Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Paramaribo

For one person, living is cheaper in Paramaribo: $984 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $49,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

New York, NY
🇺🇸 United States
$5,142
/mo nomad
Paramaribo
🇸🇷 Suriname
$984
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $5,142 per month in New York, NY vs $984 in Paramaribo, rent included.

  • New York, NY $5,142
  • Paramaribo $984

A couple spends around $7,455 per month in New York, NY vs $1,657 in Paramaribo, rent included.

  • New York, NY $7,455
  • Paramaribo $1,657

A family of three spends $9,767 per month in New York, NY vs $2,331 in Paramaribo, rent included.

  • New York, NY $9,767
  • Paramaribo $2,331

New York, NY costs about 423% more than Paramaribo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 284% above the global median, while Paramaribo is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
New York, NY
Paramaribo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.46 $26.46
$13.44 SRD 504
96.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$119 $119
$52.4 SRD 1,964
126.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.43 $14.43
$10.99 SRD 412
31.30%
Cappuccino
$6.55 $6.55
$2.88 SRD 108
127.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.84 $3.84
$1.41 SRD 52.9
172.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 $3.00
$0.88 SRD 32.91
240.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.27 $8.27
$2.66 SRD 99.7
210.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.05 $10.05
$3.89 SRD 146
158.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
New York, NY
Paramaribo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 $1.31
$1.83 SRD 68.7
-28.42%
White Bread (500g)
$4.90 $4.90
$1.39 SRD 52.2
252.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$7.16 $7.16
$1.61 SRD 60.3
344.72%
Eggs
$5.92 $5.92
$2.98 SRD 112
98.66%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.06 $19.06
$11.84 SRD 444
60.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$17.38 $17.38
$6.17 SRD 231
181.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.94 $18.94
$10.18 SRD 381
86.05%
Apples (1kg)
$6.96 $6.96
$4.77 SRD 179
45.91%
Banana (1kg)
$2.08 $2.08
$3.11 SRD 116
-33.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.10 $6.10
$3.73 SRD 140
63.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.95 $6.95
$5.89 SRD 221
18.00%
Potato (1kg)
$3.98 $3.98
$1.33 SRD 49.77
199.25%
Onion (1kg)
$4.44 $4.44
$2.02 SRD 75.6
119.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.81 $2.81
$1.48 SRD 55.6
89.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.51 $2.51
$1.51 SRD 56.4
66.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$19.27 $19.27
$5.58 SRD 209
245.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.67 $19.67
$7.80 SRD 292
152.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.08 $3.08
$2.00 SRD 75.0
54.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 $3.68
$3.78 SRD 142
-2.65%
🚌 Getting Around
New York, NY
Paramaribo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.02 $3.02
$0.77 SRD 28.90
292.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$140 $140
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.07 $3.07
$2.13 SRD 79.8
44.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 $2.13
$1.54 SRD 57.8
38.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$41.21 $41.21
$7.17 SRD 269
474.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 $1.11
$1.19 SRD 44.50
-6.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.0K $35.0K
$24.6K SRD 921.2K
42.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.4K $25.4K
$25.3K SRD 948.6K
0.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
New York, NY
Paramaribo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$217 $217
$37.31 SRD 1,398
482.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$74.0 $74.0
$25.70 SRD 963
188.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$72.5 $72.5
$30.67 SRD 1,149
136.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
New York, NY
Paramaribo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$120 $120
$13.84 SRD 518
770.30%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$66.9 $66.9
$20.32 SRD 761
229.18%
Cinema Ticket
$22.32 $22.32
$4.96 SRD 186
350.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
New York, NY
Paramaribo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,425 $3,425
$62.3 SRD 2,335
5397.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$61.2K $61.2K
$1,739 SRD 65.2K
3417.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
New York, NY
Paramaribo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$76.3 $76.3
$33.84 SRD 1,268
125.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.5 $55.5
$20.87 SRD 782
165.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$119 $119
$67.4 SRD 2,525
76.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$131 $131
$104 SRD 3,903
25.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
New York, NY
Paramaribo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,506 $4,506
$487 SRD 18.3K
825.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,155 $3,155
$263 SRD 9,855
1099.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$8,817 $8,817
$949 SRD 35.6K
828.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$5,532 $5,532
$508 SRD 19.0K
989.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$19.4K $19.4K
$462 SRD 17.3K
4092.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,754 $6,754
$400 SRD 15.0K
1587.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
New York, NY
Paramaribo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,290 $5,290
$279 SRD 10.5K
1793.86%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.82
16
-57.38%

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 3, 2026

Last update for Paramaribo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
New York, NY
$3.2K
Paramaribo
$263 91.7% $2.9K
Groceries & Markets
New York, NY
$546
Paramaribo
$300 45.1% $247
Eating Out
New York, NY
$422
Paramaribo
$205 51.4% $217
Monthly Utilities & Internet
New York, NY
$364
Paramaribo
$94 74.3% $270
Clothing & Footwear
New York, NY
$172
Paramaribo
$102 40.7% $70
Getting Around
New York, NY
$165
Paramaribo
$13 * 92.2% $152
Sport & Entertainment
New York, NY
$165
Paramaribo
$24 85.6% $141

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,506 in New York, NY versus $487 in Paramaribo. 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 1794% higher in New York, NY, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $119 in New York, NY versus $52.0 in Paramaribo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $546 vs $300 – making Paramaribo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 New York, NY
🇸🇷 Paramaribo
🕒 Local time
02:36 2:36 AM
03:36 3:36 AM
1 h ahead of New York, NY
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,804,190
242,946 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter

SRD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Surinamese Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 37.47 SRD (100 SRD = 2.67 USD). 1 EUR = 42.03 SRD (100 SRD = 2.38 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • New York, NY Paramaribo 4,310 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • New York, NY
  • Paramaribo

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 Paramaribo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, New York, NY or Paramaribo?
New York, NY costs about 423% more than Paramaribo, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in New York, NY and in Paramaribo?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,714 per month in New York, NY and $1,476 in Paramaribo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, New York, NY or Paramaribo?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Paramaribo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in New York, NY compared to Paramaribo?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $5,142 in New York, NY and $984 in Paramaribo. That's a gap of about 423%.
How do childcare costs compare in New York, NY and in Paramaribo?
Kindergarten costs $3,425 per month in New York, NY and $62.3 in Paramaribo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in New York, NY or in Paramaribo?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Paramaribo, where all-in costs run around $984, than in New York, NY at $5,142. In Paramaribo it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, New York, NY or Paramaribo?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Paramaribo costs $984 versus $5,142 in New York, NY. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to New York, NY or to Paramaribo?
If budget matters most, go with Paramaribo. 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.

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