Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in San Rafael: $1,718 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $38,300 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
83

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

San Rafael

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,718

/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 $4,906 per month in New York, NY vs $1,718 in San Rafael, rent included.

New York, NY $4,906
San Rafael $1,718

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $2,741 in San Rafael, rent included.

New York, NY $7,273
San Rafael $2,741

A family of three spends $9,641 per month in New York, NY vs $3,765 in San Rafael, rent included.

New York, NY $9,641
San Rafael $3,765

New York, NY costs about 185% more than San Rafael, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both New York, NY and San Rafael sit above the global median – New York, NY by 263%, San Rafael by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.93 $26.93

$12.45 ₡5,579

116.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 $117

$62.3 ₡27.9K

87.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.60 $14.60

$11.82 ₡5,299

23.52%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$4.34 ₡1,945

50.69%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$2.61 ₡1,170

47.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.93 ₡863

52.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$3.30 ₡1,480

144.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$4.46 ₡2,001

120.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$2.31 ₡1,035

-43.29%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.06 ₡1,371

62.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$2.39 ₡1,071

222.18%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$3.53 ₡1,584

72.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$10.70 ₡4,798

82.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$10.61 ₡4,757

65.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$13.86 ₡6,212

46.18%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 $6.99

$5.12 ₡2,294

36.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.60 ₡715

38.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$4.89 ₡2,190

37.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$3.82 ₡1,713

86.39%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.72 ₡1,666

23.92%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.71 ₡1,661

28.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.13 ₡507

153.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$3.20 ₡1,435

-15.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.14 $19.14

$6.00 ₡2,688

219.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 $19.63

$19.67 ₡8,818

-0.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.87 ₡1,287

15.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.55 ₡1,590

18.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.35 ₡605

123.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.46 ₡1,103

23.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.62 ₡726

35.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$8.85 ₡3,966

367.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.56 ₡700

-27.56%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$33.9K ₡15.2M

1.53%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$42.2K ₡18.9M

-38.77%

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

$232 $232

$96.5 ₡43.3K

140.80%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$35.72 ₡16.0K

98.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$59.7 ₡26.8K

13.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$68.3 ₡30.6K

68.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

$7.73 ₡3,467

189.91%

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

$3,606 $3,606

$985 ₡441.4K

266.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

305.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 $79.3

$72.3 ₡32.4K

9.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$56.9 ₡25.5K

-9.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$127 ₡56.7K

-4.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$133 ₡59.4K

5.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,555 $4,555

$795 ₡356.2K

473.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

$621 ₡278.4K

389.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,742 $9,742

$1,888 ₡846.5K

415.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,331 $5,331

$1,271 ₡570.0K

319.29%

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

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 San Rafael: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3K 62%

San Rafael

$621 36.1% 79.6% $2.4K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$567 11.6%

San Rafael

$400 23.3% 29.5% $167

Eating Out

New York, NY

$425 8.7%

San Rafael

$231 13.4% 45.7% $194

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$371 7.6%

San Rafael

$192 11.2% 48.3% $179

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$176 3.6%

San Rafael

$175 10.2% 1% $1.7

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.4%

San Rafael

$16 * 0.9% 90.4% $150

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

San Rafael

$84 4.9% 47.7% $76

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 $795 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 $117 in New York, NY versus $62 in San Rafael. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $567 vs $400 – making San Rafael the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇨🇷 San Rafael

🕒 Local time

19:26 7:26 PM

18:26 6:26 PM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

30,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 2 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 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 501 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

New York, NY San Rafael 3,550 km ≈ 5 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 185% more than San Rafael, 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 $2,577 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $795 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,906 in New York, NY and $1,718 in San Rafael. That makes San Rafael about 65% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $3,606 per month in New York, NY and $985 in San Rafael. 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 San Rafael, where all-in costs run around $1,718, than in New York, NY at $4,906. In San Rafael it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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