Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Olten

For one person, living is cheaper in Olten: $3,049 a month against $4,938 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in New York, NY outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Olten
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Olten Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,938

/mo nomad

Olten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $4,938 per month in New York, NY vs $3,049 in Olten, rent included.

New York, NY $4,938
Olten $3,049

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $4,812 in Olten, rent included.

New York, NY $7,273
Olten $4,812

A family of three spends $9,608 per month in New York, NY vs $6,576 in Olten, rent included.

New York, NY $9,608
Olten $6,576

New York, NY costs about 62% more than Olten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both New York, NY and Olten sit above the global median – New York, NY by 264%, Olten by 125%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.99 $24.99

$33.18 CHF 27.33

-24.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$122 CHF 100

-1.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.74 $13.74

$17.69 CHF 14.57

-22.33%

Cappuccino

$6.60 $6.60

$6.29 CHF 5.18

4.93%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$5.51 CHF 4.54

-30.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$5.21 CHF 4.29

-44.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.95 $7.95

$9.22 CHF 7.59

-13.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.06 $10.06

$7.52 CHF 6.19

33.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$2.11 CHF 1.73

-35.07%

White Bread (500g)

$4.75 $4.75

$3.87 CHF 3.19

22.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.69 $7.69

$3.81 CHF 3.14

101.84%

Eggs

$5.87 $5.87

$8.37 CHF 6.90

-29.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.25 $19.25

$26.10 CHF 21.50

-26.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.83 $17.83

$26.77 CHF 22.05

-33.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.03 $19.03

$46.34 CHF 38.16

-58.93%

Apples (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$4.02 CHF 3.31

66.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$2.69 CHF 2.22

-14.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$2.97 CHF 2.45

115.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$4.69 CHF 3.86

43.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.49 CHF 2.05

57.83%

Onion (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.14 CHF 1.76

111.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.55 CHF 2.10

9.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.29 CHF 1.06

94.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.10 $18.10

$10.85 CHF 8.93

66.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.16 $20.16

$14.12 CHF 11.63

42.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.79 CHF 2.30

16.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.25 CHF 2.68

15.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

$5.30 CHF 4.37

-44.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$143 $143

$107 CHF 88.3

32.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$8.39 CHF 6.91

-63.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 $2.16

$4.53 CHF 3.73

-52.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$90.2 CHF 74.3

-54.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-48.15%

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

$33.1K $33.1K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-16.24%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-34.56%

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

$219 $219

$275 CHF 227

-20.36%

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

$75.3 $75.3

$32.97 CHF 27.15

128.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$47.51 CHF 39.13

48.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$116 $116

$80.2 CHF 66.1

43.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

Cinema Ticket

$21.37 $21.37

$21.01 CHF 17.30

1.71%

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

$3,432 $3,432

$3,608 CHF 2,971

-4.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.7K $61.7K

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

47.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.9 $74.9

$143 CHF 118

-47.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$59.3 CHF 48.81

-12.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$167 CHF 137

-29.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$210 CHF 173

-36.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,347 $4,347

$1,210 CHF 997

259.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,117 $3,117

$1,035 CHF 852

201.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,110 $9,110

$1,968 CHF 1,621

362.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,379 $5,379

$1,948 CHF 1,605

176.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.3K $19.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,943 $6,943

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,238 $5,238

$5,837 CHF 4,808

-10.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

2.07

230.92%

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 Olten: 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%

Olten

$1K 34% 66.8% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$552 11.2%

Olten

$617 20.3% 11.8% $65

Eating Out

New York, NY

$407 8.2%

Olten

$498 16.3% 22.4% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$365 7.4%

Olten

$356 11.7% 2.5% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$170 3.5%

Olten

$261 8.6% 53.1% $90

Getting Around

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Olten

$160 5.2% 5.1% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$158 3.2%

Olten

$122 4% 22.7% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,347 in New York, NY versus $1,210 in Olten. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 11% higher in Olten, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $120 in New York, NY versus $122 in Olten. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $552 vs $617 – making New York, NY the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇨🇭 Olten

🕒 Local time

06:51 6:51 AM

12:51 12:51 PM

6 h ahead of New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

17,280

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

CHF to USD in detail →

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New York, NY Olten 6,300 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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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 Olten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 62% more than Olten, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,407 per month in New York, NY and $4,573 in Olten. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $3,432 per month in New York, NY and $3,608 in Olten. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in New York, NY – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,938 in New York, NY and $3,049 in Olten. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Olten costs $3,049 versus $4,938 in New York, NY. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Olten. 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.