Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perez Zeledon and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Perez Zeledon: $1,315 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $43,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,315

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perez Zeledon 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 Perez Zeledon and in New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,315 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $4,906 in New York, NY, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $1,315
New York, NY $4,906

A couple spends around $2,359 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $7,273 in New York, NY, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $2,359
New York, NY $7,273

A family of three spends $3,403 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $9,641 in New York, NY, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $3,403
New York, NY $9,641

Perez Zeledon is about 73% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Perez Zeledon sits 3% below the global median, while New York, NY is 263% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.30 ₡4,182

$26.93 $26.93

-65.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.08 ₡16.2K

$117 $117

-69.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.03 ₡3,612

$14.60 $14.60

-45.00%

Cappuccino

$2.66 ₡1,197

$6.54 $6.54

-59.33%

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

$1.88 ₡844

$3.86 $3.86

-51.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₡799

$2.95 $2.95

-39.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.71 ₡770

$8.08 $8.08

-78.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,395

$9.85 $9.85

-68.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₡722

$1.31 $1.31

22.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 ₡1,361

$4.97 $4.97

-39.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,123

$7.70 $7.70

-67.53%

Eggs

$2.45 ₡1,099

$6.09 $6.09

-59.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.64 ₡4,782

$19.55 $19.55

-45.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₡4,724

$17.59 $17.59

-40.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$20.26 $20.26

-31.29%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 ₡2,257

$6.99 $6.99

-28.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 ₡506

$2.21 $2.21

-49.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,156

$6.72 $6.72

-28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,765

$7.12 $7.12

-44.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,674

$4.61 $4.61

-19.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.60 ₡1,619

$4.78 $4.78

-24.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 ₡189

$2.87 $2.87

-85.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 ₡1,401

$2.69 $2.69

15.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.61 ₡2,523

$19.14 $19.14

-70.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.82 ₡8,913

$19.63 $19.63

0.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,247

$3.32 $3.32

-16.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ₡1,669

$4.19 $4.19

-11.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 ₡358

$3.02 $3.02

-73.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 ₡1,111

$3.04 $3.04

-18.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡699

$2.20 $2.20

-29.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.93 ₡4,015

$41.33 $41.33

-78.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ₡668

$1.13 $1.13

31.86%

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

$33.7K ₡15.1M

$34.5K $34.5K

-2.29%

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

$42.4K ₡19.1M

$25.8K $25.8K

63.92%

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

$95.6 ₡43.0K

$232 $232

-58.84%

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

$23.58 ₡10.6K

$71.0 $71.0

-66.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.2 ₡26.2K

$67.7 $67.7

-13.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.7 ₡30.9K

$115 $115

-40.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

Cinema Ticket

$7.70 ₡3,464

$22.41 $22.41

-65.64%

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

$510 ₡229.1K

$3,606 $3,606

-85.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$68.7K $68.7K

-75.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 ₡32.5K

$79.3 $79.3

-8.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 ₡24.7K

$51.4 $51.4

6.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.4K

$121 $121

7.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.0K

$140 $140

-4.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 ₡178.6K

$4,555 $4,555

-91.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$323 ₡145.3K

$3,040 $3,040

-89.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 ₡846.0K

$9,742 $9,742

-80.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 ₡565.4K

$5,331 $5,331

-76.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K $18.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,685 $6,685

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,096 $5,096

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.89

25.11%

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

Last update for Perez Zeledon: November 2, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Perez Zeledon

$381 29%

New York, NY

$567 11.6% 48.8% $186

Accommodation & Living

Perez Zeledon

$323 24.6%

New York, NY

$3K 62% 841% $2.7K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perez Zeledon

$177 13.5%

New York, NY

$371 7.6% 109% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Perez Zeledon

$176 13.4%

New York, NY

$176 3.6% 0.4% $0.7

Eating Out

Perez Zeledon

$160 12.2%

New York, NY

$425 8.7% 166% $265

Sport & Entertainment

Perez Zeledon

$84 6.4%

New York, NY

$160 3.3% 90.5% $76

Getting Around

Perez Zeledon

$13 * 1%

New York, NY

$165 3.4% 1132% $152

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $397 in Perez Zeledon versus $4,555 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Perez Zeledon versus $117 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $381 vs $567 – making Perez Zeledon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Perez Zeledon

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

17:14 5:14 PM

1 h ahead of Perez Zeledon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,000

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Perez Zeledon New York, NY 3,610 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Perez Zeledon
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

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

New York, NY costs about 273% more than Perez Zeledon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,973 per month in Perez Zeledon and $7,358 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 Perez Zeledon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $397 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,315 in Perez Zeledon and $4,906 in New York, NY. That makes Perez Zeledon about 73% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $510 per month in Perez Zeledon and $3,606 in New York, NY. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Perez Zeledon, where all-in costs run around $1,315, than in New York, NY at $4,906. In Perez Zeledon it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Perez Zeledon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.