Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $890 a month against $4,950 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $48,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
239

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

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San Juan

🇦🇷 Argentina

$890

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,950

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $890 per month in San Juan vs $4,950 in New York, NY, rent included.

San Juan $890
New York, NY $4,950

A couple spends around $1,389 per month in San Juan vs $7,265 in New York, NY, rent included.

San Juan $1,389
New York, NY $7,265

A family of three spends $1,888 per month in San Juan vs $9,581 in New York, NY, rent included.

San Juan $1,888
New York, NY $9,581

San Juan is about 82% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Juan sits 34% below the global median, while New York, NY is 267% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.76 ARS 10.3K

$24.65 $24.65

-72.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.31 ARS 59.7K

$122 $122

-67.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.08 ARS 18.3K

$13.91 $13.91

-13.16%

Cappuccino

$2.59 ARS 3,938

$6.59 $6.59

-60.70%

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

$2.11 ARS 3,202

$3.84 $3.84

-45.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ARS 2,761

$2.87 $2.87

-36.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.91 ARS 5,930

$7.79 $7.79

-49.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ARS 6,799

$9.85 $9.85

-54.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ARS 2,101

$1.38 $1.38

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ARS 2,195

$4.68 $4.68

-69.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,124

$7.54 $7.54

-81.43%

Eggs

$1.44 ARS 2,184

$5.93 $5.93

-75.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.84 ARS 4,305

$18.83 $18.83

-84.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 ARS 9,448

$17.36 $17.36

-64.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ARS 16.5K

$18.51 $18.51

-41.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,129

$6.74 $6.74

-79.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ARS 2,108

$2.09 $2.09

-33.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 ARS 2,037

$6.07 $6.07

-77.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,193

$6.74 $6.74

-78.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,128

$4.05 $4.05

-65.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ARS 2,098

$4.37 $4.37

-68.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ARS 2,129

$2.89 $2.89

-51.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 ARS 2,183

$2.60 $2.60

-44.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.71 ARS 4,117

$18.72 $18.72

-85.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.90 ARS 7,433

$20.06 $20.06

-75.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 ARS 2,136

$3.25 $3.25

-56.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 ARS 2,178

$3.73 $3.73

-61.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ARS 1,460

$3.06 $3.06

-68.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 ARS 3,006

$3.04 $3.04

-34.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ARS 1,495

$2.15 $2.15

-53.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.84 ARS 7,351

$41.82 $41.82

-88.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ARS 1,782

$1.12 $1.12

4.46%

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

$26.7K ARS 40.6M

$35.5K $35.5K

-24.60%

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

$33.6K ARS 51.1M

$26.0K $26.0K

29.23%

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

$144 ARS 218.7K

$219 $219

-34.19%

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

$10.04 ARS 15.2K

$73.2 $73.2

-86.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.82 ARS 27.0K

$72.0 $72.0

-75.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.42 ARS 46.2K

$123 $123

-75.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.7 $67.7

Cinema Ticket

$6.93 ARS 10.5K

$22.85 $22.85

-69.67%

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

$172 ARS 260.5K

$3,333 $3,333

-94.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,122 ARS 6.3M

$60.0K $60.0K

-93.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 ARS 162.3K

$75.2 $75.2

42.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.58 ARS 64.6K

$52.4 $52.4

-18.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.1 ARS 88.1K

$122 $122

-52.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.86 ARS 54.4K

$133 $133

-73.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$249 ARS 378.2K

$4,389 $4,389

-94.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 ARS 301.1K

$3,130 $3,130

-93.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 ARS 747.1K

$8,918 $8,918

-94.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 ARS 607.2K

$5,354 $5,354

-92.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,806 $6,806

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$700 ARS 1.1M

$5,343 $5,343

-86.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

691.79%

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

Last update for San Juan: October 10, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$198 22.3%

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.2% 1477% $2.9K

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$190 21.3%

New York, NY

$545 11% 188% $356

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$172 19.3%

New York, NY

$364 7.4% 112% $192

Eating Out

San Juan

$166 18.6%

New York, NY

$404 8.2% 144% $238

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$110 12.3%

New York, NY

$172 3.5% 57.1% $63

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$44 5%

New York, NY

$168 3.4% 280% $124

Getting Around

San Juan

$11 * 1.2%

New York, NY

$167 3.4% 1448% $156

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $249 in San Juan versus $4,389 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 663% 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 $39.00 in San Juan versus $122 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $545 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 San Juan

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

10:32 10:32 AM

1 h behind San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,029

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan New York, NY 8,050 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

San Juan
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

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

New York, NY costs about 456% more than San Juan, 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 $1,335 per month in San Juan and $7,424 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 San Juan, 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 $890 in San Juan and $4,950 in New York, NY. That's a gap of about 456%.

Kindergarten costs $172 per month in San Juan and $3,333 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 San Juan, where all-in costs run around $890, than in New York, NY at $4,950. In San Juan 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. San Juan costs $890 versus $4,950 in New York, NY. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with San Juan. 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.