Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Tibas

For one person, living is cheaper in Tibas: $1,710 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $38,400 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Tibas
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Tibas Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Tibas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $4,906 per month in New York, NY vs $1,710 in Tibas, rent included.

New York, NY $4,906
Tibas $1,710

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $2,659 in Tibas, rent included.

New York, NY $7,273
Tibas $2,659

A family of three spends $9,641 per month in New York, NY vs $3,607 in Tibas, rent included.

New York, NY $9,641
Tibas $3,607

New York, NY costs about 187% more than Tibas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both New York, NY and Tibas sit above the global median – New York, NY by 263%, Tibas by 26%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.93 $26.93

$12.33 ₡5,545

118.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 $117

$33.58 ₡15.1K

247.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.60 $14.60

$10.96 ₡4,926

33.21%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$3.81 ₡1,712

71.65%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$2.36 ₡1,062

63.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.93 ₡868

52.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$2.70 ₡1,215

199.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$4.53 ₡2,037

117.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$2.39 ₡1,076

-45.19%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.07 ₡1,380

61.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$2.47 ₡1,112

211.74%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$3.52 ₡1,583

73.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$10.65 ₡4,790

83.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$10.45 ₡4,697

68.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$13.84 ₡6,222

46.39%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 $6.99

$5.18 ₡2,330

34.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.59 ₡713

38.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$4.73 ₡2,127

42.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$3.93 ₡1,767

81.17%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.78 ₡1,698

21.96%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.69 ₡1,658

29.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.07 ₡481

168.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$3.12 ₡1,403

-13.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.14 $19.14

$5.82 ₡2,617

228.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 $19.63

$19.81 ₡8,908

-0.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.75 ₡1,236

20.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.64 ₡1,638

15.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.29 ₡580

134.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.38 ₡1,070

27.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.57 ₡708

40.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$8.59 ₡3,863

381.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.58 ₡710

-28.48%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$33.7K ₡15.2M

2.26%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$42.1K ₡18.9M

-38.53%

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

$232 $232

$93.9 ₡42.2K

147.42%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$36.26 ₡16.3K

95.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$60.2 ₡27.1K

12.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$67.7 ₡30.4K

70.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

$7.57 ₡3,402

196.04%

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

$3,606 $3,606

$977 ₡439.1K

269.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

$17.4K ₡7.8M

294.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 $79.3

$71.2 ₡32.0K

11.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$55.6 ₡25.0K

-7.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$131 ₡59.1K

-7.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$131 ₡58.8K

7.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,555 $4,555

$795 ₡357.7K

472.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

$630 ₡283.4K

382.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,742 $9,742

$1,934 ₡869.5K

403.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,331 $5,331

$1,287 ₡578.9K

314.09%

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

$1,000 ₡449.8K

409.37%

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 Tibas: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3K 62%

Tibas

$630 36.9% 79.3% $2.4K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$567 11.6%

Tibas

$399 23.4% 29.6% $168

Eating Out

New York, NY

$425 8.7%

Tibas

$217 12.7% 49% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$371 7.6%

Tibas

$190 11.1% 48.7% $181

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$176 3.6%

Tibas

$175 10.2% 0.8% $1.5

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.4%

Tibas

$15 * 0.9% 90.7% $150

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

Tibas

$83 4.8% 48.3% $77

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 Tibas. 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 5.1 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 Tibas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $567 vs $399 – making Tibas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇨🇷 Tibas

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

12:22 12:22 PM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

64,842

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Tibas 3,530 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Tibas

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 Tibas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 187% more than Tibas, 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 $2,565 in Tibas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tibas, 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 $1,710 in Tibas. That makes Tibas about 65% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $3,606 per month in New York, NY and $977 in Tibas. 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 Tibas, where all-in costs run around $1,710, than in New York, NY at $4,906. In Tibas it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Tibas. 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.