Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Los Ángeles

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Ángeles: $925 a month against $4,950 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $48,300 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Los Ángeles
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Los Ángeles Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,950

/mo nomad

Los Ángeles

🇨🇱 Chile

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $4,950 per month in New York, NY vs $925 in Los Ángeles, rent included.

New York, NY $4,950
Los Ángeles $925

A couple spends around $7,265 per month in New York, NY vs $1,378 in Los Ángeles, rent included.

New York, NY $7,265
Los Ángeles $1,378

A family of three spends $9,581 per month in New York, NY vs $1,831 in Los Ángeles, rent included.

New York, NY $9,581
Los Ángeles $1,831

New York, NY costs about 435% more than Los Ángeles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 267% above the global median, while Los Ángeles is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.65 $24.65

$12.46 CLP 12.3K

97.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$25.23 CLP 24.8K

381.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 $13.91

$10.17 CLP 10.0K

36.77%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$2.03 CLP 1,996

224.63%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$1.50 CLP 1,474

156.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.57 CLP 1,542

82.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 $7.79

$2.47 CLP 2,437

215.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$3.04 CLP 2,998

224.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.21 CLP 1,189

14.05%

White Bread (500g)

$4.68 $4.68

$2.80 CLP 2,756

67.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.54 $7.54

$2.98 CLP 2,939

153.02%

Eggs

$5.93 $5.93

$4.33 CLP 4,269

36.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.83 $18.83

$8.05 CLP 7,928

133.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.36 $17.36

$10.69 CLP 10.5K

62.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.51 $18.51

$14.17 CLP 14.0K

30.63%

Apples (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$2.63 CLP 2,587

156.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.61 CLP 1,582

29.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$2.71 CLP 2,673

123.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$2.28 CLP 2,248

195.61%

Potato (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.51 CLP 1,483

168.21%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.59 CLP 1,570

174.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.44 CLP 1,416

100.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.10 CLP 1,083

136.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.72 $18.72

$5.67 CLP 5,586

230.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.06 $20.06

$4.27 CLP 4,203

369.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 $3.25

$0.99 CLP 978

228.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 $3.73

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.06 $3.06

$0.50 CLP 488

512.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.06 CLP 2,032

47.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.82 $41.82

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.26 CLP 1,245

-11.11%

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

$35.5K $35.5K

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

$26.0K $26.0K

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

$219 $219

$123 CLP 120.9K

78.49%

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

$73.2 $73.2

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.0 $72.0

$20.82 CLP 20.5K

245.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$123 $123

$80.7 CLP 79.5K

52.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.7 $67.7

$10.27 CLP 10.1K

558.91%

Cinema Ticket

$22.85 $22.85

$4.42 CLP 4,355

416.97%

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

$3,333 $3,333

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$60.0K $60.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 $75.2

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 $52.4

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,389 $4,389

$274 CLP 269.6K

1503.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,130 $3,130

$228 CLP 224.2K

1274.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,918 $8,918

$442 CLP 435.3K

1917.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,354 $5,354

$337 CLP 331.6K

1490.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,806 $6,806

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,343 $5,343

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 13, 2026

Last update for Los Ángeles: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.2%

Los Ángeles

$228 24.6% 92.7% $2.9K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$545 11%

Los Ángeles

$275 * 29.7% 49.6% $270

Eating Out

New York, NY

$404 8.2%

Los Ángeles

$185 20% 54.1% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.4%

Los Ángeles

$144 * 15.5% 60.6% $221

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.5%

Los Ángeles

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Los Ángeles

$90 9.7% 46.8% $79

Getting Around

New York, NY

$167 3.4%

Los Ángeles

$4 * 0.4% 97.6% $162

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,389 in New York, NY versus $274 in Los Ángeles. 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 $122 in New York, NY versus $25.00 in Los Ángeles. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $545 vs $275 – making Los Ángeles the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇨🇱 Los Ángeles

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

04:37 4:37 AM

1 h ahead of New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

143,023

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.15 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 985 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,103 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.07 EUR).

CLP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Los Ángeles 8,690 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 Los Ángeles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 435% more than Los Ángeles, 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 $7,424 per month in New York, NY and $1,387 in Los Ángeles. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,950 in New York, NY and $925 in Los Ángeles. That's a gap of about 435%.

Groceries cost about 98% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Los Ángeles, where all-in costs run around $925, than in New York, NY at $4,950. In Los Ángeles it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Los Ángeles costs $925 versus $4,950 in New York, NY. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Los Ángeles. 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.