New York, NY Cost Of Living

The latest cost of living statistics for New York. Includes statistics on rent, mortgages, healthcare, and other costs for New York compared to the state and national averages.

Cost of living in New York, New York

Cost of living in New York research summary. The cost of living index is set to 100 for the average place in the United States. A cost of living index above 100 means New York is expensive. An index value below 100 means the city is a relatively cheap place to live.

On a city-by-city basis in New York, home prices and rent have the biggest impact on the cost of living. Here are the key takeaways based on Saturday Night Science:

180 Cost of living index 1.8x higher vs US
#309 Cheapest in New York (of 336)
#6,186 Cheapest in the U.S. (of 6,489)
$812,861 Median home value
$1,821 Median rent
$80,483 Median income
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What is the cost of living in New York, NY?

According to the most recent data on the cost of living, New York has an overall cost of living index of 180, which is 1.8x higher than the national index of 100.

Compared to New York, New York has a cost of living index that's 1.5x higher than New York's index of 121.

The standard of living in New York ranks as #309 most affordable out of the 336 places we measured in New York. By definition, that implies New York ranks as the #27 most expensive place in the Empire State.

For more reading on life in New York, check out:

New York Cost Of Living Vs. New York

Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in New York. Here is how it fares on each of the criteria:

  • The Services index in New York is 119.

  • The Groceries index in New York is 124.

  • The Health index in New York is 298.

  • The Housing index in New York is 134.

  • The Transportation index in New York is 119.

  • The Utilities index in New York is 134.

Living Expense New York New York National Average
Overall 180 121 100
Services 119 105 100
Groceries 124 108 100
Health 298 143 100
Housing 134 112 100
Transportation 119 114 100
Utilities 134 111 100

New York Cost Of Living Compared To New York Averages

Services
New York 119
New York avg 105
Groceries
New York 124
New York avg 108
Health
New York 298
New York avg 143
Housing
New York 134
New York avg 112
Transportation
New York 119
New York avg 114
Utilities
New York 134
New York avg 111

Index where 100 = national average. Source: cost-of-living index 2026.

For more reading on cost of living around New York, check out:

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Source: Cost-of-living index 2026, normalized to US average = 100

New York, NY Housing Cost Breakdown

$812,861Median Home Value
$1,821Median Rent
$80,483Median Income

Housing swings affordability the most between places in New York, so we broke down housing costs into more detail. Home and income data comes from the most recent US Census ACS 2020-2024. The key points are:

  • The Median Home Value in New York is $812,861.

  • The Median Rent in New York is $1,821.

  • The Median Income in New York is $80,483.

  • The Home Value To Income in New York is 10.1x.

  • The Rent To Monthly Income in New York is 0.27x.

Statistic New York New York United States
Median Home Value $812,861 $507,794 $332,700
Median Rent $1,821 $1,621 $1,413
Median Income $80,483 $85,974 $80,734
Home Value To Income 10.1x 5.9x 4.1x
Rent To Monthly Income 0.27x 0.23x 0.21x

New York, NY Costs By Category

Detailed New York Services costs vs. New York
Item New York New York
Shampoo $1.69 $1.28
Movie $13.68 $12.13
Bowling $29.4 $18
Haircut $34.94 $24.26
Beauty Salon $64.07 $45.56
Detailed New York Groceries costs vs. New York
Item New York New York
Ground Beef $5.87 $5.84
Fried Chicken $1.46 $1.57
Milk $4.97 $4.67
Potatoes $5.21 $4.93
Pizza $12.57 $12.09
Beer $11.87 $10.41
Toothpaste $3.96 $3.7
Detailed New York Health costs vs. New York
Item New York New York
Optometrist $128.97 $125.68
Doctor $162.24 $135.78
Dentist $149.64 $113.29
Detailed New York Transportation costs vs. New York
Item New York New York
Gasoline $3.55 $3.46
Tire Balancing $86.43 $59.92
Detailed New York Utilities costs vs. New York
Item New York New York
All Electricity $201.27 $193.99
Phone $200.67 $192.25

New York SnackAbility

8Overall SnackAbility
Jobs 7/10
Housing 9.5/10
Affordability 3/10
Diversity 10/10
Safety 5/10
Amenities 10/10
Education 8/10
Commute 2/10

Cost Of Living In Cities Around New York

The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around New York. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:

  • Hoboken, NJ has a cost of living index of 191, 1.1x New York.

  • West New York, NJ has a cost of living index of 130, 0.7x New York.

  • Cliffside Park, NJ has a cost of living index of 145, 0.8x New York.

City Population Cost Of Living Vs. New York
Hoboken, NJ 58,668 191 1.1x
West New York, NJ 52,004 130 0.7x
Cliffside Park, NJ 25,781 145 0.8x
Secaucus, NJ 21,778 154 0.9x
Woodmere, NY 18,061 186 1.0x
Port Washington, NY 18,004 196 1.1x
Edgewater, NJ 14,759 174 1.0x
North New Hyde Park, NY 14,159 169 0.9x
North Merrick, NY 12,366 161 0.9x
Inwood, NY 12,235 147 0.8x