Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Tulum

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulum: $1,252 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $46,700 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Tulum
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Tulum Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Tulum

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,252

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $5,142 per month in New York, NY vs $1,252 in Tulum, rent included.

New York, NY $5,142
Tulum $1,252

A couple spends around $7,455 per month in New York, NY vs $2,131 in Tulum, rent included.

New York, NY $7,455
Tulum $2,131

A family of three spends $9,767 per month in New York, NY vs $3,010 in Tulum, rent included.

New York, NY $9,767
Tulum $3,010

New York, NY costs about 311% more than Tulum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 284% above the global median, while Tulum is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.46 $26.46

$8.26 MX$150

220.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$56.4 MX$1,026

110.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.43 $14.43

$8.13 MX$148

77.49%

Cappuccino

$6.55 $6.55

$3.87 MX$70.4

69.25%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$1.14 MX$20.80

236.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.18 MX$21.42

154.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.27 $8.27

$2.94 MX$53.5

181.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.05 $10.05

$3.80 MX$69.1

164.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.58 MX$28.75

-17.09%

White Bread (500g)

$4.90 $4.90

$2.00 MX$36.31

145.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.16 $7.16

$1.74 MX$31.71

311.49%

Eggs

$5.92 $5.92

$1.89 MX$34.29

213.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 $19.06

$5.55 MX$101

243.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$7.93 MX$144

119.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 $18.94

$9.09 MX$165

108.36%

Apples (1kg)

$6.96 $6.96

$2.66 MX$48.31

161.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.42 MX$25.75

46.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$1.52 MX$27.67

301.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$1.50 MX$27.34

363.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.28 MX$41.45

74.56%

Onion (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$1.86 MX$33.77

138.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.51 MX$27.40

86.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$0.83 MX$15.11

202.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.27 $19.27

$4.39 MX$79.9

338.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.67 $19.67

$8.35 MX$152

135.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.39 MX$25.31

121.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$1.32 MX$24.00

178.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.40 MX$25.48

115.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.81 MX$51.2

9.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.44 MX$44.47

-12.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

$5.58 MX$102

638.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.52 MX$27.71

-26.97%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$21.4K MX$389.2K

63.54%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$23.8K MX$433.0K

6.70%

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

$217 $217

$106 MX$1,927

105.28%

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

$74.0 $74.0

$16.87 MX$307

338.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$34.97 MX$636

107.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$34.35 MX$625

250.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.9 $66.9

Cinema Ticket

$22.32 $22.32

$6.45 MX$117

246.05%

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

$3,425 $3,425

$263 MX$4,776

1204.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.2K $61.2K

$3,022 MX$55.0K

1924.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 $76.3

$42.26 MX$769

80.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 $55.5

$33.26 MX$605

66.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$97.4 MX$1,772

22.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$60.2 MX$1,095

117.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,506 $4,506

$614 MX$11.2K

634.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,155 $3,155

$539 MX$9,808

485.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,817 $8,817

$1,504 MX$27.4K

486.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,532 $5,532

$1,316 MX$23.9K

320.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

$3,162 MX$57.5K

512.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,754 $6,754

$1,818 MX$33.1K

271.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,290 $5,290

$784 MX$14.3K

574.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

10.8

-36.85%

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 Tulum: 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%

Tulum

$539 42.8% 82.9% $2.6K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$546 11%

Tulum

$222 17.6% 59.3% $324

Eating Out

New York, NY

$422 8.5%

Tulum

$169 13.4% 60.1% $254

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.3%

Tulum

$158 12.5% 56.6% $206

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.4%

Tulum

$105 8.3% 38.9% $67

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Tulum

$21 * 1.6% 87.5% $145

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Tulum

$47 3.8% 71.4% $118

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,506 in New York, NY versus $614 in Tulum. 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 574% 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 $56.0 in Tulum. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $546 vs $222 – making Tulum the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇲🇽 Tulum

🕒 Local time

01:36 1:36 AM

00:36 12:36 AM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

46,721

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Tulum 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Tulum

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 Tulum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 311% more than Tulum, 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 $1,878 in Tulum. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $5,142 in New York, NY and $1,252 in Tulum. That's a gap of about 311%.

Kindergarten costs $3,425 per month in New York, NY and $263 in Tulum. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tulum, where all-in costs run around $1,252, than in New York, NY at $5,142. In Tulum 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. Tulum costs $1,252 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 Tulum. 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.