Cost of living comparison
New York vs. Puerto Rico Cost of Living Summary
New York is 41.9% more expensive than Puerto Rico overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 34.8% more in New York
- Groceries
-
pay 1.0% less in New York
- Transportation
-
pay 25.8% more in New York
- Housing
-
pay 70.9% more in New York
- Childcare
-
pay 2.6 times more in New York
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 91.6% more in New York
- Clothing
-
pay 0.3% less in New York
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, restaurants, and transportation in New York are more expensive than in Puerto Rico. Expenses including groceries and clothing are lower in New York. Notably, childcare and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in New York.
New York vs. Puerto Rico Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York instead of Puerto Rico, you would:
pay 34.8% more for restaurants
|
Puerto Rico
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.34
|
$21.61
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.24
|
$12.15
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.74
|
$2.60
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.35
|
$1.95
|
|
pay 1.0% less for groceries
|
Puerto Rico
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.37
|
$3.79
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.35
|
$6.62
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.71
|
$4.20
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.03
|
$4.80
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.95
|
$5.68
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.15
|
$2.37
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.17
|
$0.79
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.88
|
$2.16
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.09
|
$2.49
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.43
|
$1.48
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.54
|
$1.53
|
|
pay 25.8% more for transportation
|
Puerto Rico
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.08
|
$4.00
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$37.75
|
$99.85
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$38,571.43
|
$34,323.33
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.50
|
$19.12
|
|
pay 70.9% more for housing
|
Puerto Rico
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.43
|
$67.35
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,098.02
|
$2,049.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$722.33
|
$1,695.08
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$228.66
|
$157.44
|
|
pay 2.6 times more for childcare
|
Puerto Rico
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$700.71
|
$1,922.82
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,819.51
|
$27,489.62
|
|
pay 91.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Puerto Rico
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.61
|
$6.72
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.78
|
$5.48
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.22
|
$14.10
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$29.37
|
$61.08
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.50
|
$15.30
|
|
pay 0.3% less for clothing
|
Puerto Rico
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.28
|
$51.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$47.82
|
$44.51
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$96.61
|
$92.29
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$101.25
|
$113.37
|
|
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
Change currency:
Compare further: Puerto Rico vs. New York
Compare countries by overall cost of living
Help us improve these prices
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about New York or Puerto Rico. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.