New York Relocation Guide — Cost of Living & Visa (2026)
on the water, expensive and not sorry about it, mostly safe
More of New York
Day viewTL;DRNew York in one sentence
The startup ecosystem in New York is legitimate — this isn't a "digital nomad hub," it's an actual tech city. Practically speaking: rent runs ~$4281/mo, PR in ~10 years.
The startup ecosystem in New York is legitimate — this isn't a "digital nomad hub," it's an actual tech city. Practically speaking: rent runs ~$4281/mo, PR in ~10 years.
Thinking about moving to New York? Expect rent from $4,281/month, generally safe for expats, English is the primary language. This page covers cost of living, safety, weather, residency options, and everything else settlers want to know before signing a lease.
Moving to New York — the short version
- 🛂Visa path: US Employment-Based Green Card — relatively straightforward
- 📅Residency timeline: PR in ~10 years, citizenship in ~13y
- 🏠Housing: 1-bed centre from $4,281/mo · first-month landing cost ~$13,582
- 🔑Finding a place: competitive — 2–8 weeks in Manhattan, fierce competition
- 🗣️Language: English-speaking — no language barrier
- 👥Spouse work rights: restricted — H-4 spouse can work only if H-1B principal has approved I-140. EAD processing takes 6–12 months (standalone), no auto-extension since Oct 2025.
Full details in the sections below — residency, costs, safety, and everything else settlers actually care about.
#108 in Livability because rent devours the affordability score. #2 in Startup Cities because ecosystem density and VC presence drive the ranking. See Startup Cities
Just you against the world. And the rent.
Expenses = rent + food + transport + utilities · Rent alone: $4,281/mo
How the Livability Score is calculatedShow score breakdown ▸
Total: 73.3/130 raw pts → normalized to 56/100 · Full methodology
☀️ 5:45 AM in New York right now
Data: Numbeo · UNODC · EIU · EF EPI · Ookla · How is this calculated?
Is New York a Good Place to Live in 2026?
New York has real strengths, but also trade-offs: high rent relative to most relocation destinations. Here's what the numbers say about settling in New York, United States.
- ›Flawed democracy: Democracy index 7.8/10 — a flawed democracy — elections happen, but institutional weaknesses persist.
- ›Cost of living: A 1-bedroom in the center runs ~$4281/mo — serious money — hope your salary matches.
- ›Safety: Homicide rate 3.9 per 100k (Numbeo safety index: 49/100) — average safety — normal street-smarts apply.
- ›Residency path: PR in ~10 years, citizenship in 13 — a long process — plan for a multi-year commitment before PR.
- ›Climate: Summers peak around 82°F, winters dip to 30°F.
Life in New York
✦ Sections reordered for Family-Friendly Cities
What It Actually Costs
$7,597/mo
What It Actually Costs
$7,597/mo
Monthly cost of living
$7,597/mo
Rent, groceries, utilities, transit — what settling actually costs.
Spot prices
Numbeo
What Paychecks Look Like
Junior $140k · Mid $191k · Senior $248k
What Paychecks Look Like
Junior $140k · Mid $191k · Senior $248k
Annual gross in USD — with what United States actually lets you keep
Levels.fyi · as of May 2026
Junior ~ $140k · Mid ~ $191k · Senior ~ $248k — see breakdown
Software Engineer by level
Net = employee rate, your settings
Punch in your actual salary for a personalized breakdown →Costs & Money
6Rent, taxes, landing fees, and the freelance paperwork maze
Costs & Money
6Rent, taxes, landing fees, and the freelance paperwork maze
Cost to Land
1-bed centre: $4281/mo
Cost to Land
1-bed centre: $4281/mo
The price of showing up (before real life starts)
$19,822one-time
Then it's ~$7,597/mo to actually live here.
Can you afford it?
Enter your salary in the sidebar to see how far it stretches here.
Numbeo
Local tenancy law
IKEA estimate
USCIS fee schedule
Local insurance rates
Source: Numbeo · updated Apr 2026 — numbers we didn't make up
How Hard to Find a Place?
4/5 · 2–8 weeks in Manhattan, fierce competition
How Hard to Find a Place?
4/5 · 2–8 weeks in Manhattan, fierce competition
The part Numbeo doesn't tell you
Brace yourself. The system has opinions about your creditworthiness.
What stands between you and a lease
- •Income requirement: 40× monthly rent annually
- •Guarantor required if income insufficient (70–80× rent)
- •Broker fee: 12–15% of annual rent (one-time)
- •Credit check + employment verification
StreetEasy, NYC Rent Guidelines Board 2025 · 2026-Q1
Tax on Savings
Capital gains 20% · Dividends 23.8% · No wealth tax
Tax on Savings
Capital gains 20% · Dividends 23.8% · No wealth tax
What United States takes from your investments, not your paycheck
Source: PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries / IRS · 2025 rates · tax-resident individuals
Freelance Setup in United States
Sole Proprietorship / Self-Employment · Self-employment tax: 15.3% on net earnings (12.4% Social Security up to $176,100 + 2.9% Medicare, no cap)
Freelance Setup in United States
Sole Proprietorship / Self-Employment · Self-employment tax: 15.3% on net earnings (12.4% Social Security up to $176,100 + 2.9% Medicare, no cap)
What it takes to get legal and stay legal in New York
Best-fit path
Sole proprietor filing Schedule C with Form 1040. No separate entity needed. Deduct half of self-employment tax, home office, and business expenses.
Registration requirements
The US is uniquely easy to start — no registration needed to freelance, just file Schedule C. But the 15.3% self-employment tax surprises many people. Quarterly estimated tax payments are required to avoid penalties. Consider an S-Corp election once profit exceeds ~$60-80k to reduce SE tax. State taxes vary wildly — Texas/Florida 0% vs California 13.3%.
Freelancing in New York
Freelancing in New York
What it takes to invoice clients from New York without an employer holding your hand
How the government sees you
Getting paid
Cost of doing business
Source: IRS · SSA · rates as of 2025–2026
Daily Life
10Weather, vibes, nightlife — will you actually enjoy it here?
Daily Life
10Weather, vibes, nightlife — will you actually enjoy it here?
What You're Breathing
PM2.5 13.2 μg/m³ · 2.6× WHO limit
What You're Breathing
PM2.5 13.2 μg/m³ · 2.6× WHO limit
Invisible particles in every breath
Sources: WHO Air Quality Database V6.1, OpenAQ
Is New York a Good Place to Live in 2026?
2 pros · 3 cons
Is New York a Good Place to Live in 2026?
2 pros · 3 cons
Derived from cost, safety, weather, democracy, and internet data
For
- +New York: 82°F and the sea. Summer sorted.
- +Hub-level startup scene in New York. Founders everywhere.
Against
- −Rent in New York: $4281/mo. Your biggest line item.
- −3.9/100k in New York. Higher than most of Europe; read up before moving.
- −30°F winter lows in New York. Heavier coat incoming.
Weather in New York
Summer 82°F high · 15.1h daylight (Jun) · Winter 30°F low · 9.3h daylight (Dec)
Weather in New York
Summer 82°F high · 15.1h daylight (Jun) · Winter 30°F low · 9.3h daylight (Dec)
Average daytime high per season
Spring
61°F
50% sunny
Summer
82°F
58% sunny
15.1h daylight
Fall
64°F
60% sunny
Winter
43°F
48% sunny
9.3h daylight
Daylight contrast
Winter 9.3h (Dec) vs summer 15.1h (Jun)
+5.8h
Best: Summer, Fall. Avoid: Winter if you dislike extremes.
Source: WeatherSpark
Will You Survive Summer Here?
1.5→6.8 days ≥95°F by 2045 · 90% have A/C
Will You Survive Summer Here?
1.5→6.8 days ≥95°F by 2045 · 90% have A/C
Days ≥95°F now
1.5
per year
Days ≥95°F in 2045
6.8
projected / year
Tropical nights 2045
71.3
nights ≥68°F / yr
2045 numbers are a 5-model mean over 2040–2050 under CMIP6 HighResMIP · ~RCP8.5 (high-emissions) — the high-emissions pathway, not a best case. Open-Meteo (CMIP6 Climate).
The trend (days ≥86°F): New York used to get 16 days a year over 86°F in the 1970s. Now it gets 30.9. That's 14.9 more sweaty days than your parents' generation put up with. The tiles above count the rarer ≥95°F days; this line counts ≥86°F so the change is visible.
Homes with air conditioning
Built for the heat — most homes can cool down.
90%
A/C data: IEA (Future of Cooling)
Source: Open-Meteo (ERA5 Archive)
Evening Scene
Evening Scene
Nightlife & social scene
as of Apr 2026
Scene tags
Source: Numbeo Quality of Life Index
Hobbies & Activities
Lindy hop 5/5 · ~10 weekly socials
Hobbies & Activities
Lindy hop 5/5 · ~10 weekly socials
Swing dance scene intel
Schools
Festivals
Source: swingplanit.com, community research · Updated Mar 2026
Can You Ditch the Car?
Can You Ditch the Car?
Safety & Family
5Crime stats, healthcare, schools — the stuff that keeps you up at night
Safety & Family
5Crime stats, healthcare, schools — the stuff that keeps you up at night
Is New York Safe for Families?
Homicide rate: 3.9 per 100k
Is New York Safe for Families?
Homicide rate: 3.9 per 100k
Mixed safety profile. Research neighborhoods carefully, especially for evening routines.
Residents report moderate concern about everyday crime. Watch your phone and bag in crowded areas.
Neighborhood breakdown
We don't have an official neighborhood-level crime feed wired for New York yet. The figures above are still citywide or regional.
Settling the family in New York
PISA 489 · Daycare $3390/mo · Partner work rights are very limited
Settling the family in New York
PISA 489 · Daycare $3390/mo · Partner work rights are very limited
Schools, daycare, healthcare, and partner work rights on one page
Family Healthcare
Private-firstNo public option for immigrants; employer insurance or ACA marketplace required
No public healthcare for non-citizens. Emergency rooms must stabilize you (EMTALA law), but the bill can be financially devastating. Private insurance essential from day 1 (~$350/mo for basic). Employer-sponsored insurance is the norm — negotiate it before you move.
Dependents on temporary status: plan on private coverage first.
Pediatric/specialist reality: 2–6 weeks.
CHIP covers children in low-income families; otherwise depends on employer plan
Spouse / Dependent Rules
Partner work rights are very limitedPartner work rights are very limited
H-4 spouse can work only if H-1B principal has approved I-140. EAD processing takes 6–12 months (standalone), no auto-extension since Oct 2025.
By relationship type
Registered partner: US immigration does not recognize domestic partnerships or civil unions. Only legal marriage qualifies for dependent visa sponsorship.
Unmarried partner: US immigration does not recognize unmarried partners regardless of cohabitation length. Marriage is the only path to dependent status.
Same-sex partner: Same-sex unmarried partners must marry to qualify. Since Obergefell (2015), same-sex marriages are fully recognized for immigration.
But can they actually find a job?
You need visa sponsorship and serious credentials. Tech hubs sponsor H-1B workers. Healthcare and engineering also sponsor. The visa is the bottleneck, not the language.
Unmarried & Same-Sex Partners
US immigration only recognizes legal marriage (since Obergefell v. Hodges, 2015, this includes same-sex marriages). No federal recognition of domestic partnerships or common-law relationships for immigration.
Sources: ISD (Tuition Data), OECD PISA, Wikipedia (Intl. Schools), Townleap (Public School Viability), Numbeo, OECD Health at a Glance 2025, National health ministry websites, Immigration authority, OECD Tax-Benefit models
Crossing the Street
14.2 road deaths/100k · ↑ worsening
Crossing the Street
14.2 road deaths/100k · ↑ worsening
Road traffic deaths — country-level data; city-specific rates not available
Traffic fatality rates are high. Choose your commute route and transport mode carefully. You're 4× more likely to die crossing the street than being murdered here.
Who dies on the road
Data year: 2016
Healthcare for Your Family
No public option for immigrants; employer insurance or ACA marketplace required
Healthcare for Your Family
No public option for immigrants; employer insurance or ACA marketplace required
Quality, access, and costs for settlers
Score = 50% outcomes + 30% access + 20% perception. Missing components are re-weighted.
No public healthcare for non-citizens. Emergency rooms must stabilize you (EMTALA law), but the bill can be financially devastating. Private insurance essential from day 1 (~$350/mo for basic). Employer-sponsored insurance is the norm — negotiate it before you move.
No public option for immigrants; employer insurance or ACA marketplace required
Numbeo survey — higher is better. Based on resident perceptions.
CHIP covers children in low-income families; otherwise depends on employer plan
Vaccination coverage: WHO/UNICEF estimates, 2024
Good healthcare system. Competent doctors, modern equipment, and reasonable wait times at most facilities.
Sources: OECD Health at a Glance 2025, Numbeo, National health ministry websites
For the Kids
15 international schools · PISA 489
For the Kids
15 international schools · PISA 489
Schools, childcare costs, and whether your children can actually enroll
15 international schools · $28k–$69k/yr · A handful. Start researching early.
Public school is the default path for most expat families here — the PISA score (489) lands in average territory, but that hasn't stopped locals or newcomers.
Sources: ISD (Tuition Data), OECD PISA, Wikipedia (Intl. Schools), Townleap (Public School Viability), Numbeo
Work & Logistics
6Wi-Fi speed, banking, getting around — boring but essential
Work & Logistics
6Wi-Fi speed, banking, getting around — boring but essential
Who Has Offices in New York?
Google, Meta, Amazon + 5 more
Who Has Offices in New York?
Google, Meta, Amazon + 5 more
✓ visa = known to sponsor non-EU work visas
Notable employers with offices in the city. Not exhaustive.
How Fast Is the Wi-Fi, Really?
162↓ / 21↑ Mbps
How Fast Is the Wi-Fi, Really?
162↓ / 21↑ Mbps
Median speeds across all connection types · Ookla Speedtest Global Index
Speeds are median across all connection types — DSL, cable, fiber, and mobile. If you're on a modern fiber or 5G plan, expect 300–1,000 Mbps down.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index
How You'll Actually Pay for Things
How You'll Actually Pay for Things
Banking & money mobility for settlers
Many banks open accounts for foreigners with just a passport and a second ID; the US is the world's primary SWIFT hub with zero capital controls — ITIN helps but isn't always required.
Getting Home & Getting Around
Getting Home & Getting Around
United States, the Country
Visa paths, politics, rights, and what the country looks like from the outside
United States, the Country
Visa paths, politics, rights, and what the country looks like from the outside
Can You Actually Live Here?
PR in ~10 yrs · Citizenship in 13 yrs · Partner work rights are very limited
Can You Actually Live Here?
PR in ~10 yrs · Citizenship in 13 yrs · Partner work rights are very limited
Visa difficulty, time to residency, and what it takes to stay
For a US citizen passport: Easy
H-1B lottery → EB-2/EB-3 green card (current for most nationalities; 12–20+ yr backlog for India/China), then 5 yr residency before citizenship. Requires English proficiency and passing a 128-question civics test (12/20 to pass).
Partner & dependents
H-4 spouse can work only if H-1B principal has approved I-140. EAD processing takes 6–12 months (standalone), no auto-extension since Oct 2025.
Not married? Here’s how it changes
Updated May 2026 · Source
What You Can Actually Do Here
Tech jobs very high · Sponsorship hard · Startup hub · finance, media, tech
What You Can Actually Do Here
Tech jobs very high · Sponsorship hard · Startup hub · finance, media, tech
Industries, employers, and how startup-friendly this place is
Employment
Tech job density Very high (90/100)ⓘ
Open tech roles ~24k(est.)
Top university ranked #19 globally
Non-EU sponsorship Hard (46/100)ⓘ
Startup Scene
Ease of doing business: #55
Sources: StartupBlink · scraper-owned tech clusters · country visa sources
Who's Running the Show
Democracy index: 7.8/10
Who's Running the Show
Democracy index: 7.8/10
Politics, freedom, and press independence
Source: EIU Democracy Index
Peace: IEP Global Peace Index
We show our work. It's a radical concept.
How is this calculated?What Will Break 6 Months In
The system works. It just works on its own schedule. Government offices close early, queues are real, and patience is mandatory.
Do People Trust Each Other Here?
37% trust most people · rising
Do People Trust Each Other Here?
37% trust most people · rising
Whether a stranger here expects you to screw them over
The fine print, for the distrustful
The US number is disputed: the World Values Survey shows interpersonal trust roughly flat near 37%, while the long-running General Social Survey shows a slide toward ~25%. The two use different question wording and mode, so treat the level as a range, not a point.
Interpersonal: Integrated Values Surveys (World Values Survey + European Values Study), via Our World in Data · 2022 wave
Do They Want You Here?
8.0/9 acceptance · holding steady
Do They Want You Here?
8.0/9 acceptance · holding steady
How the locals feel about people who moved here — public sentiment, measured country-wide. Not immigration law.
Would help you carry the boxes in — when Gallup last asked, in 2019. A lot has happened since.
Acceptance index up 0.1 points between 2016 and 2019 (Gallup).
The fine print, for the unconvinced
Gallup's Migrant Acceptance Index: how welcome migrants are as neighbours, colleagues and in-laws. Not a measure of immigration policy, border enforcement, or how any of it looks now.
This is a 2019 reading on whether Americans accept migrants as neighbours and in-laws — a different question from what immigration policy should be, and one nobody has re-asked since. On the policy question Gallup's separate trend has swung hard in both directions in the meantime: 55% wanted immigration decreased in 2024, 29% in June 2026. Neither that swing nor the enforcement environment since 2019 is visible in the index above. (The 2016/17 figure is also Gallup's revised one, 7.86, fielded 2017; the original press release carried 7.27 before Canada and the US were re-fielded.)
Gallup has asked this every June since 1965. The 55% who wanted less immigration in 2024 was the highest reading in over twenty years — but not the record, which is 65%, set in 1993 and matched in 1995.
Index: Gallup Migrant Acceptance Index · 2019 wave
LGBTQ+ Rights & Reproductive Access
Rainbow 67/100 · Marriage legal
LGBTQ+ Rights & Reproductive Access
Rainbow 67/100 · Marriage legal
LGBTQ+ protections, reproductive rights, and who the law actually covers
Moderate protections
via Equaldex Equality Index
Can Your Partner Move Here?
Same-sex unmarried partners must marry to qualify. Since Obergefell (2015), same-sex marriages are fully recognized for immigration.
Trans Rights
Reproductive Health Access
The national law is only half the story here — what you can actually get, and when, depends on which state or province you land in.
Statutory 24-week-or-viability standard.
Source: Equaldex Equality Index
Reproductive: Center for Reproductive Rights
How this Rainbow Index works: Outside Europe there's no Rainbow Map, so this 0–100 number comes from the Equaldex Equality Index — a different beast that blends a legal-rights index with a public-opinion index. It measures roughly the same thing (how good it is to be queer here) but isn't directly comparable to the European scores, which are pure law-on-the-books. Read it as a ballpark, not a decimal-precise ranking.
Jewish Safety
Antisemitic attitudes, hate crimes, and community presence
Jewish Safety
Antisemitic attitudes, hate crimes, and community presence
Antisemitic attitudes, hate crime incidents, and Jewish community presence
Very low prevalence
ADL Global 100 (2024) — % agreeing with 6+ of 11 antisemitic stereotypes
Includes threats, verbal harassment, vandalism, propaganda, and physical assaults reported across United States — not just violent attacks. Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting.
How to read this: These three metrics are shown separately because they measure different things. ADL measures attitudes (what people believe), OSCE counts reported incidents (what gets filed), and synagogues show community presence (not safety). A country can have high attitudes and low incidents (Saudi Arabia) or low attitudes and high incidents (UK). No single number captures "Jewish safety" — read all three together.
English in New York
English in New York
Work, hiring, and meetings default to English.
Doctors, landlords, and city paperwork usually start in English too.
Primary local language is English, so office and street English are treated as native-level.
FSI-style difficulty — 1 (practically a dialect) to 5 (new everything)
Will the Lights Stay On?
Grid 83/100 · 25% renewable · Outages: occasional
Will the Lights Stay On?
Grid 83/100 · 25% renewable · Outages: occasional
Grid stability, energy mix, and outage risk
Sources: IEA, World Bank (SAIDI), national grid operators
Who Keeps the Lights On?
Dirty but nobody can turn it off · 43% clean · mostly gas
Who Keeps the Lights On?
Dirty but nobody can turn it off · 43% clean · mostly gas
Where the power comes from, and who can switch it off
Self-sufficient — generation roughly matches demand across the year.
Gas-dominated but adding solar and wind faster than anything else; the mix is cleaning up without a national mandate.
Sources: Ember (generation mix), GlobalPetrolPrices (household rate), IEA (trajectory) · 2025
More on New York
Not sold yet?
Other cities exist. Some of them are even good.
Reality-check it
Got an offer in New York?
Head-to-head
New York vs Chicago
Head-to-head
New York vs Seattle
Cut from the same cloth
Chicago
Let the algorithm judge you
2 min quiz — surprisingly accurate
New York — FAQ
10 questions answered
New York — FAQ
10 questions answered
What should I know before moving to New York?▾
New York is a real relocation destination, not a backpacker layover. What you need to know: permanent residency in ~10 years, 1-bed rent from $4281/month, English-speaking. This page breaks down the full picture — cost of living, visa paths, safety, language barrier, and what daily life actually looks like for someone who stays past the honeymoon phase.
How safe is New York, really?▾
Homicide rate: 3.9 per 100,000 (UNODC). World average is 5.8, so New York is generally safe — about what you'd expect. Numbeo Crime Index sits at 50.8/100 (lower = safer) — that's what residents actually say about walking home at night, not what the tourism board says. Learn the neighborhoods before signing a lease — every city has blocks you'll love and blocks you won't.
What's the real cost of living in New York?▾
A 1-bed in the centre runs about $4281/month (Numbeo). Day-to-day: a cheap restaurant meal: $25.00, monthly transit pass: $133. All in — rent, food, getting around, keeping the lights on — budget $4681–$5081/month depending on whether you cook or eat out. That's the settler number, not the tourist number.
What's the weather actually like in New York?▾
New York: Summers reach around 82°F with about 15.1 hours of daylight in Jun, winters drop to around 30°F and 9.3 hours of daylight in Dec. Comfortable summers — the kind where you argue about whether to open the window or not.
Is New York actually worth settling in long-term?▾
United States scores 7.8/10 on the EIU Democracy Index. Solid democracy. Not perfect, but the courts work and the press is free. You can build a life without worrying about the next election too much. Rent from $4281/month.
What's the job market really like in New York?▾
Unemployment: 4.2%. Translation: competitive but not hopeless — the right skills open doors. If you're planning to job-hunt locally, research your industry before booking a one-way ticket. If you work remotely, this number matters less — but your visa type might not let you.
Who's actually hiring in New York?▾
Companies with real offices here (not just a registered address): Google, Meta, Amazon, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Bloomberg. Check their career pages — a company on this list isn't a guarantee they're hiring right now, but it means the talent pipeline exists.
Is New York any good for expats?▾
Depends what kind of expat you are. Key facts: rent from $4281/month; US Employment-Based Green Card (complex process). The numbers above — livability score, safety, cost of living — tell you whether the city works on paper. Whether it works for you depends on what you're optimizing for. Take the quiz if you want a more honest answer than "it's great for expats."
How do you actually get a visa to live in United States?▾
United States has the US Employment-Based Green Card program. Duration: Permanent residence. Requirements: Employer sponsorship (EB-1 to EB-3) or investor visa (EB-5, $1.05M / $800K in targeted areas). Current for most nationalities, 12–20+ yr backlog for India/China. Complex enough that an immigration lawyer earns their fee. Don't DIY this one. Always verify with the official government portal — immigration rules change faster than this page updates.
How long until you get permanent residency in United States?▾
Permanent residency typically takes 10 years of legal residence; citizenship eligibility after 13 years total. The usual prerequisites: proof of income, a clean criminal record, and sometimes enough local language to prove you're serious. Rules change — check with an immigration lawyer before building your five-year plan around a Reddit thread.
Can you actually move abroad?
Check real visa paths based on your passport, profession, and savings. Not the tourist visa — the one that lets you stay.
Find visa paths that actually work for you →Other cities in United States
See all →▸Show full data table
🇺🇸 New York
$7,597/ mo
Rent: $4281 · Rest: $3317
🎵 That's 634 Spotify subs/mo
~79/100
128th
10y
13y
🌞 82°F
🥶 30°F
161↓ / 20↑ Mbps
Median · Ookla
United States
Economics · World Bank / IMF
GDP per capita (PPP)2024
$85,810
GDP Growth2024
+2.8%
Inflation2024
2.9%↑
Boringly steadyUnemployment2025
4.2%
Gini Index2024
41.8
Population2024
8,478,072
Politics · EIU / Freedom House
Democracy Index
7.8→29th
Regime
Flawed democracy
Freedom House
80/100
Press Freedom
55th
Safety · UNODC / Numbeo
Homicide per 100K
3.9
Safety Index
✗49.2/100
Residency Path · uscis.gov
Visa Difficulty
Time to Permanent Residency
10 years
Path to Citizenship
13 years
Work Permit
complex
Career
Industries
finance, media, tech
Startup Scene
hub
Connectivity · Ookla Speedtest
Median downloadNew York
161.5 Mbps
Avg uploadUnited States
20.8 Mbps
Avg downloadUnited States
207.2 Mbps
Median across all connection types (DSL, cable, fiber, mobile). Fiber and 5G plans in major cities typically deliver 300–1 000 Mbps.
Language · EF EPI
Languages
English, Spanish (I)
English Proficiency
Native
Next up
Start with the closest follow-up paths, then open the long tail if you want more.
Cities Similar to New York
Compare New York vs ...
More on New York
More ways to explore›
New York appears in
Explore more
Data sources
Open-Meteo Air QualityADL Global 100OSCE Hate Crime ReportingOpenStreetMap (Synagogues)Townleap (Banking Access Research)Career MetricsEFFIS / GWIS (JRC)IEA (Future of Cooling)ND-GAIN Country IndexOpen-Meteo (ERA5 Archive)Open-Meteo (CMIP6 Climate)WRI AqueductTownleap (Computed)FBI UCR / OpenCrimeNumbeoGovernment SourcesDiaspora DataUS Census Bureau (ACS)WikidataWorld BankEmberEF English Proficiency IndexOECD Tax-Benefit modelsTownleap (Curated)Townleap (Curated)Townleap (Pediatric Healthcare Research)Numbeo HealthcareOokla SpeedtestJob Market DataWikipediaEqualdex Equality IndexGallup Migrant Acceptance IndexGallup (US immigration trend)EIU Democracy IndexIEP Global Peace IndexCenter for Reproductive RightsOECD ITFWHO Road SafetyLevels.fyiSalary DataISD (Tuition Data)OECD PISAWikipedia (Intl. Schools)Townleap (Public School Viability)Travel AdvisoryTownleap (Computed)Numbeo Quality of LifeTownleap (Compiled Research)Our World in Data (Integrated Values Surveys)PeopleForBikesDerived from Astronomical DataWeatherSpark
Want a different lens?