Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Teresa and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Teresa: $1,530 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $40,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Santa Teresa
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Santa Teresa Living Index
234

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

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Santa Teresa

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,530

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,530 per month in Santa Teresa vs $4,906 in New York, NY, rent included.

Santa Teresa $1,530
New York, NY $4,906

A couple spends around $2,295 per month in Santa Teresa vs $7,273 in New York, NY, rent included.

Santa Teresa $2,295
New York, NY $7,273

A family of three spends $3,061 per month in Santa Teresa vs $9,641 in New York, NY, rent included.

Santa Teresa $3,061
New York, NY $9,641

Santa Teresa is about 69% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Teresa and New York, NY sit above the global median – Santa Teresa by 13%, New York, NY by 263%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.90 ₡4,438

$26.93 $26.93

-63.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.31 ₡19.0K

$117 $117

-63.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.71 ₡4,353

$14.60 $14.60

-33.49%

Cappuccino

$3.70 ₡1,659

$6.54 $6.54

-43.43%

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

$2.04 ₡913

$3.86 $3.86

-47.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₡731

$2.95 $2.95

-44.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 ₡1,359

$8.08 $8.08

-62.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ₡2,038

$9.85 $9.85

-53.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₡921

$1.31 $1.31

56.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 ₡1,264

$4.97 $4.97

-43.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 ₡967

$7.70 $7.70

-71.95%

Eggs

$2.98 ₡1,338

$6.09 $6.09

-51.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.01 ₡4,487

$19.55 $19.55

-48.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 ₡4,023

$17.59 $17.59

-49.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.60 ₡6,097

$20.26 $20.26

-32.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 ₡2,042

$6.99 $6.99

-34.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ₡648

$2.21 $2.21

-34.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 ₡1,847

$6.72 $6.72

-38.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 ₡1,378

$7.12 $7.12

-56.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 ₡1,518

$4.61 $4.61

-26.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ₡1,155

$4.78 $4.78

-46.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₡453

$2.87 $2.87

-64.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₡1,276

$2.69 $2.69

5.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.09 ₡2,280

$19.14 $19.14

-73.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.79 ₡6,181

$19.63 $19.63

-29.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₡1,058

$3.32 $3.32

-28.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 ₡1,174

$4.19 $4.19

-37.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ₡431

$3.02 $3.02

-68.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₡826

$3.04 $3.04

-39.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 ₡822

$2.20 $2.20

-16.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.95 ₡3,563

$41.33 $41.33

-80.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₡656

$1.13 $1.13

29.20%

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

$38.4K ₡17.2M

$34.5K $34.5K

11.41%

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

$32.7K ₡14.7M

$25.8K $25.8K

26.62%

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

$84.9 ₡38.1K

$232 $232

-63.46%

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

$26.16 ₡11.7K

$71.0 $71.0

-63.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.4 ₡22.6K

$67.7 $67.7

-25.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 ₡22.4K

$115 $115

-56.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.66 ₡10.6K

$76.8 $76.8

-69.20%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 ₡3,984

$22.41 $22.41

-60.33%

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

$573 ₡256.6K

$3,606 $3,606

-84.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ₡5.6M

$68.7K $68.7K

-81.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 ₡27.7K

$79.3 $79.3

-22.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 ₡22.9K

$51.4 $51.4

-0.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.1K

$121 $121

5.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡47.8K

$140 $140

-24.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$706 ₡316.7K

$4,555 $4,555

-84.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$592 ₡265.3K

$3,040 $3,040

-80.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,461 ₡654.7K

$9,742 $9,742

-85.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$955 ₡427.9K

$5,331 $5,331

-82.09%

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 %)

10.17

6.89

47.61%

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

Last update for Santa Teresa: November 1, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Teresa

$592 38.7%

New York, NY

$3K 62% 414% $2.4K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Teresa

$346 22.6%

New York, NY

$567 11.6% 63.8% $221

Eating Out

Santa Teresa

$192 12.5%

New York, NY

$425 8.7% 122% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Teresa

$161 10.6%

New York, NY

$371 7.6% 130% $210

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Teresa

$156 10.2%

New York, NY

$176 3.6% 13% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Teresa

$68 4.4%

New York, NY

$160 3.3% 136% $92

Getting Around

Santa Teresa

$15 * 1%

New York, NY

$165 3.4% 1013% $151

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $706 in Santa Teresa 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 $42 in Santa Teresa versus $117 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $567 – making Santa Teresa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Teresa

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

19:00 7:00 PM

20:00 8:00 PM

1 h ahead of Santa Teresa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,099

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 2 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 7, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 501 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 7, 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

Santa Teresa New York, NY 3,610 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Teresa
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

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

New York, NY costs about 221% more than Santa Teresa, 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 $2,295 per month in Santa Teresa 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 Santa Teresa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $706 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,530 in Santa Teresa and $4,906 in New York, NY. That makes Santa Teresa about 69% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $573 per month in Santa Teresa 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.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,530 in Santa Teresa and $4,906 in New York, NY. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Santa Teresa costs $1,530 versus $4,906 in New York, NY. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.