Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Saint Charles, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint Charles, IL: $2,710 a month against $4,938 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $26,700 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
132

Cost of Living Index in Saint Charles, IL
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Saint Charles, IL Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,938

/mo nomad

Saint Charles, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New York, NY and in Saint Charles, IL

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 Saint Charles, IL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,938 per month in New York, NY vs $2,710 in Saint Charles, IL, rent included.

New York, NY $4,938
Saint Charles, IL $2,710

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $4,230 in Saint Charles, IL, rent included.

New York, NY $7,273
Saint Charles, IL $4,230

A family of three spends $9,608 per month in New York, NY vs $5,749 in Saint Charles, IL, rent included.

New York, NY $9,608
Saint Charles, IL $5,749

New York, NY costs about 82% more than Saint Charles, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both New York, NY and Saint Charles, IL sit above the global median – New York, NY by 264%, Saint Charles, IL by 100%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.99 $24.99

$38.02 $38.02

-34.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$99.6 $99.6

20.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.74 $13.74

$10.63 $10.63

29.26%

Cappuccino

$6.60 $6.60

$6.85 $6.85

-3.65%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$3.37 $3.37

13.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$3.07 $3.07

-6.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.95 $7.95

$7.03 $7.03

13.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.06 $10.06

$7.54 $7.54

33.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$0.98 $0.98

39.80%

White Bread (500g)

$4.75 $4.75

$3.55 $3.55

33.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.69 $7.69

$4.23 $4.23

81.80%

Eggs

$5.87 $5.87

$4.57 $4.57

28.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.25 $19.25

$12.33 $12.33

56.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.83 $17.83

$11.47 $11.47

55.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.03 $19.03

$12.85 $12.85

48.09%

Apples (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$5.08 $5.08

31.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.01 $1.01

126.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$4.34 $4.34

47.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$4.78 $4.78

41.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.75 $2.75

42.91%

Onion (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$3.04 $3.04

48.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.57 $1.57

77.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.23 $2.23

12.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.10 $18.10

$11.41 $11.41

58.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.16 $20.16

$15.12 $15.12

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.93 $1.93

68.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.46 $3.46

8.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.02 $2.02

44.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$143 $143

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.24 $3.24

-5.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.64 $1.64

31.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$32.52 $32.52

27.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.99 $0.99

13.13%

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

$33.1K $33.1K

$26.0K $26.0K

27.42%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$26.1K $26.1K

-1.35%

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

$219 $219

$195 $195

12.22%

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

$75.3 $75.3

$66.6 $66.6

13.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$70.9 $70.9

-0.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$116 $116

$43.09 $43.09

168.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

Cinema Ticket

$21.37 $21.37

$14.74 $14.74

44.98%

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

$3,432 $3,432

$1,358 $1,358

152.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.7K $61.7K

$26.2K $26.2K

135.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.9 $74.9

$51.1 $51.1

46.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$39.30 $39.30

32.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$75.7 $75.7

54.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$131 $131

2.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,347 $4,347

$1,800 $1,800

141.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,117 $3,117

$1,277 $1,277

144.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,110 $9,110

$2,543 $2,543

258.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,379 $5,379

$2,472 $2,472

117.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.3K $19.3K

$3,065 $3,065

529.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,943 $6,943

$2,620 $2,620

165.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,238 $5,238

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

6.57

4.26%

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 Saint Charles, IL: 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%

Saint Charles, IL

$1.3K 47.1% 59% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$552 11.2%

Saint Charles, IL

$380 14% 31.1% $172

Eating Out

New York, NY

$407 8.2%

Saint Charles, IL

$494 18.2% 21.4% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$365 7.4%

Saint Charles, IL

$333 12.3% 8.8% $32

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$170 3.5%

Saint Charles, IL

$134 4.9% 21.5% $37

Getting Around

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Saint Charles, IL

$20 * 0.7% 88.4% $149

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$158 3.2%

Saint Charles, IL

$73 2.7% 54.1% $86

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,347 in New York, NY versus $1,800 in Saint Charles, IL. 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 $100 in Saint Charles, IL. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $552 vs $380 – making Saint Charles, IL the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇸 Saint Charles, IL

🕒 Local time

22:34 10:34 PM

21:34 9:34 PM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

70,329

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

New York, NY Saint Charles, IL 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Saint Charles, IL

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 Saint Charles, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 82% more than Saint Charles, IL, 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 $4,065 in Saint Charles, IL. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,938 in New York, NY and $2,710 in Saint Charles, IL. That's a gap of about 82%.

Kindergarten costs $3,432 per month in New York, NY and $1,358 in Saint Charles, IL. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,938 in New York, NY and $2,710 in Saint Charles, IL. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Saint Charles, IL costs $2,710 versus $4,938 in New York, NY. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Saint Charles, IL. 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.