Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Surrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Surrey: $2,236 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $34,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

245

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Surrey
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Surrey Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Surrey

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,236

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $5,142 per month in New York, NY vs $2,236 in Surrey, rent included.

New York, NY $5,142
Surrey $2,236

A couple spends around $7,455 per month in New York, NY vs $3,522 in Surrey, rent included.

New York, NY $7,455
Surrey $3,522

A family of three spends $9,767 per month in New York, NY vs $4,808 in Surrey, rent included.

New York, NY $9,767
Surrey $4,808

New York, NY costs about 130% more than Surrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both New York, NY and Surrey sit above the global median – New York, NY by 284%, Surrey by 67%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.46 $26.46

$17.87 CA$25.48

48.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$55.2 CA$78.7

115.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.43 $14.43

$10.26 CA$14.62

40.64%

Cappuccino

$6.55 $6.55

$3.63 CA$5.18

80.44%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$2.11 CA$3.00

81.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.57 CA$2.23

91.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.27 $8.27

$5.65 CA$8.05

46.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.05 $10.05

$5.95 CA$8.48

68.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$2.40 CA$3.42

-45.42%

White Bread (500g)

$4.90 $4.90

$2.04 CA$2.91

140.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.16 $7.16

$3.57 CA$5.09

100.56%

Eggs

$5.92 $5.92

$3.23 CA$4.61

83.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 $19.06

$9.63 CA$13.73

97.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$10.29 CA$14.66

68.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 $18.94

$19.56 CA$27.89

-3.17%

Apples (1kg)

$6.96 $6.96

$3.14 CA$4.48

121.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.31 CA$1.86

58.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$2.94 CA$4.20

107.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$2.95 CA$4.20

135.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.54 CA$3.62

56.69%

Onion (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.05 CA$2.92

116.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.98 CA$2.82

41.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.80 CA$2.56

39.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.27 $19.27

$13.93 CA$19.86

38.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.67 $19.67

$14.12 CA$20.12

39.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.46 CA$3.51

25.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.05 CA$4.35

20.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.67 CA$3.81

13.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

$106 CA$150

32.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.57 CA$3.66

19.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.49 CA$2.13

42.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

$27.20 CA$38.77

51.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.31 CA$1.86

-15.27%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$27.8K CA$39.6K

25.88%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$18.5K CA$26.3K

37.55%

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

$217 $217

$185 CA$263

17.73%

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

$74.0 $74.0

$36.28 CA$51.7

104.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$63.2 CA$90.1

14.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$34.52 CA$49.21

248.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.9 $66.9

$25.21 CA$35.93

165.33%

Cinema Ticket

$22.32 $22.32

$12.70 CA$18.10

75.75%

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

$3,425 $3,425

$832 CA$1,186

311.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.2K $61.2K

$11.9K CA$17.0K

413.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 $76.3

$55.2 CA$78.7

38.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 $55.5

$60.3 CA$85.9

-7.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$96.4 CA$137

23.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$88.2 CA$126

48.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,506 $4,506

$1,327 CA$1,891

239.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,155 $3,155

$1,050 CA$1,497

200.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,817 $8,817

$2,676 CA$3,815

229.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,532 $5,532

$2,085 CA$2,972

165.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

$9,553 CA$13.6K

102.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,754 $6,754

$8,388 CA$12.0K

-19.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,290 $5,290

$2,988 CA$4,260

77.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

4.87

40.04%

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 Surrey: 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%

Surrey

$1.1K 46.1% 66.7% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$546 11%

Surrey

$348 15.3% 36.2% $198

Eating Out

New York, NY

$422 8.5%

Surrey

$272 12% 35.6% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.3%

Surrey

$284 12.5% 21.9% $80

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.4%

Surrey

$135 5.9% 21.4% $37

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Surrey

$126 5.6% 23.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Surrey

$60 2.6% 63.7% $105

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,506 in New York, NY versus $1,327 in Surrey. 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 77% 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 $119 in New York, NY versus $55.0 in Surrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $546 vs $348 – making Surrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇨🇦 Surrey

🕒 Local time

06:48 6:48 AM

03:48 3:48 AM

3 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

517,887

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Surrey 3,880 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Surrey

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 Surrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 130% more than Surrey, 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 $3,353 in Surrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $3,425 per month in New York, NY and $832 in Surrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 57% 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 $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Surrey, where all-in costs run around $2,236, than in New York, NY at $5,142. In Surrey 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. Surrey costs $2,236 versus $5,142 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 Surrey. 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.