Cost of living comparison
compared to
New York vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
New York is 8.9% more expensive than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 0.2% less in New York
- Groceries
-
pay 8.8% more in New York
- Transportation
-
pay 15.1% more in New York
- Housing
-
pay 2.8% more in New York
- Childcare
-
pay 18.2% more in New York
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 16.8% more in New York
- Clothing
-
pay 0.7% more in New York
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, transportation, groceries, housing, and clothing in New York are more expensive than in United States.
New York vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York instead of United States, you would:
pay 0.2% less for restaurants
|
United States
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$20.39
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$11.80
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$2.45
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$1.86
|
|
United States vs. New York - Cost of restaurants
pay 8.8% more for groceries
|
United States
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$3.78
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$7.84
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$4.25
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$4.76
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$5.49
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$2.39
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.88
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$2.16
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.43
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.63
|
|
United States vs. New York - Cost of groceries
pay 15.1% more for transportation
|
United States
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$3.32
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$95.86
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$33,821.80
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$19.88
|
|
United States vs. New York - Cost of transportation
pay 2.8% more for housing
|
United States
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$65.63
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$1,876.02
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$1,567.68
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$139.14
|
|
United States vs. New York - Cost of housing
pay 18.2% more for childcare
|
United States
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$1,788.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
$24,966.76
|
|
United States vs. New York - Cost of childcare
pay 16.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$6.28
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$5.14
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$14.22
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$63.27
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$14.99
|
|
United States vs. New York - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.7% more for clothing
|
United States
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$49.49
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$44.18
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$85.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$115.57
|
|
United States vs. New York - 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
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about New York or United States. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.