Cost of living comparison
compared to
New York City vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
New York City is 56.6% more expensive than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 24.1% more in New York City
- Groceries
-
pay 36.1% more in New York City
- Transportation
-
pay 35.4% more in New York City
- Housing
-
pay 54.5% more in New York City
- Childcare
-
pay 2.4 times more in New York City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 75.6% more in New York City
- Clothing
-
pay 33.7% more in New York City
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, groceries, transportation, and clothing in New York City are more expensive than in United States. Notably, childcare and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in New York City.
New York City vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York City instead of United States, you would:
pay 24.1% more for restaurants
|
United States
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$3.09
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$2.61
|
|
United States vs. New York City - Cost of restaurants
pay 36.1% more for groceries
|
United States
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$4.75
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$8.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$6.05
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$7.20
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$7.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$3.29
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$1.08
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$2.60
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$2.68
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.78
|
|
United States vs. New York City - Cost of groceries
pay 35.4% more for transportation
|
United States
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$3.47
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$132.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$36,344.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$22.39
|
|
United States vs. New York City - Cost of transportation
pay 54.5% more for housing
|
United States
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$67.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$4,037.06
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$2,496.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$151.98
|
|
United States vs. New York City - Cost of housing
pay 2.4 times more for childcare
|
United States
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$3,154.10
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
$57,250.00
|
|
United States vs. New York City - Cost of childcare
pay 75.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$5.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$19.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$150.04
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$20.00
|
|
United States vs. New York City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 33.7% more for clothing
|
United States
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$67.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$49.94
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$115.58
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$168.76
|
|
United States 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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