Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paramaribo and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Paramaribo: $984 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $49,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Paramaribo
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Paramaribo Living Index
245

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index

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Paramaribo

🇸🇷 Suriname

$984

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Paramaribo and in New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $984 per month in Paramaribo vs $5,142 in New York, NY, rent included.

Paramaribo $984
New York, NY $5,142

A couple spends around $1,657 per month in Paramaribo vs $7,455 in New York, NY, rent included.

Paramaribo $1,657
New York, NY $7,455

A family of three spends $2,331 per month in Paramaribo vs $9,767 in New York, NY, rent included.

Paramaribo $2,331
New York, NY $9,767

Paramaribo is about 81% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Paramaribo sits 27% below the global median, while New York, NY is 284% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.44 SRD 504

$26.46 $26.46

-49.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.4 SRD 1,964

$119 $119

-55.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.99 SRD 412

$14.43 $14.43

-23.84%

Cappuccino

$2.88 SRD 108

$6.55 $6.55

-56.03%

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

$1.41 SRD 52.9

$3.84 $3.84

-63.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 SRD 32.91

$3.00 $3.00

-70.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 SRD 99.7

$8.27 $8.27

-67.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 SRD 146

$10.05 $10.05

-61.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 SRD 68.7

$1.31 $1.31

39.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 SRD 52.2

$4.90 $4.90

-71.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 SRD 60.3

$7.16 $7.16

-77.51%

Eggs

$2.98 SRD 112

$5.92 $5.92

-49.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 SRD 444

$19.06 $19.06

-37.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.17 SRD 231

$17.38 $17.38

-64.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.18 SRD 381

$18.94 $18.94

-46.25%

Apples (1kg)

$4.77 SRD 179

$6.96 $6.96

-31.47%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 SRD 116

$2.08 $2.08

49.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.73 SRD 140

$6.10 $6.10

-38.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.89 SRD 221

$6.95 $6.95

-15.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 SRD 49.77

$3.98 $3.98

-66.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 SRD 75.6

$4.44 $4.44

-54.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 SRD 55.6

$2.81 $2.81

-47.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SRD 56.4

$2.51 $2.51

-39.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.58 SRD 209

$19.27 $19.27

-71.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.80 SRD 292

$19.67 $19.67

-60.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 SRD 75.0

$3.08 $3.08

-35.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 SRD 142

$3.68 $3.68

2.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 SRD 28.90

$3.02 $3.02

-74.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 SRD 79.8

$3.07 $3.07

-30.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 SRD 57.8

$2.13 $2.13

-27.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.17 SRD 269

$41.21 $41.21

-82.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 SRD 44.50

$1.11 $1.11

7.21%

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

$24.6K SRD 921.2K

$35.0K $35.0K

-29.75%

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

$25.3K SRD 948.6K

$25.4K $25.4K

-0.32%

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

$37.31 SRD 1,398

$217 $217

-82.85%

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

$25.70 SRD 963

$74.0 $74.0

-65.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.67 SRD 1,149

$72.5 $72.5

-57.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.84 SRD 518

$120 $120

-88.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.32 SRD 761

$66.9 $66.9

-69.62%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 SRD 186

$22.32 $22.32

-77.78%

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

$62.3 SRD 2,335

$3,425 $3,425

-98.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,739 SRD 65.2K

$61.2K $61.2K

-97.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.84 SRD 1,268

$76.3 $76.3

-55.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.87 SRD 782

$55.5 $55.5

-62.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.4 SRD 2,525

$119 $119

-43.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 SRD 3,903

$131 $131

-20.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$487 SRD 18.3K

$4,506 $4,506

-89.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 SRD 9,855

$3,155 $3,155

-91.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 SRD 35.6K

$8,817 $8,817

-89.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 SRD 19.0K

$5,532 $5,532

-90.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$462 SRD 17.3K

$19.4K $19.4K

-97.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$400 SRD 15.0K

$6,754 $6,754

-94.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$279 SRD 10.5K

$5,290 $5,290

-94.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

134.60%

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

Last update for Paramaribo: October 5, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Paramaribo

$300 30%

New York, NY

$546 11% 82.3% $247

Accommodation & Living

Paramaribo

$263 26.3%

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2% 1100% $2.9K

Eating Out

Paramaribo

$205 20.5%

New York, NY

$422 8.5% 106% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Paramaribo

$102 10.2%

New York, NY

$172 3.4% 68.6% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paramaribo

$94 9.4%

New York, NY

$364 7.3% 289% $270

Sport & Entertainment

Paramaribo

$24 2.4%

New York, NY

$165 3.3% 595% $141

Getting Around

Paramaribo

$13 * 1.3%

New York, NY

$165 3.3% 1180% $152

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $487 in Paramaribo versus $4,506 in New York, NY. 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 1794% 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 $52.0 in Paramaribo versus $119 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $546 – making Paramaribo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇷 Paramaribo

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

02:39 2:39 AM

01:39 1:39 AM

1 h behind Paramaribo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

242,946 Capital

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Surinamese Dollar SRD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SRD = 2.67 USD

100 SRD = 2.38 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to SRD – Surinamese Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇷 Surinamese Dollar ($)

Surinamese Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 37.47 SRD (100 SRD = 2.67 USD). 1 EUR = 42.03 SRD (100 SRD = 2.38 EUR).

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

USD to SRD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Paramaribo New York, NY 4,310 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Paramaribo
New York, NY

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

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

New York, NY costs about 423% more than Paramaribo, 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 $1,476 per month in Paramaribo and $7,714 in New York, NY. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Paramaribo, 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 $984 in Paramaribo and $5,142 in New York, NY. That's a gap of about 423%.

Kindergarten costs $62.3 per month in Paramaribo and $3,425 in New York, NY. 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 Paramaribo, where all-in costs run around $984, than in New York, NY at $5,142. In Paramaribo 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. Paramaribo costs $984 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 Paramaribo. 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.