Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Serra

For one person, living is cheaper in Serra: $889 a month against $4,950 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $48,700 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Serra
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Serra Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,950

/mo nomad

Serra

🇧🇷 Brazil

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $4,950 per month in New York, NY vs $889 in Serra, rent included.

New York, NY $4,950
Serra $889

A couple spends around $7,265 per month in New York, NY vs $1,317 in Serra, rent included.

New York, NY $7,265
Serra $1,317

A family of three spends $9,581 per month in New York, NY vs $1,744 in Serra, rent included.

New York, NY $9,581
Serra $1,744

New York, NY costs about 457% more than Serra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 267% above the global median, while Serra is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.65 $24.65

$4.77 R$24.16

416.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$22.99 R$117

428.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 $13.91

$8.20 R$41.58

69.63%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$2.09 R$10.57

215.31%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$1.34 R$6.77

186.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$0.62 R$3.15

362.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 $7.79

$1.95 R$9.88

299.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$3.06 R$15.53

221.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.13 R$5.70

22.12%

White Bread (500g)

$4.68 $4.68

$1.80 R$9.13

160.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.54 $7.54

$1.17 R$5.95

544.44%

Eggs

$5.93 $5.93

$2.14 R$10.87

177.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.83 $18.83

$10.49 R$53.2

79.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.36 $17.36

$4.58 R$23.22

279.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.51 $18.51

$8.54 R$43.27

116.74%

Apples (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$2.87 R$14.53

134.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.53 R$7.74

36.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$1.83 R$9.28

231.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$1.62 R$8.20

316.05%

Potato (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.18 R$5.96

243.22%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.11 R$5.65

293.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.34 R$6.78

115.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.39 R$7.03

87.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.72 $18.72

$2.49 R$12.62

651.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.06 $20.06

$5.64 R$28.59

255.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 $3.25

$0.98 R$4.98

231.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 $3.73

$3.27 R$16.59

14.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.06 $3.06

$0.97 R$4.93

215.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

$47.18 R$239

197.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.31 R$6.66

132.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.13 R$5.72

90.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.82 $41.82

$6.89 R$34.95

506.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.08 R$5.49

3.70%

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

$35.5K $35.5K

$23.5K R$119.2K

50.77%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$33.8K R$171.1K

-22.87%

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

$219 $219

$158 R$803

38.26%

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

$73.2 $73.2

$12.30 R$62.4

495.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.0 $72.0

$21.05 R$107

242.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$123 $123

$25.83 R$131

374.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.7 $67.7

$27.87 R$141

142.81%

Cinema Ticket

$22.85 $22.85

$7.49 R$37.95

205.07%

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

$3,333 $3,333

$188 R$955

1669.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$60.0K $60.0K

$6,726 R$34.1K

791.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 $75.2

$55.0 R$279

36.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 $52.4

$51.1 R$259

2.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

$91.1 R$462

33.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$74.3 R$377

79.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,389 $4,389

$251 R$1,271

1649.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,130 $3,130

$153 R$774

1950.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,918 $8,918

$446 R$2,261

1899.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,354 $5,354

$220 R$1,117

2329.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

$970 R$4,917

1900.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,806 $6,806

$563 R$2,852

1109.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,343 $5,343

$559 R$2,833

855.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

-38.00%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for New York, NY: October 13, 2026

Last update for Serra: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.2%

Serra

$153 17.2% 95.1% $3K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$545 11%

Serra

$212 23.8% 61.1% $333

Eating Out

New York, NY

$404 8.2%

Serra

$111 12.5% 72.4% $292

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.4%

Serra

$192 21.6% 47.3% $172

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.5%

Serra

$122 13.8% 29% $50

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Serra

$41 4.6% 75.8% $128

Getting Around

New York, NY

$167 3.4%

Serra

$58 6.5% 65.1% $108

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,389 in New York, NY versus $251 in Serra. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 856% higher in New York, NY, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in New York, NY versus $23.00 in Serra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $545 vs $212 – making Serra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇧🇷 Serra

🕒 Local time

07:49 7:49 AM

08:49 8:49 AM

1 h ahead of New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

520,653

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Serra 7,610 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Serra

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 Serra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 457% more than Serra, 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 $7,424 per month in New York, NY and $1,333 in Serra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Serra, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $3,333 per month in New York, NY and $188 in Serra. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 157% more in New York, NY, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Serra, where all-in costs run around $889, than in New York, NY at $4,950. In Serra 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. Serra costs $889 versus $4,950 in New York, NY. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Serra. 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.