Moving to New York from United States
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from United States to New York — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from United States to New York, you would find that New York is 8.9% more expensive than United States overall. A $75,000 salary in United States would need to be roughly $68,989 in New York to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from United States to New York.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $68,989
To maintain the same standard of living in New York
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 0.2% less
Groceries
pay 8.8% more
Transportation
pay 15.1% more
Housing
pay 2.8% more
Childcare
pay 18.2% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 16.8% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in New York cost about 18% less than cities in United States.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How United States and New York stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
New York performs significantly better than United States across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
United States performs better than New York across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
New York generally does better on employment & economy, though United States leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
United States performs better than New York across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Washington | Albany |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 48°/28°F (9°/-2°C) | 37°/19°F (2°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/51°F (24°/11°C) | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/62°F (29°/17°C) | 78°/58°F (26°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 57°/35°F (14°/2°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Washington | Albany |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42°/24°F (5.8°/-4.5°C) | 31°/15°F (-0.8°/-9.7°C) |
| Feb | 46°/26°F (8.0°/-3.3°C) | 35°/17°F (1.4°/-8.2°C) |
| Mar | 56°/33°F (13.1°/0.5°C) | 44°/26°F (6.9°/-3.5°C) |
| Apr | 67°/42°F (19.3°/5.6°C) | 58°/37°F (14.6°/2.9°C) |
| May | 75°/51°F (23.9°/10.7°C) | 69°/47°F (20.8°/8.4°C) |
| Jun | 84°/61°F (28.8°/16.1°C) | 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.6°C) |
| Jul | 88°/65°F (31.1°/18.6°C) | 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.3°C) |
| Aug | 87°/64°F (30.3°/17.9°C) | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.5°C) |
| Sep | 79°/56°F (26.3°/13.5°C) | 72°/52°F (22.3°/10.9°C) |
| Oct | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.6°C) | 60°/40°F (15.4°/4.2°C) |
| Nov | 58°/35°F (14.2°/1.8°C) | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.3°C) |
| Dec | 46°/27°F (7.8°/-2.7°C) | 36°/21°F (2.1°/-6.0°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in New York than United States?
Generally yes: New York runs about 8% cheaper than United States on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to New York?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $17,247 in New York for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from New York?
Working remotely from New York's major cities is generally feasible. The legal layer matters more — visa category, employer policy on overseas employees, and tax residency in United States and New York.
How is healthcare in New York compared to United States?
New York performs significantly better than United States across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in New York compared to United States?
The average high temperature in Albany is 58°F, compared to 66°F in Washington. Albany receives around 39.4 in of rainfall per year, while Washington gets 41.5 in.
What language do they speak in New York?
Both United States and New York share the same official language: English.
