Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Palmas

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmas: $834 a month against $4,938 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $49,200 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Palmas
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Palmas Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,938

/mo nomad

Palmas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $4,938 per month in New York, NY vs $834 in Palmas, rent included.

New York, NY $4,938
Palmas $834

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $1,292 in Palmas, rent included.

New York, NY $7,273
Palmas $1,292

A family of three spends $9,608 per month in New York, NY vs $1,751 in Palmas, rent included.

New York, NY $9,608
Palmas $1,751

New York, NY costs about 492% more than Palmas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 264% above the global median, while Palmas is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.99 $24.99

$3.96 R$20.06

531.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$20.09 R$102

498.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.74 $13.74

$8.07 R$40.93

70.26%

Cappuccino

$6.60 $6.60

$1.43 R$7.27

361.54%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.82 R$9.21

109.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.12 R$5.69

156.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.95 $7.95

$1.42 R$7.22

459.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.06 $10.06

$3.10 R$15.70

224.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.08 R$5.47

26.85%

White Bread (500g)

$4.75 $4.75

$1.47 R$7.45

223.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.69 $7.69

$1.24 R$6.28

520.16%

Eggs

$5.87 $5.87

$2.67 R$13.52

119.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.25 $19.25

$7.12 R$36.11

170.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.83 $17.83

$3.12 R$15.80

471.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.03 $19.03

$6.31 R$31.98

201.58%

Apples (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$2.17 R$10.98

208.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.75 R$8.85

30.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$1.23 R$6.25

421.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$1.22 R$6.21

453.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$1.27 R$6.42

209.45%

Onion (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.07 R$5.43

322.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.79 $2.79

$0.77 R$3.91

262.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$0.77 R$3.91

225.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.10 $18.10

$2.46 R$12.48

635.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.16 $20.16

$7.16 R$36.30

181.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.32 R$6.71

146.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.10 R$10.66

78.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.73 R$3.72

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$143 $143

$43.43 R$220

228.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.32 R$6.71

131.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.84 R$4.28

157.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$7.84 R$39.74

427.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.20 R$6.08

-6.67%

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

$33.1K $33.1K

$23.9K R$121.4K

38.35%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$33.0K R$167.3K

-22.08%

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

$219 $219

$115 R$581

91.22%

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

$75.3 $75.3

$11.64 R$59.0

547.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$19.99 R$101

252.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$116 $116

$23.48 R$119

391.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

$27.34 R$139

147.33%

Cinema Ticket

$21.37 $21.37

$6.58 R$33.36

224.77%

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

$3,432 $3,432

$155 R$785

2117.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.7K $61.7K

$7,304 R$37.0K

744.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.9 $74.9

$36.91 R$187

102.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$50.5 R$256

3.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$115 R$583

1.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$72.5 R$368

85.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,347 $4,347

$299 R$1,514

1355.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,117 $3,117

$204 R$1,035

1427.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,110 $9,110

$624 R$3,162

1360.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,379 $5,379

$427 R$2,165

1159.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.3K $19.3K

$1,718 R$8,707

1022.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,943 $6,943

$1,207 R$6,116

475.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,238 $5,238

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

-37.73%

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 Palmas: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.1%

Palmas

$204 24.5% 93.5% $2.9K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$552 11.2%

Palmas

$173 20.7% 68.7% $379

Eating Out

New York, NY

$407 8.2%

Palmas

$98 11.8% 75.9% $309

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$365 7.4%

Palmas

$146 17.6% 59.9% $219

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$170 3.5%

Palmas

$124 14.8% 27.4% $47

Getting Around

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Palmas

$52 6.2% 69.1% $116

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$158 3.2%

Palmas

$37 4.4% 76.8% $122

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,347 in New York, NY versus $299 in Palmas. 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 $20.00 in Palmas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $552 vs $173 – making Palmas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇧🇷 Palmas

🕒 Local time

17:09 5:09 PM

18:09 6:09 PM

1 h ahead of New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

302,692

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Palmas 6,240 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Palmas

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 Palmas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 492% more than Palmas, 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 $7,407 per month in New York, NY and $1,250 in Palmas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palmas, 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 $155 in Palmas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 220% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Palmas, where all-in costs run around $834, than in New York, NY at $4,938. In Palmas 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. Palmas costs $834 versus $4,938 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 Palmas. 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.