906
Leon $1,189

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $1,925 in Leon, rent included.

New York, NY $7,273
Leon $1,925

A family of three spends $9,641 per month in New York, NY vs $2,661 in Leon, rent included.

New York, NY $9,641
Leon $2,661

New York, NY costs about 313% more than Leon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 263% above the global median, while Leon is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.93 $26.93

$10.65 MX$199

152.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 $117

$54.8 MX$1,025

113.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.60 $14.60

$8.53 MX$159

71.16%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$3.96 MX$74.0

65.15%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$1.60 MX$29.90

141.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.28 MX$23.86

130.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$2.88 MX$53.9

180.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$3.88 MX$72.6

153.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.66 MX$31.12

-21.08%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.67 MX$49.94

86.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$1.80 MX$33.69

327.78%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$3.34 MX$62.5

82.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$7.12 MX$133

174.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$7.75 MX$145

126.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$10.70 MX$200

89.35%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 $6.99

$2.45 MX$45.75

185.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.33 MX$24.97

66.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$1.80 MX$33.62

273.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$1.51 MX$28.29

371.52%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.06 MX$38.62

123.79%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$1.98 MX$37.10

141.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.32 MX$24.65

117.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$0.72 MX$13.39

273.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.14 $19.14

$7.02 MX$131

172.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 $19.63

$13.25 MX$248

48.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.31 MX$43.16

43.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.40 MX$63.6

23.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.78 MX$14.53

287.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

$37.64 MX$704

270.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.63 MX$49.11

15.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.64 MX$49.34

-16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$14.77 MX$276

179.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.42 MX$26.64

-20.42%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$24.4K MX$457.2K

40.96%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$23.2K MX$433.6K

11.51%

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

$232 $232

$21.18 MX$396

997.03%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$40.11 MX$750

77.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$56.9 MX$1,064

18.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$36.59 MX$684

215.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

$33.36 MX$624

130.25%

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

$6.63 MX$124

238.01%

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

$3,606 $3,606

$177 MX$3,307

1939.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

$3,709 MX$69.4K

1752.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 $79.3

$54.8 MX$1,024

44.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$63.9 MX$1,194

-19.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$99.8 MX$1,866

21.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$114 MX$2,127

23.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,555 $4,555

$525 MX$9,818

767.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

$363 MX$6,796

736.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,742 $9,742

$760 MX$14.2K

1181.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,331 $5,331

$672 MX$12.6K

692.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K $18.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,685 $6,685

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,096 $5,096

$854 MX$16.0K

496.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

11.6

-40.60%

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 Leon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3K 62%

Leon

$363 30.5% 88% $2.7K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$567 11.6%

Leon

$260 21.9% 54.2% $307

Eating Out

New York, NY

$425 8.7%

Leon

$192 16.1% 54.8% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$371 7.6%

Leon

$118 9.9% 68.2% $253

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$176 3.6%

Leon

$149 12.6% 15.3% $27

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.4%

Leon

$57 4.8% 65.8% $109

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

Leon

$50 4.2% 68.9% $110

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,555 in New York, NY versus $525 in Leon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in New York, NY are about 6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $117 in New York, NY versus $55 in Leon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $567 vs $260 – making Leon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇲🇽 Leon

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

13:59 1:59 PM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

1,579,803

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Leon 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Leon

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 Leon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 313% more than Leon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,358 per month in New York, NY and $1,784 in Leon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Leon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $525 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.

Groceries cost about 118% more in New York, NY, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $117 in New York, NY and $55 in Leon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,906 in New York, NY and $1,189 in Leon. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Leon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Leon. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, New York, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.