Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Samara, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in Samara: $2,001 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $34,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Samara
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Samara Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Samara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,001

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $4,906 per month in New York, NY vs $2,001 in Samara, rent included.

New York, NY $4,906
Samara $2,001

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $3,521 in Samara, rent included.

New York, NY $7,273
Samara $3,521

A family of three spends $9,641 per month in New York, NY vs $5,040 in Samara, rent included.

New York, NY $9,641
Samara $5,040

New York, NY costs about 145% more than Samara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both New York, NY and Samara sit above the global median – New York, NY by 263%, Samara by 48%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.93 $26.93

$11.13 ₡5,005

141.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 $117

$62.2 ₡28.0K

87.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.60 $14.60

$11.86 ₡5,335

23.10%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$4.47 ₡2,009

46.31%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$2.68 ₡1,203

44.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.82 ₡819

62.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$3.23 ₡1,453

150.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$4.51 ₡2,027

118.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$2.35 ₡1,057

-44.26%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.02 ₡1,359

64.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$2.43 ₡1,094

216.87%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$3.47 ₡1,560

75.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$10.86 ₡4,884

80.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$10.45 ₡4,697

68.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$11.00 ₡4,946

84.18%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 $6.99

$5.05 ₡2,269

38.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.58 ₡709

39.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$4.88 ₡2,195

37.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$3.90 ₡1,752

82.56%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.90 ₡1,753

18.21%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.75 ₡1,686

27.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.13 ₡506

153.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$3.11 ₡1,397

-13.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.14 $19.14

$5.44 ₡2,444

251.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 $19.63

$18.84 ₡8,469

4.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.78 ₡1,252

19.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.47 ₡1,108

69.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.31 ₡589

130.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.46 ₡1,105

23.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.56 ₡702

41.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$8.53 ₡3,836

384.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.51 ₡677

-25.17%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$34.4K ₡15.5M

0.15%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$42.0K ₡18.9M

-38.50%

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

$232 $232

$93.7 ₡42.1K

147.92%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$35.51 ₡16.0K

100.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$60.2 ₡27.1K

12.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$66.4 ₡29.9K

73.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

$7.53 ₡3,386

197.61%

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

$3,606 $3,606

$502 ₡225.7K

618.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

$6,045 ₡2.7M

1036.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 $79.3

$67.0 ₡30.1K

18.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$56.5 ₡25.4K

-8.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$127 ₡57.2K

-4.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$134 ₡60.1K

4.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,555 $4,555

$1,350 ₡607.0K

237.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

$934 ₡420.0K

225.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,742 $9,742

$3,715 ₡1.7M

162.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,331 $5,331

$2,613 ₡1.2M

104.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K $18.2K

$5,030 ₡2.3M

262.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,685 $6,685

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,096 $5,096

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

8.62

-20.07%

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 Samara: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3K 62%

Samara

$934 46.7% 69.3% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$567 11.6%

Samara

$386 19.3% 31.9% $181

Eating Out

New York, NY

$425 8.7%

Samara

$221 11.1% 47.9% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$371 7.6%

Samara

$189 9.5% 49% $182

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$176 3.6%

Samara

$173 8.6% 2% $3.5

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.4%

Samara

$16 * 0.8% 90.6% $150

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

Samara

$81 4.1% 49.1% $79

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,555 in New York, NY versus $1,350 in Samara. 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 $117 in New York, NY versus $62 in Samara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $567 vs $386 – making Samara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇨🇷 Samara

🕒 Local time

15:25 3:25 PM

14:25 2:25 PM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

1,071

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Samara 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Samara

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 Samara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 145% more than Samara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,358 per month in New York, NY and $3,002 in Samara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Samara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,350 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,906 in New York, NY and $2,001 in Samara. That makes Samara about 59% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $3,606 per month in New York, NY and $502 in Samara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Samara, where all-in costs run around $2,001, than in New York, NY at $4,906. In Samara it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Samara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.