Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Monticello, AR

For one person, living is cheaper in Monticello, AR: $2,407 a month against $4,938 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $30,400 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
114

Cost of Living Index in Monticello, AR
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Monticello, AR Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,938

/mo nomad

Monticello, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,407

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $4,938 per month in New York, NY vs $2,407 in Monticello, AR, rent included.

New York, NY $4,938
Monticello, AR $2,407

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $3,453 in Monticello, AR, rent included.

New York, NY $7,273
Monticello, AR $3,453

A family of three spends $9,608 per month in New York, NY vs $4,499 in Monticello, AR, rent included.

New York, NY $9,608
Monticello, AR $4,499

New York, NY costs about 105% more than Monticello, AR, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both New York, NY and Monticello, AR sit above the global median – New York, NY by 264%, Monticello, AR by 78%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.99 $24.99

$18.26 $18.26

36.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$74.9 $74.9

60.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.74 $13.74

$12.03 $12.03

14.21%

Cappuccino

$6.60 $6.60

$5.50 $5.50

20.00%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.35 $2.35

62.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.04 $2.04

40.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.95 $7.95

$7.13 $7.13

11.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.06 $10.06

$8.09 $8.09

24.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$0.90 $0.90

52.22%

White Bread (500g)

$4.75 $4.75

$1.20 $1.20

295.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.69 $7.69

$2.08 $2.08

269.71%

Eggs

$5.87 $5.87

$3.71 $3.71

58.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.25 $19.25

$8.88 $8.88

116.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.83 $17.83

$6.69 $6.69

166.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.03 $19.03

$8.85 $8.85

115.03%

Apples (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$3.38 $3.38

97.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.29 $1.29

77.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$2.69 $2.69

138.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$2.17 $2.17

211.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$3.26 $3.26

20.55%

Onion (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.31 $2.31

95.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.84 $1.84

51.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.23 $2.23

12.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.10 $18.10

$9.47 $9.47

91.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.16 $20.16

$12.74 $12.74

58.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.78 $1.78

83.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.60 $1.60

134.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.30 $2.30

26.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$143 $143

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.96 $1.96

56.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.39 $1.39

55.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$20.32 $20.32

103.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.96 $0.96

16.67%

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

$33.1K $33.1K

$27.6K $27.6K

19.90%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$27.2K $27.2K

-5.44%

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

$219 $219

$190 $190

15.50%

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

$75.3 $75.3

$40.07 $40.07

88.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$45.59 $45.59

54.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$116 $116

$42.43 $42.43

172.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

Cinema Ticket

$21.37 $21.37

$10.98 $10.98

94.63%

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

$3,432 $3,432

$1,219 $1,219

181.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.7K $61.7K

$24.8K $24.8K

148.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.9 $74.9

$23.74 $23.74

215.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$33.03 $33.03

57.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$69.0 $69.0

69.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$150 $150

-10.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,347 $4,347

$1,584 $1,584

174.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,117 $3,117

$1,345 $1,345

131.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,110 $9,110

$2,702 $2,702

237.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,379 $5,379

$2,132 $2,132

152.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.3K $19.3K

$2,660 $2,660

624.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,943 $6,943

$2,221 $2,221

212.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,238 $5,238

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

6.6

3.79%

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 Monticello, AR: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.1%

Monticello, AR

$1.3K 55.9% 56.9% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$552 11.2%

Monticello, AR

$263 10.9% 52.4% $289

Eating Out

New York, NY

$407 8.2%

Monticello, AR

$318 13.2% 22% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$365 7.4%

Monticello, AR

$276 11.5% 24.5% $90

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$170 3.5%

Monticello, AR

$124 5.2% 27.1% $46

Getting Around

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Monticello, AR

$18 * 0.8% 89.2% $150

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$158 3.2%

Monticello, AR

$64 2.7% 59.3% $94

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,347 in New York, NY versus $1,584 in Monticello, AR. 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 $120 in New York, NY versus $75.0 in Monticello, AR. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $552 vs $263 – making Monticello, AR the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇸 Monticello, AR

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

03:50 3:50 AM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

11,414

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

New York, NY Monticello, AR 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Monticello, AR

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 Monticello, AR: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – New York, NY is pricier by about 105%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,407 per month in New York, NY and $3,611 in Monticello, AR. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $120 in New York, NY and $75.0 in Monticello, AR. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 110% 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 $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Monticello, AR, where all-in costs run around $2,407, than in New York, NY at $4,938. In Monticello, AR it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Monticello, AR – 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 Monticello, AR. 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.