Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Queretaro

For one person, living is cheaper in Queretaro: $1,391 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $42,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

New York, NY, United States
Queretaro, Mexico
New York, NY
🇺🇸 United States
$4,906
/mo nomad
Queretaro
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,391
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $4,906 per month in New York, NY vs $1,391 in Queretaro, rent included.

  • New York, NY $4,906
  • Queretaro $1,391

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $2,127 in Queretaro, rent included.

  • New York, NY $7,273
  • Queretaro $2,127

A family of three spends $9,641 per month in New York, NY vs $2,864 in Queretaro, rent included.

  • New York, NY $9,641
  • Queretaro $2,864

New York, NY costs about 253% more than Queretaro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both New York, NY and Queretaro sit above the global median – New York, NY by 263%, Queretaro by 3%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
New York, NY
Queretaro
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.93 $26.93
$10.67 MX$200
152.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$117 $117
$62.5 MX$1,169
86.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.60 $14.60
$9.23 MX$173
58.18%
Cappuccino
$6.54 $6.54
$3.51 MX$65.6
86.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.86 $3.86
$1.75 MX$32.81
120.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 $2.95
$1.05 MX$19.70
180.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.08 $8.08
$2.81 MX$52.6
187.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.85 $9.85
$5.42 MX$101
81.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
New York, NY
Queretaro
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 $1.31
$1.85 MX$34.59
-29.19%
White Bread (500g)
$4.97 $4.97
$2.72 MX$51.0
82.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$7.70 $7.70
$1.93 MX$36.04
298.96%
Eggs
$6.09 $6.09
$2.79 MX$52.1
118.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.55 $19.55
$8.69 MX$163
124.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$17.59 $17.59
$8.64 MX$162
103.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.26 $20.26
$13.18 MX$246
53.72%
Apples (1kg)
$6.99 $6.99
$3.33 MX$62.2
109.91%
Banana (1kg)
$2.21 $2.21
$1.54 MX$28.86
43.51%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.72 $6.72
$2.14 MX$40.02
214.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.12 $7.12
$1.87 MX$35.00
280.75%
Potato (1kg)
$4.61 $4.61
$1.75 MX$32.72
163.43%
Onion (1kg)
$4.78 $4.78
$1.80 MX$33.65
165.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.87 $2.87
$1.49 MX$27.79
92.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.69 $2.69
$1.20 MX$22.46
124.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$19.14 $19.14
$4.59 MX$85.9
316.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.63 $19.63
$17.16 MX$321
14.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.32 $3.32
$2.20 MX$41.16
50.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.19 $4.19
$4.06 MX$76.0
3.20%
🚌 Getting Around
New York, NY
Queretaro
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.02 $3.02
$0.57 MX$10.65
429.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$139 $139
$24.39 MX$456
471.26%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.04 $3.04
$3.32 MX$62.0
-8.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.20 $2.20
$2.53 MX$47.27
-13.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$41.33 $41.33
$9.55 MX$179
332.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 $1.13
$1.54 MX$28.78
-26.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.5K $34.5K
$23.9K MX$446.8K
44.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.8K $25.8K
$23.6K MX$440.9K
9.65%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
New York, NY
Queretaro
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$232 $232
$56.1 MX$1,049
314.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$71.0 $71.0
$26.45 MX$495
168.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.7 $67.7
$24.30 MX$455
178.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
New York, NY
Queretaro
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$115 $115
$48.36 MX$905
138.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$76.8 $76.8
$24.10 MX$451
218.71%
Cinema Ticket
$22.41 $22.41
$7.08 MX$133
216.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
New York, NY
Queretaro
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,606 $3,606
$258 MX$4,818
1299.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$68.7K $68.7K
$7,988 MX$149.4K
759.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
New York, NY
Queretaro
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$79.3 $79.3
$52.1 MX$974
52.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.4 $51.4
$44.39 MX$830
15.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 $121
$99.6 MX$1,862
21.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$140 $140
$98.2 MX$1,837
43.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
New York, NY
Queretaro
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,555 $4,555
$830 MX$15.5K
448.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,040 $3,040
$555 MX$10.4K
447.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$9,742 $9,742
$1,436 MX$26.9K
578.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$5,331 $5,331
$827 MX$15.5K
544.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.2K $18.2K
$2,021 MX$37.8K
801.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,685 $6,685
$1,164 MX$21.8K
474.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
New York, NY
Queretaro
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,096 $5,096
$1,004 MX$18.8K
407.37%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.89
11.99
-42.54%

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

Last update for New York, NY: November 1, 2026

Last update for Queretaro: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
New York, NY
$3K
Queretaro
$555 81.7% $2.5K
Groceries & Markets
New York, NY
$567
Queretaro
$300 47.1% $267
Eating Out
New York, NY
$425
Queretaro
$191 55% $234
Monthly Utilities & Internet
New York, NY
$371
Queretaro
$107 71.2% $264
Clothing & Footwear
New York, NY
$176
Queretaro
$132 25% $44
Getting Around
New York, NY
$165
Queretaro
$43 74.2% $123
Sport & Entertainment
New York, NY
$160
Queretaro
$63 61% $98

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,555 in New York, NY versus $830 in Queretaro. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in New York, NY are about 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $117 in New York, NY versus $63 in Queretaro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $567 vs $300 – making Queretaro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 New York, NY
🇲🇽 Queretaro
🕒 Local time
17:51 5:51 PM
16:51 4:51 PM
1 h behind New York, NY
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,804,190
804,663
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • New York, NY Queretaro 3,330 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • New York, NY
  • Queretaro

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 Queretaro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, New York, NY or Queretaro?
New York, NY costs about 253% more than Queretaro, 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 Queretaro?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,358 per month in New York, NY and $2,086 in Queretaro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, New York, NY or Queretaro?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Queretaro, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $830 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.
How do childcare costs compare in New York, NY and in Queretaro?
Kindergarten costs $3,606 per month in New York, NY and $258 in Queretaro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in New York, NY or in Queretaro?
Groceries cost about 89% more in New York, NY, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $1,000/month in New York, NY or in Queretaro?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,906 in New York, NY and $1,391 in Queretaro. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for digital nomads, New York, NY or Queretaro?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Queretaro costs $1,391 versus $4,906 in New York, NY. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to New York, NY or to Queretaro?
If budget matters most, go with Queretaro. If higher salaries 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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