Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tulum and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulum: $1,252 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $46,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tulum
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Tulum Living Index
245

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

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Tulum

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,252

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,252 per month in Tulum vs $5,142 in New York, NY, rent included.

Tulum $1,252
New York, NY $5,142

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Tulum vs $7,455 in New York, NY, rent included.

Tulum $2,131
New York, NY $7,455

A family of three spends $3,010 per month in Tulum vs $9,767 in New York, NY, rent included.

Tulum $3,010
New York, NY $9,767

Tulum is about 76% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tulum sits 7% below the global median, while New York, NY is 284% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.26 MX$150

$26.46 $26.46

-68.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 MX$1,026

$119 $119

-52.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.13 MX$148

$14.43 $14.43

-43.66%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$70.4

$6.55 $6.55

-40.92%

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

$1.14 MX$20.80

$3.84 $3.84

-70.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.42

$3.00 $3.00

-60.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 MX$53.5

$8.27 $8.27

-64.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 MX$69.1

$10.05 $10.05

-62.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 MX$28.75

$1.31 $1.31

20.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 MX$36.31

$4.90 $4.90

-59.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 MX$31.71

$7.16 $7.16

-75.70%

Eggs

$1.89 MX$34.29

$5.92 $5.92

-68.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.55 MX$101

$19.06 $19.06

-70.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 MX$144

$17.38 $17.38

-54.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.09 MX$165

$18.94 $18.94

-52.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 MX$48.31

$6.96 $6.96

-61.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$25.75

$2.08 $2.08

-31.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 MX$27.67

$6.10 $6.10

-75.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 MX$27.34

$6.95 $6.95

-78.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 MX$41.45

$3.98 $3.98

-42.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 MX$33.77

$4.44 $4.44

-58.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 MX$27.40

$2.81 $2.81

-46.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.11

$2.51 $2.51

-66.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.39 MX$79.9

$19.27 $19.27

-77.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.35 MX$152

$19.67 $19.67

-57.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 MX$25.31

$3.08 $3.08

-54.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 MX$24.00

$3.68 $3.68

-64.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 MX$25.48

$3.02 $3.02

-53.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 MX$51.2

$3.07 $3.07

-8.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 MX$44.47

$2.13 $2.13

14.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 MX$102

$41.21 $41.21

-86.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.71

$1.11 $1.11

36.94%

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

$21.4K MX$389.2K

$35.0K $35.0K

-38.85%

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

$23.8K MX$433.0K

$25.4K $25.4K

-6.28%

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

$106 MX$1,927

$217 $217

-51.29%

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

$16.87 MX$307

$74.0 $74.0

-77.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.97 MX$636

$72.5 $72.5

-51.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.35 MX$625

$120 $120

-71.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.9 $66.9

Cinema Ticket

$6.45 MX$117

$22.32 $22.32

-71.10%

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

$263 MX$4,776

$3,425 $3,425

-92.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,022 MX$55.0K

$61.2K $61.2K

-95.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.26 MX$769

$76.3 $76.3

-44.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 MX$605

$55.5 $55.5

-40.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 MX$1,772

$119 $119

-18.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.2 MX$1,095

$131 $131

-53.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 MX$11.2K

$4,506 $4,506

-86.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 MX$9,808

$3,155 $3,155

-82.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 MX$27.4K

$8,817 $8,817

-82.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 MX$23.9K

$5,532 $5,532

-76.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,162 MX$57.5K

$19.4K $19.4K

-83.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,818 MX$33.1K

$6,754 $6,754

-73.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 MX$14.3K

$5,290 $5,290

-85.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.8

6.82

58.36%

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

Last update for Tulum: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Tulum

$539 42.8%

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2% 485% $2.6K

Groceries & Markets

Tulum

$222 17.6%

New York, NY

$546 11% 146% $324

Eating Out

Tulum

$169 13.4%

New York, NY

$422 8.5% 151% $254

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tulum

$158 12.5%

New York, NY

$364 7.3% 131% $206

Clothing & Footwear

Tulum

$105 8.3%

New York, NY

$172 3.4% 63.7% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Tulum

$47 3.8%

New York, NY

$165 3.3% 249% $118

Getting Around

Tulum

$21 * 1.6%

New York, NY

$165 3.3% 701% $145

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $614 in Tulum 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 574% 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 $56.0 in Tulum versus $119 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $546 – making Tulum the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tulum

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

00:35 12:35 AM

01:35 1:35 AM

1 h ahead of Tulum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,721

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

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

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tulum New York, NY 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tulum
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

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

New York, NY costs about 311% more than Tulum, 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 $1,878 per month in Tulum 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 Tulum, 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 $1,252 in Tulum and $5,142 in New York, NY. That's a gap of about 311%.

Kindergarten costs $263 per month in Tulum 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 Tulum, where all-in costs run around $1,252, than in New York, NY at $5,142. In Tulum 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. Tulum costs $1,252 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 Tulum. 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.