Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Recife

For one person, living is cheaper in Recife: $909 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $50,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

245

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Recife
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Recife Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Recife

🇧🇷 Brazil

$909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $5,142 per month in New York, NY vs $909 in Recife, rent included.

New York, NY $5,142
Recife $909

A couple spends around $7,455 per month in New York, NY vs $1,492 in Recife, rent included.

New York, NY $7,455
Recife $1,492

A family of three spends $9,767 per month in New York, NY vs $2,075 in Recife, rent included.

New York, NY $9,767
Recife $2,075

New York, NY costs about 466% more than Recife, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 284% above the global median, while Recife is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.46 $26.46

$5.63 R$28.11

369.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$37.54 R$187

216.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.43 $14.43

$9.83 R$49.07

46.80%

Cappuccino

$6.55 $6.55

$2.58 R$12.87

153.88%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$1.05 R$5.25

265.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$0.65 R$3.23

361.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.27 $8.27

$1.56 R$7.80

430.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.05 $10.05

$3.13 R$15.63

221.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.38 R$6.90

-5.07%

White Bread (500g)

$4.90 $4.90

$1.61 R$8.04

204.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.16 $7.16

$1.59 R$7.93

350.31%

Eggs

$5.92 $5.92

$1.89 R$9.43

213.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 $19.06

$7.46 R$37.22

155.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$4.52 R$22.58

284.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 $18.94

$8.17 R$40.77

131.82%

Apples (1kg)

$6.96 $6.96

$1.36 R$6.80

411.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.36 R$6.78

52.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$0.76 R$3.80

702.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$1.28 R$6.40

442.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$1.41 R$7.05

182.27%

Onion (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$1.11 R$5.56

300.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 $2.81

$0.52 R$2.60

440.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$0.90 R$4.51

178.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.27 $19.27

$1.77 R$8.86

988.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.67 $19.67

$7.88 R$39.36

149.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.17 R$5.86

163.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$1.54 R$7.67

138.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.82 R$4.09

268.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

$37.85 R$189

268.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.21 R$6.02

153.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.78 R$3.90

173.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

$3.52 R$17.56

1070.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.36 R$6.81

-18.38%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$24.1K R$120.2K

45.36%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$32.8K R$163.7K

-22.55%

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

$217 $217

$114 R$570

90.56%

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

$74.0 $74.0

$13.46 R$67.2

449.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$17.75 R$88.6

308.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$21.55 R$108

458.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.9 $66.9

$34.89 R$174

91.72%

Cinema Ticket

$22.32 $22.32

$8.62 R$43.02

158.93%

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

$3,425 $3,425

$283 R$1,414

1108.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.2K $61.2K

$11.7K R$58.6K

421.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 $76.3

$45.60 R$228

67.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 $55.5

$50.8 R$254

9.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$76.9 R$384

55.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$83.2 R$415

56.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,506 $4,506

$516 R$2,574

773.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,155 $3,155

$260 R$1,296

1115.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,817 $8,817

$883 R$4,406

899.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,532 $5,532

$620 R$3,095

792.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

$1,958 R$9,776

889.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,754 $6,754

$1,091 R$5,445

519.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,290 $5,290

$434 R$2,167

1118.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.75

-41.96%

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 Recife: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2%

Recife

$260 28.4% 91.8% $2.9K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$546 11%

Recife

$182 19.9% 66.7% $364

Eating Out

New York, NY

$422 8.5%

Recife

$126 13.8% 70.1% $296

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.3%

Recife

$145 15.9% 60.1% $219

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.4%

Recife

$115 12.6% 32.8% $56

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Recife

$46 5.1% 72% $119

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Recife

$39 4.3% 76.5% $126

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,506 in New York, NY versus $516 in Recife. 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 1118% 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 $38.00 in Recife. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $546 vs $182 – making Recife the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇧🇷 Recife

🕒 Local time

05:44 5:44 AM

06:44 6:44 AM

1 h ahead of New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

1,488,920

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Recife 6,740 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Recife

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 Recife: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 466% more than Recife, 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 $7,714 per month in New York, NY and $1,363 in Recife. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $3,425 per month in New York, NY and $283 in Recife. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 200% 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 Recife, where all-in costs run around $909, than in New York, NY at $5,142. In Recife 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. Recife costs $909 versus $5,142 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 Recife. 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.