NYC costs, in plain English.

There is no single number that fits every New Yorker. Housing, household size, neighborhood, transportation, and lifestyle make the biggest difference. Use the calculator with your own assumptions, then look at the share of take-home income used by your estimate.

Rent varies widely by borough, neighborhood, bedrooms, building, amenities, and lease terms. The calculator uses editable neighborhood-based estimates so you can replace them with your actual rent whenever you have it.

A single-person budget often has fewer people to share fixed housing and household costs with, but the result depends on where you live and how you spend. Compare living alone with a roommate scenario to see how the housing line changes.

Manhattan contains many different housing markets. A studio in one area and a larger apartment in another can produce very different monthly totals. Choose a neighborhood and bedroom count for a more useful planning estimate.

Some Brooklyn neighborhoods may be less expensive than some Manhattan neighborhoods, while others can be similarly priced or higher. Compare specific neighborhoods instead of treating either borough as one price point.

Queens and Brooklyn both have a wide range of housing costs. The answer depends on the neighborhoods, unit size, and transportation tradeoffs you are comparing.

Your food budget depends on household size, groceries, dining out, takeout, coffee, and snacks. Start with one of the editable presets, then replace each line with what matches your routine.

A car budget can include a payment, insurance, fuel, parking, and maintenance, while a transit budget can include regular fares and occasional rideshare or taxi trips. Enter both scenarios to compare the assumptions that fit you.

Family costs depend on the number of adults and children, bedrooms, neighborhood, food, transportation, care, and lifestyle. The calculator adjusts the housing estimate for household size and lets you edit each monthly category.