Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Toluca

For one person, living is cheaper in Toluca: $1,114 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $45,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

New York, NY, United States
Toluca, Mexico
New York, NY
🇺🇸 United States
$4,906
/mo nomad
Toluca
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,114
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $4,906 per month in New York, NY vs $1,114 in Toluca, rent included.

  • New York, NY $4,906
  • Toluca $1,114

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $1,825 in Toluca, rent included.

  • New York, NY $7,273
  • Toluca $1,825

A family of three spends $9,641 per month in New York, NY vs $2,536 in Toluca, rent included.

  • New York, NY $9,641
  • Toluca $2,536

New York, NY costs about 340% more than Toluca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 263% above the global median, while Toluca is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
New York, NY
Toluca
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.93 $26.93
$10.74 MX$201
150.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$117 $117
$42.58 MX$796
174.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.60 $14.60
$8.79 MX$164
66.10%
Cappuccino
$6.54 $6.54
$3.24 MX$60.5
101.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.86 $3.86
$1.25 MX$23.36
208.80%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 $2.95
$0.81 MX$15.21
264.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.08 $8.08
$2.12 MX$39.58
281.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.85 $9.85
$3.40 MX$63.6
189.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
New York, NY
Toluca
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 $1.31
$1.70 MX$31.73
-22.94%
White Bread (500g)
$4.97 $4.97
$3.23 MX$60.3
53.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$7.70 $7.70
$2.25 MX$42.16
242.22%
Eggs
$6.09 $6.09
$3.08 MX$57.6
97.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.55 $19.55
$8.10 MX$152
141.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$17.59 $17.59
$8.25 MX$154
113.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.26 $20.26
$8.88 MX$166
128.15%
Apples (1kg)
$6.99 $6.99
$4.07 MX$76.2
71.74%
Banana (1kg)
$2.21 $2.21
$2.00 MX$37.36
10.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.72 $6.72
$2.28 MX$42.69
194.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.12 $7.12
$2.32 MX$43.40
206.90%
Potato (1kg)
$4.61 $4.61
$2.93 MX$54.8
57.34%
Onion (1kg)
$4.78 $4.78
$2.41 MX$45.04
98.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.87 $2.87
$1.62 MX$30.21
77.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.69 $2.69
$1.01 MX$18.86
166.34%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$19.14 $19.14
$4.86 MX$91.0
293.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.63 $19.63
$12.13 MX$227
61.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.32 $3.32
$1.97 MX$36.93
68.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.19 $4.19
$3.69 MX$69.1
13.55%
🚌 Getting Around
New York, NY
Toluca
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.02 $3.02
$0.73 MX$13.56
313.70%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$139 $139
$45.79 MX$857
204.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.04 $3.04
$3.20 MX$59.9
-5.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.20 $2.20
$1.98 MX$37.13
11.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$41.33 $41.33
$10.20 MX$191
305.20%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 $1.13
$1.42 MX$26.60
-20.42%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.5K $34.5K
$24.6K MX$460.7K
39.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.8K $25.8K
$23.3K MX$436.4K
10.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
New York, NY
Toluca
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$232 $232
$57.4 MX$1,073
305.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$71.0 $71.0
$25.40 MX$475
179.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.7 $67.7
$32.03 MX$599
111.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
New York, NY
Toluca
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$115 $115
$40.28 MX$753
186.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$76.8 $76.8
$22.21 MX$415
245.84%
Cinema Ticket
$22.41 $22.41
$6.95 MX$130
222.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
New York, NY
Toluca
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,606 $3,606
$225 MX$4,200
1505.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$68.7K $68.7K
$5,218 MX$97.6K
1216.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
New York, NY
Toluca
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$79.3 $79.3
$64.4 MX$1,204
23.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.4 $51.4
$53.0 MX$991
-3.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 $121
$102 MX$1,904
18.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$140 $140
$104 MX$1,940
35.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
New York, NY
Toluca
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,555 $4,555
$421 MX$7,869
982.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,040 $3,040
$272 MX$5,088
1017.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$9,742 $9,742
$995 MX$18.6K
879.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$5,331 $5,331
$584 MX$10.9K
812.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.2K $18.2K
$1,256 MX$23.5K
1350.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,685 $6,685
$906 MX$17.0K
637.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
New York, NY
Toluca
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,096 $5,096
$1,013 MX$18.9K
403.30%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.89
11.07
-37.76%

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 Toluca: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
New York, NY
$3K
Toluca
$272 91.1% $2.8K
Groceries & Markets
New York, NY
$567
Toluca
$290 49% $278
Eating Out
New York, NY
$425
Toluca
$177 58.4% $248
Monthly Utilities & Internet
New York, NY
$371
Toluca
$115 69.1% $256
Clothing & Footwear
New York, NY
$176
Toluca
$145 17.7% $31
Getting Around
New York, NY
$165
Toluca
$62 62.6% $104
Sport & Entertainment
New York, NY
$160
Toluca
$54 66.2% $106

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,555 in New York, NY versus $421 in Toluca. 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 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 $43 in Toluca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $567 vs $290 – making Toluca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 New York, NY
🇲🇽 Toluca
🕒 Local time
13:54 1:54 PM
12:54 12:54 PM
1 h behind New York, NY
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,804,190
223,876
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • New York, NY Toluca 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • New York, NY
  • Toluca

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 Toluca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, New York, NY or Toluca?
New York, NY costs about 340% more than Toluca, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in New York, NY and in Toluca?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,358 per month in New York, NY and $1,672 in Toluca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, New York, NY or Toluca?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Toluca, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $421 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.
How do childcare costs compare in New York, NY and in Toluca?
Kindergarten costs $3,606 per month in New York, NY and $225 in Toluca. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in New York, NY or in Toluca?
Groceries cost about 96% more in New York, NY, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $1,500/month in New York, NY or in Toluca?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Toluca, where all-in costs run around $1,114, than in New York, NY at $4,906. In Toluca it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Toluca – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to New York, NY or to Toluca?
If budget matters most, go with Toluca. 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.

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