Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and San Juan del Sur

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan del Sur: $1,038 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $46,400 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
50

Cost of Living Index in San Juan del Sur
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San Juan del Sur Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

San Juan del Sur

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,038

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New York, NY and in San Juan del Sur

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 Juan del Sur actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,906 per month in New York, NY vs $1,038 in San Juan del Sur, rent included.

New York, NY $4,906
San Juan del Sur $1,038

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $1,655 in San Juan del Sur, rent included.

New York, NY $7,273
San Juan del Sur $1,655

A family of three spends $9,641 per month in New York, NY vs $2,272 in San Juan del Sur, rent included.

New York, NY $9,641
San Juan del Sur $2,272

New York, NY costs about 373% more than San Juan del Sur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 263% above the global median, while San Juan del Sur is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.93 $26.93

$4.26 NIO 156

532.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 $117

$34.05 NIO 1,247

243.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.60 $14.60

$5.49 NIO 201

165.94%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$2.53 NIO 92.7

158.50%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$0.89 NIO 32.60

333.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$0.69 NIO 25.12

327.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$1.47 NIO 53.8

449.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$2.19 NIO 80.2

349.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.20 NIO 43.77

9.17%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$1.47 NIO 54.0

238.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$1.17 NIO 42.71

558.12%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$2.39 NIO 87.5

154.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$7.67 NIO 281

154.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$6.16 NIO 226

185.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$7.83 NIO 287

158.75%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 $6.99

$3.97 NIO 145

76.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.61 NIO 22.36

262.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$1.78 NIO 65.0

277.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$2.36 NIO 86.3

201.69%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.11 NIO 114

48.23%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.24 NIO 82.0

113.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.10 NIO 40.34

160.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.00 NIO 36.73

169.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.14 $19.14

$2.69 NIO 98.4

611.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 $19.63

$9.68 NIO 354

102.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.42 NIO 52.2

133.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.19 NIO 80.3

91.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.67 NIO 61.2

82.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.59 NIO 58.2

38.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$6.97 NIO 255

492.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.36 NIO 49.66

-16.91%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$22.9K NIO 840.2K

50.20%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$25.9K NIO 948.6K

-0.20%

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

$232 $232

$59.3 NIO 2,170

292.15%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$10.65 NIO 390

566.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$32.81 NIO 1,202

106.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$30.17 NIO 1,105

282.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

$8.90 NIO 326

151.80%

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

$3,606 $3,606

$235 NIO 8,592

1436.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

$6,163 NIO 225.7K

1014.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 $79.3

$60.5 NIO 2,215

31.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$64.2 NIO 2,350

-19.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$123 NIO 4,502

-1.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$145 NIO 5,298

-2.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,555 $4,555

$426 NIO 15.6K

969.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

$380 NIO 13.9K

699.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,742 $9,742

$916 NIO 33.5K

963.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,331 $5,331

$776 NIO 28.4K

586.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K $18.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,685 $6,685

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,096 $5,096

$351 NIO 12.8K

1352.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

11.92

-42.20%

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 San Juan del Sur: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3K 62%

San Juan del Sur

$380 36.6% 87.5% $2.7K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$567 11.6%

San Juan del Sur

$222 21.4% 60.9% $346

Eating Out

New York, NY

$425 8.7%

San Juan del Sur

$99 9.5% 76.7% $326

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$371 7.6%

San Juan del Sur

$103 9.9% 72.3% $268

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$176 3.6%

San Juan del Sur

$177 17% 0% $0

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.4%

San Juan del Sur

$9.6 * 0.9% 94.2% $156

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

San Juan del Sur

$48 4.6% 70.1% $112

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 $426 in San Juan del Sur. 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 15 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 $34 in San Juan del Sur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $567 vs $222 – making San Juan del Sur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇳🇮 San Juan del Sur

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

11:49 11:49 AM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

14,741

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.897 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇮 Nicaraguan Córdoba (C$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 8, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.897 EUR).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of November 8, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 40.81 NIO (100 NIO = 2.45 EUR).

NIO to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY San Juan del Sur 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
San Juan del Sur

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 Juan del Sur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 373% more than San Juan del Sur, 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 $7,358 per month in New York, NY and $1,557 in San Juan del Sur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan del Sur, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $426 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,906 in New York, NY and $1,038 in San Juan del Sur. That makes San Juan del Sur about 79% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $3,606 per month in New York, NY and $235 in San Juan del Sur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Juan del Sur, where all-in costs run around $1,038, than in New York, NY at $4,906. In San Juan del Sur 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 Juan del Sur costs $1,038 versus $4,906 in New York, NY. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with San Juan del Sur. 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.