Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in San Rafael: $1,318 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $45,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

245

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
Learn more

New York, NY Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
Learn more

San Rafael Living Index

Jump to prices

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

San Rafael

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,318

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $5,142 per month in New York, NY vs $1,318 in San Rafael, rent included.

New York, NY $5,142
San Rafael $1,318

A couple spends around $7,455 per month in New York, NY vs $2,096 in San Rafael, rent included.

New York, NY $7,455
San Rafael $2,096

A family of three spends $9,767 per month in New York, NY vs $2,875 in San Rafael, rent included.

New York, NY $9,767
San Rafael $2,875

New York, NY costs about 290% more than San Rafael, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 284% above the global median, while San Rafael is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.46 $26.46

$11.20 ARS 17.0K

136.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$49.65 ARS 75.3K

139.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.43 $14.43

$14.69 ARS 22.3K

-1.77%

Cappuccino

$6.55 $6.55

$4.34 ARS 6,580

50.92%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$2.42 ARS 3,663

58.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.98 ARS 3,006

51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.27 $8.27

$3.94 ARS 5,969

109.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.05 $10.05

$4.42 ARS 6,701

127.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.35 ARS 2,046

-2.96%

White Bread (500g)

$4.90 $4.90

$2.27 ARS 3,435

115.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.16 $7.16

$2.67 ARS 4,052

168.16%

Eggs

$5.92 $5.92

$3.18 ARS 4,820

86.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 $19.06

$14.56 ARS 22.1K

30.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$6.21 ARS 9,418

179.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 $18.94

$11.16 ARS 16.9K

69.71%

Apples (1kg)

$6.96 $6.96

$2.38 ARS 3,604

192.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.21 ARS 3,347

-5.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$1.35 ARS 2,048

351.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$3.30 ARS 5,012

110.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.01 ARS 3,055

98.01%

Onion (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$1.45 ARS 2,203

206.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.94 ARS 2,935

44.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.46 ARS 3,725

2.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.27 $19.27

$2.82 ARS 4,279

583.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.67 $19.67

$5.05 ARS 7,656

289.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.73 ARS 2,625

78.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.05 ARS 4,619

20.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.00 ARS 1,513

202.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.96 ARS 2,966

56.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.02 ARS 1,540

108.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

$4.89 ARS 7,412

742.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.27 ARS 1,929

-12.60%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$26.6K ARS 40.4M

31.32%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$32.6K ARS 49.4M

-22.06%

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

$217 $217

$135 ARS 205.3K

60.68%

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

$74.0 $74.0

$17.43 ARS 26.4K

324.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$23.44 ARS 35.6K

209.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$31.21 ARS 47.3K

285.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.9 $66.9

Cinema Ticket

$22.32 $22.32

$6.91 ARS 10.5K

223.01%

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

$3,425 $3,425

$177 ARS 268.1K

1837.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.2K $61.2K

$4,090 ARS 6.2M

1395.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 $76.3

$116 ARS 175.9K

-34.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 $55.5

$125 ARS 188.9K

-55.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$136 ARS 206.8K

-12.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$125 ARS 189.8K

4.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,506 $4,506

$489 ARS 740.9K

822.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,155 $3,155

$318 ARS 482.7K

891.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,817 $8,817

$937 ARS 1.4M

840.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,532 $5,532

$725 ARS 1.1M

662.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,754 $6,754

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,290 $5,290

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

-88.44%

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 San Rafael: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2%

San Rafael

$318 24.6% 89.9% $2.8K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$546 11%

San Rafael

$286 22.1% 47.7% $260

Eating Out

New York, NY

$422 8.5%

San Rafael

$232 17.9% 45.1% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.3%

San Rafael

$176 13.6% 51.6% $188

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.4%

San Rafael

$226 17.5% 31.6% $54

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

San Rafael

$11 * 0.9% 93.3% $154

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

San Rafael

$45 3.5% 72.7% $120

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,506 in New York, NY versus $489 in San Rafael. 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 $119 in New York, NY versus $50.0 in San Rafael. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $546 vs $286 – making San Rafael the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇦🇷 San Rafael

🕒 Local time

09:54 9:54 AM

10:54 10:54 AM

1 h ahead of New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

118,850

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

ARS to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

New York, NY San Rafael 8,390 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
San Rafael

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 Rafael: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 290% more than San Rafael, 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 $1,978 in San Rafael. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Rafael, 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 $5,142 in New York, NY and $1,318 in San Rafael. That's a gap of about 290%.

Kindergarten costs $3,425 per month in New York, NY and $177 in San Rafael. 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 Rafael, where all-in costs run around $1,318, than in New York, NY at $5,142. In San Rafael 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 Rafael costs $1,318 versus $5,142 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 Rafael. 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.