Cost of living comparison
compared to
Albany vs. New York Cost of Living Summary
Albany is 3.1% cheaper than New York.
- Restaurants
-
pay 14.6% more in Albany
- Groceries
-
pay 0.5% more in Albany
- Transportation
-
pay 9.7% less in Albany
- Housing
-
pay 0.9% less in Albany
- Childcare
-
pay 16.6% less in Albany
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 8.7% less in Albany
- Clothing
-
pay 1.0% less in Albany
The cost of restaurants and groceries in Albany are more expensive than in New York. Expenses including childcare, transportation, entertainment and sports, clothing, and housing are lower in Albany.
Albany vs. New York Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Albany instead of New York, you would:
pay 14.6% more for restaurants
|
New York
|
Albany
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.39
|
$24.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.80
|
$14.25
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.45
|
$2.71
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.86
|
$2.02
|
|
New York vs. Albany - Cost of restaurants
pay 0.5% more for groceries
|
New York
|
Albany
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.78
|
$3.93
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.84
|
$7.62
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.25
|
$3.94
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.76
|
$5.68
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.49
|
$6.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.39
|
$2.27
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.88
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.16
|
$2.63
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.17
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.43
|
$1.22
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.64
|
|
New York vs. Albany - Cost of groceries
pay 9.7% less for transportation
|
New York
|
Albany
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.32
|
$3.44
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$95.86
|
$65.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,821.80
|
$36,787.68
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.88
|
$16.15
|
|
New York vs. Albany - Cost of transportation
pay 0.9% less for housing
|
New York
|
Albany
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.63
|
$80.55
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,876.02
|
$1,426.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,567.68
|
$1,280.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$139.14
|
$161.67
|
|
New York vs. Albany - Cost of housing
pay 16.6% less for childcare
|
New York
|
Albany
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,788.00
|
$1,766.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,966.76
|
$17,000.00
|
|
New York vs. Albany - Cost of childcare
pay 8.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
New York
|
Albany
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.28
|
$5.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.14
|
$5.80
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.22
|
$14.75
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.27
|
$38.60
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.99
|
$15.00
|
|
New York vs. Albany - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.0% less for clothing
|
New York
|
Albany
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.49
|
$54.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.18
|
$39.77
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.00
|
$86.67
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$115.57
|
$107.83
|
|
New York vs. Albany - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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