Cost of living comparison
compared to
New York City vs. San Jose Cost of Living Summary
New York City is 16.4% more expensive than San Jose.
- Restaurants
-
pay 6.9% more in New York City
- Groceries
-
pay 2.6% less in New York City
- Transportation
-
pay 9.7% more in New York City
- Housing
-
pay 1.0% less in New York City
- Childcare
-
pay 56.4% more in New York City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 21.8% more in New York City
- Clothing
-
pay 23.4% more in New York City
The cost of childcare, clothing, entertainment and sports, transportation, and restaurants in New York City are more expensive than in San Jose. Expenses including groceries and housing are lower in New York City.
New York City vs. San Jose Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York City instead of San Jose, you would:
pay 6.9% more for restaurants
|
San Jose
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.50
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.42
|
$3.09
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.44
|
$2.61
|
|
San Jose vs. New York City - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.6% less for groceries
|
San Jose
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$5.00
|
$4.75
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$11.39
|
$8.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.64
|
$6.05
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.40
|
$7.20
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.98
|
$7.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.95
|
$3.29
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.18
|
$1.08
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.62
|
$2.60
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.01
|
$2.68
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.94
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$1.78
|
|
San Jose vs. New York City - Cost of groceries
pay 9.7% more for transportation
|
San Jose
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.84
|
$3.47
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$90.00
|
$132.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,753.89
|
$36,344.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.41
|
$22.39
|
|
San Jose vs. New York City - Cost of transportation
pay 1.0% less for housing
|
San Jose
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$70.13
|
$67.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,916.67
|
$4,037.06
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,700.00
|
$2,496.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$221.60
|
$151.98
|
|
San Jose vs. New York City - Cost of housing
pay 56.4% more for childcare
|
San Jose
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,866.67
|
$3,154.10
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$39,800.00
|
$57,250.00
|
|
San Jose vs. New York City - Cost of childcare
pay 21.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
San Jose
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$9.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.83
|
$5.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.50
|
$19.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$113.89
|
$150.04
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.00
|
$20.00
|
|
San Jose vs. New York City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 23.4% more for clothing
|
San Jose
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$56.50
|
$67.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$46.00
|
$49.94
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.89
|
$115.58
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$125.00
|
$168.76
|
|
San Jose vs. New York City - 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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