Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Varginha

For one person, living is cheaper in Varginha: $746 a month against $4,938 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $50,300 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Varginha
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Varginha Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,938

/mo nomad

Varginha

🇧🇷 Brazil

$746

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $4,938 per month in New York, NY vs $746 in Varginha, rent included.

New York, NY $4,938
Varginha $746

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $1,182 in Varginha, rent included.

New York, NY $7,273
Varginha $1,182

A family of three spends $9,608 per month in New York, NY vs $1,618 in Varginha, rent included.

New York, NY $9,608
Varginha $1,618

New York, NY costs about 562% more than Varginha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 264% above the global median, while Varginha is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.99 $24.99

$9.05 R$45.88

176.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$24.23 R$123

396.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.74 $13.74

$7.18 R$36.37

91.36%

Cappuccino

$6.60 $6.60

$0.99 R$5.02

566.67%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.92 R$4.66

315.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$0.62 R$3.17

362.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.95 $7.95

$1.42 R$7.21

459.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.06 $10.06

$3.65 R$18.50

175.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$0.94 R$4.75

45.74%

White Bread (500g)

$4.75 $4.75

$1.61 R$8.16

195.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.69 $7.69

$1.02 R$5.16

653.92%

Eggs

$5.87 $5.87

$1.48 R$7.50

296.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.25 $19.25

$9.25 R$46.90

108.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.83 $17.83

$3.71 R$18.79

380.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.03 $19.03

$8.88 R$45.00

114.30%

Apples (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$1.38 R$6.98

384.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.36 R$6.89

68.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$1.02 R$5.16

528.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$0.97 R$4.92

595.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$0.98 R$4.98

301.02%

Onion (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.01 R$5.14

347.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.79 $2.79

$0.51 R$2.61

447.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$0.68 R$3.46

269.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.10 $18.10

$2.15 R$10.92

741.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.16 $20.16

$4.98 R$25.22

304.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.14 R$5.76

185.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.84 R$9.34

103.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.95 R$4.82

207.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$143 $143

$44.89 R$228

217.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.02 R$5.19

200.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.76 R$3.88

184.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$6.51 R$33.01

534.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.11 R$5.61

0.90%

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

$33.1K $33.1K

$24.0K R$121.8K

37.84%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$29.3K R$148.8K

-12.36%

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

$219 $219

$104 R$527

111.16%

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

$75.3 $75.3

$4.91 R$24.91

1434.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$20.00 R$101

252.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$116 $116

$26.42 R$134

337.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

$27.46 R$139

146.25%

Cinema Ticket

$21.37 $21.37

$8.15 R$41.30

162.21%

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

$3,432 $3,432

$219 R$1,109

1468.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.7K $61.7K

$4,400 R$22.3K

1301.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.9 $74.9

$36.49 R$185

105.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$60.3 R$305

-13.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$80.7 R$409

44.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$60.6 R$307

122.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,347 $4,347

$149 R$757

2812.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,117 $3,117

$120 R$611

2487.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,110 $9,110

$274 R$1,391

3220.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,379 $5,379

$259 R$1,310

1981.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.3K $19.3K

$1,677 R$8,503

1049.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,943 $6,943

$1,204 R$6,104

476.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,238 $5,238

$453 R$2,297

1055.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

-31.50%

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 17, 2026

Last update for Varginha: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.1%

Varginha

$120 16.2% 96.1% $3K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$552 11.2%

Varginha

$167 22.4% 69.8% $385

Eating Out

New York, NY

$407 8.2%

Varginha

$126 16.9% 68.9% $281

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$365 7.4%

Varginha

$129 17.3% 64.7% $236

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$170 3.5%

Varginha

$107 14.4% 37.1% $63

Getting Around

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Varginha

$54 7.2% 68.2% $115

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$158 3.2%

Varginha

$43 5.7% 73% $116

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,347 in New York, NY versus $149 in Varginha. 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 1056% 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 $120 in New York, NY versus $24.00 in Varginha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $552 vs $167 – making Varginha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇧🇷 Varginha

🕒 Local time

23:23 11:23 PM

00:23 12:23 AM

1 h ahead of New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

136,467

💱 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 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 →

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Between locations

New York, NY Varginha 7,530 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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New York, NY
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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 Varginha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 562% more than Varginha, 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 $7,407 per month in New York, NY and $1,119 in Varginha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $3,432 per month in New York, NY and $219 in Varginha. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 231% 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 Varginha, where all-in costs run around $746, than in New York, NY at $4,938. In Varginha 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. Varginha costs $746 versus $4,938 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 Varginha. 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.