Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and San José

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $913 a month against $4,938 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $48,300 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
44

Cost of Living Index in San José
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San José Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,938

/mo nomad

San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $4,938 per month in New York, NY vs $913 in San José, rent included.

New York, NY $4,938
San José $913

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $1,449 in San José, rent included.

New York, NY $7,273
San José $1,449

A family of three spends $9,608 per month in New York, NY vs $1,985 in San José, rent included.

New York, NY $9,608
San José $1,985

New York, NY costs about 441% more than San José, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 264% above the global median, while San José is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.99 $24.99

$12.95 UYU 520

92.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$43.87 UYU 1,761

174.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.74 $13.74

$13.82 UYU 555

-0.58%

Cappuccino

$6.60 $6.60

$4.88 UYU 196

35.25%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.38 UYU 95.6

60.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.19 UYU 87.9

31.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.95 $7.95

$2.92 UYU 117

172.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.06 $10.06

$3.48 UYU 140

189.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$0.99 UYU 39.77

38.38%

White Bread (500g)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.01 UYU 80.7

136.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.69 $7.69

$1.47 UYU 59.0

423.13%

Eggs

$5.87 $5.87

$2.62 UYU 105

124.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.25 $19.25

$12.01 UYU 482

60.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.83 $17.83

$7.26 UYU 291

145.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.03 $19.03

$12.07 UYU 484

57.66%

Apples (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$1.22 UYU 48.77

448.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.54 UYU 61.8

48.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$1.21 UYU 48.71

429.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$1.54 UYU 61.7

338.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$0.98 UYU 39.49

301.02%

Onion (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.28 UYU 51.5

253.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.49 UYU 59.7

87.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.99 UYU 79.9

26.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.10 $18.10

$9.82 UYU 394

84.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.16 $20.16

$8.17 UYU 328

146.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.05 UYU 123

6.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.35 UYU 135

11.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$143 $143

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.50 UYU 141

-12.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 $2.16

$3.45 UYU 139

-37.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$9.95 UYU 399

315.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.15 UYU 86.3

-47.91%

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

$33.1K $33.1K

$36.4K UYU 1.5M

-9.02%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$40.1K UYU 1.6M

-35.78%

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

$219 $219

$113 UYU 4,547

93.57%

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

$75.3 $75.3

$23.78 UYU 955

216.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$47.11 UYU 1,891

49.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$116 $116

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

Cinema Ticket

$21.37 $21.37

$12.35 UYU 496

73.04%

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

$3,432 $3,432

$494 UYU 19.8K

594.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.7K $61.7K

$6,691 UYU 268.6K

821.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.9 $74.9

$88.3 UYU 3,542

-15.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$37.57 UYU 1,508

38.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$164 UYU 6,601

-29.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$117 UYU 4,699

15.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,347 $4,347

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,117 $3,117

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,110 $9,110

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,379 $5,379

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.3K $19.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,943 $6,943

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,238 $5,238

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

37.00%

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 San José: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.1%

San José

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$552 11.2%

San José

$256 28.1% 53.6% $296

Eating Out

New York, NY

$407 8.2%

San José

$243 26.7% 40.2% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$365 7.4%

San José

$184 20.2% 49.6% $181

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$170 3.5%

San José

$183 20.1% 7.7% $13

Getting Around

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

San José

$21 * 2.3% 87.7% $147

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$158 3.2%

San José

$25 * 2.7% 84.4% $134

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $120 in New York, NY versus $44.00 in San José. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $552 vs $256 – making San José the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇾 San José

🕒 Local time

18:58 6:58 PM

19:58 7:58 PM

1 h ahead of New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

36,747

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY San José 8,530 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
San José

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 San José: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 441% more than San José, 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 $1,369 in San José. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,938 in New York, NY and $913 in San José. That's a gap of about 441%.

Kindergarten costs $3,432 per month in New York, NY and $494 in San José. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in San José, where all-in costs run around $913, than in New York, NY at $4,938. In San José 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. San José costs $913 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 San José. 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.