Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Paulista

For one person, living is cheaper in Paulista: $787 a month against $4,950 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $50,000 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Paulista
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Paulista Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,950

/mo nomad

Paulista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$787

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $4,950 per month in New York, NY vs $787 in Paulista, rent included.

New York, NY $4,950
Paulista $787

A couple spends around $7,265 per month in New York, NY vs $1,225 in Paulista, rent included.

New York, NY $7,265
Paulista $1,225

A family of three spends $9,581 per month in New York, NY vs $1,663 in Paulista, rent included.

New York, NY $9,581
Paulista $1,663

New York, NY costs about 529% more than Paulista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 267% above the global median, while Paulista is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.65 $24.65

$7.05 R$35.72

249.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$15.92 R$80.7

663.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 $13.91

$8.24 R$41.79

68.81%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$1.58 R$8.03

317.09%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$1.07 R$5.43

258.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$0.42 R$2.13

583.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 $7.79

$1.92 R$9.71

305.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$3.54 R$17.94

178.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.02 R$5.16

35.29%

White Bread (500g)

$4.68 $4.68

$1.82 R$9.20

157.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.54 $7.54

$1.03 R$5.22

632.04%

Eggs

$5.93 $5.93

$2.17 R$11.02

173.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.83 $18.83

$2.89 R$14.64

551.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.36 $17.36

$2.96 R$15.01

486.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.51 $18.51

$5.69 R$28.86

225.31%

Apples (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$2.02 R$10.25

233.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.95 R$4.80

120.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$0.92 R$4.64

559.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$1.18 R$5.97

471.19%

Potato (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.37 R$6.95

195.62%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$0.84 R$4.26

420.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

$0.41 R$2.09

604.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$0.86 R$4.37

202.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.72 $18.72

$2.27 R$11.52

724.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.06 $20.06

$3.74 R$18.95

436.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.55 R$7.87

109.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 $3.73

$3.29 R$16.70

13.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.04 R$5.28

194.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

$48.16 R$244

191.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.97 R$9.99

54.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.17 R$5.95

83.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.82 $41.82

$3.25 R$16.46

1186.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.09 R$5.51

2.75%

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

$35.5K $35.5K

$14.2K R$72.2K

148.93%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$30.0K R$151.9K

-13.13%

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

$219 $219

$46.71 R$237

368.87%

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

$73.2 $73.2

$23.42 R$119

212.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.0 $72.0

$23.62 R$120

204.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$123 $123

$25.85 R$131

374.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.7 $67.7

$27.58 R$140

145.36%

Cinema Ticket

$22.85 $22.85

$5.88 R$29.81

288.61%

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

$3,333 $3,333

$69.7 R$353

4680.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$60.0K $60.0K

$6,903 R$35.0K

769.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 $75.2

$18.37 R$93.1

309.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 $52.4

$68.6 R$348

-23.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

$50.4 R$256

141.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$59.7 R$303

122.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,389 $4,389

$354 R$1,796

1138.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,130 $3,130

$237 R$1,201

1220.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,918 $8,918

$688 R$3,485

1197.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,354 $5,354

$464 R$2,353

1053.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

$1,798 R$9,115

979.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,806 $6,806

$1,346 R$6,824

405.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,343 $5,343

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

-38.00%

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 Paulista: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.2%

Paulista

$237 30.1% 92.4% $2.9K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$545 11%

Paulista

$147 18.6% 73.1% $398

Eating Out

New York, NY

$404 8.2%

Paulista

$123 15.6% 69.6% $281

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.4%

Paulista

$94 11.9% 74.3% $270

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.5%

Paulista

$89 11.3% 48.5% $83

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Paulista

$38 4.8% 77.7% $131

Getting Around

New York, NY

$167 3.4%

Paulista

$60 7.7% 63.9% $106

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,389 in New York, NY versus $354 in Paulista. 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 $16.00 in Paulista. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $545 vs $147 – making Paulista the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇧🇷 Paulista

🕒 Local time

15:37 3:37 PM

16:37 4:37 PM

1 h ahead of New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

342,167

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 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 Paulista 6,730 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Paulista

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 Paulista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 529% more than Paulista, 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 $1,180 in Paulista. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $3,333 per month in New York, NY and $69.7 in Paulista. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 272% 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 Paulista, where all-in costs run around $787, than in New York, NY at $4,950. In Paulista 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. Paulista costs $787 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 Paulista. 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.