Cost of Living Comparison Between Washington, DC and New York, NY Cost of Living Comparison Between Washington, DC and New York, NY

🙂 Solo nomad: Washington, DC is 10.9% cheaper than New York, NY without rent, and 15.5% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Washington, DC is 12.3% cheaper than New York, NY without rent, and 16.4% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.47 $27.47

$29.68 $29.68

-7.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 $121

$144 $144

-16.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 $12.15

$12.43 $12.43

-2.25%

Cappuccino

$5.83 $5.83

$5.84 $5.84

-0.17%

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

$3.09 $3.09

$3.26 $3.26

-5.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.58 $2.58

8.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.11 $8.11

$8.24 $8.24

-1.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.9 $9.9

$11.86 $11.86

-16.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.56 $1.56

-23.72%

White Bread (500g)

$4.64 $4.64

$5.23 $5.23

-11.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.93 $6.93

$8.11 $8.11

-14.55%

Eggs

$4.45 $4.45

$7.25 $7.25

-38.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.73 $17.73

$17.08 $17.08

3.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.51 $15.51

$16.24 $16.24

-4.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.42 $19.42

$20.02 $20.02

-3.00%

Apples (1kg)

$6.27 $6.27

$7.49 $7.49

-16.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.55 $2.55

-22.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$5.82 $5.82

-8.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.45 $6.45

$6.52 $6.52

-1.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.6 $3.6

$3.72 $3.72

-3.23%

Onion (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$3.9 $3.9

-5.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.68 $2.68

$3.07 $3.07

-12.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.57 $2.57

-1.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.45 $12.45

$19.21 $19.21

-35.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.78 $15.78

$17.79 $17.79

-11.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 $2.85

$3.01 $3.01

-5.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 $4.63

$3.72 $3.72

24.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.92 $2.92

-7.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.8 $75.8

$134 $134

-43.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.02 $4.02

$5.13 $5.13

-21.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.15 $2.15

14.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.03 $30.03

$41.57 $41.57

-27.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$0.95 $0.95

-2.11%

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

$30.4K $30.4K

$35K $35K

-13.20%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$27.7K $27.7K

-7.62%

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

$208 $208

$179 $179

16.21%

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

$59.3 $59.3

$60 $60

-1.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69 $69

$63.8 $63.8

8.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 $112

$141 $141

-20.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.39 $38.39

$63.9 $63.9

-39.92%

Cinema Ticket

$17.1 $17.1

$19.9 $19.9

-14.07%

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

$2,695 $2,695

$3,206 $3,206

-15.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.6K $40.6K

$56.5K $56.5K

-28.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.8 $79.8

$65.7 $65.7

21.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 $50.7

$48.75 $48.75

4.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$111 $111

-6.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 $143

$172 $172

-16.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,593 $2,593

$4,165 $4,165

-37.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,124 $2,124

$2,653 $2,653

-19.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,850 $5,850

$8,412 $8,412

-30.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,275 $4,275

$5,277 $5,277

-18.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,356 $6,356

$15.6K $15.6K

-59.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,963 $4,963

$11.2K $11.2K

-55.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,113 $6,113

$5,616 $5,616

8.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

6.44

0.62%

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

Last update for Washington, DC: October 29, 2025

Last update for New York, NY: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

Copenhagen

🇩🇰 Denmark

Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

Boston, MA

🇺🇸 United States

San Francisco, CA

🇺🇸 United States

San Jose, CA

🇺🇸 United States

Brooklyn, NY

🇺🇸 United States

Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway