Cost of Living Comparison Between Palo Alto, CA and New York, NY Cost of Living Comparison Between Palo Alto, CA and New York, NY

🙂 Solo nomad: Palo Alto, CA is 2% cheaper than New York, NY without rent, and 9.9% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Palo Alto, CA is 2.5% cheaper than New York, NY without rent, and 1.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.92 $24.92

$29.68 $29.68

-16.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$111 $111

$144 $144

-22.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.34 $11.34

$12.43 $12.43

-8.77%

Cappuccino

$5.74 $5.74

$5.84 $5.84

-1.71%

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

$3.24 $3.24

$3.26 $3.26

-0.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.58 $2.58

-1.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.14 $8.14

$8.24 $8.24

-1.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.03 $10.03

$11.86 $11.86

-15.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.56 $1.56

-5.77%

White Bread (500g)

$4.99 $4.99

$5.23 $5.23

-4.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 $3.19

$8.11 $8.11

-60.67%

Eggs

$6.16 $6.16

$7.25 $7.25

-15.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.55 $21.55

$17.08 $17.08

26.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.78 $14.78

$16.24 $16.24

-8.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.82 $22.82

$20.02 $20.02

13.99%

Apples (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$7.49 $7.49

-7.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.55 $2.55

0.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$5.82 $5.82

-16.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$6.52 $6.52

3.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.72 $3.72

4.57%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$3.9 $3.9

12.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.9 $2.9

$3.07 $3.07

-5.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.57 $2.57

11.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.11 $11.11

$19.21 $19.21

-42.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.33 $18.33

$17.79 $17.79

3.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$3.01 $3.01

-24.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 $3.35

$3.72 $3.72

-9.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.92 $2.92

-12.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.6 $89.6

$134 $134

-33.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 $4.11

$5.13 $5.13

-19.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 $1.89

$2.15 $2.15

-12.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.51 $30.51

$41.57 $41.57

-26.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$0.95 $0.95

33.68%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$35K $35K

-15.31%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$27.7K $27.7K

-4.01%

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

$225 $225

$179 $179

25.81%

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

$47.97 $47.97

$60 $60

-20.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.6 $68.6

$63.8 $63.8

7.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$141 $141

-14.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.88 $19.88

$63.9 $63.9

-68.89%

Cinema Ticket

$15.78 $15.78

$19.9 $19.9

-20.70%

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

$2,710 $2,710

$3,206 $3,206

-15.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$45.7K $45.7K

$56.5K $56.5K

-19.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 $53.2

$65.7 $65.7

-19.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.76 $44.76

$48.75 $48.75

-8.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 $89.3

$111 $111

-19.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$172 $172

-21.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,473 $3,473

$4,165 $4,165

-16.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,227 $3,227

$2,653 $2,653

21.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,889 $5,889

$8,412 $8,412

-30.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,757 $5,757

$5,277 $5,277

9.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,539 $2,539

$15.6K $15.6K

-83.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,123 $2,123

$11.2K $11.2K

-80.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$10K $10K

$5,616 $5,616

78.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

6.44

1.09%

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

Last update for Palo Alto, CA: October 28, 2025

Last update for New York, NY: October 28, 2025

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