Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Girardeau, MO and Athens Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Girardeau, MO and Athens

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,929 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $1,705 in Athens.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,950 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $2,630 in Athens.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,970 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $3,556 in Athens.

Living in Cape Girardeau, MO is roughly 13% more expensive than in Athens, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cape Girardeau, MO 44% above, Athens 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.30 $15.30

$17.05 €14.92

-10.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.41 $49.41

$63.6 €55.6

-22.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 $6.83

$10.28 €8.99

-33.56%

Cappuccino

$5.24 $5.24

$4.37 €3.82

19.91%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.39 €2.09

-7.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$0.67 €0.59

158.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 $3.28

$5.68 €4.97

-42.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 $4.48

$5.65 €4.95

-20.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 $0.71

$1.92 €1.68

-63.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.37 €1.20

64.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.81 €2.46

18.51%

Eggs

$4.09 $4.09

$5.12 €4.48

-20.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.94 $10.94

$14.81 €12.96

-26.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 $8.88

$11.29 €9.87

-21.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.13 $11.13

$15.18 €13.28

-26.68%

Apples (1kg)

$8.94 $8.94

$2.20 €1.93

306.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 $1.79

$2.07 €1.81

-13.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.54 $7.54

$1.58 €1.38

377.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.69 $8.69

$2.36 €2.07

268.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.41 €1.23

127.66%

Onion (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$1.18 €1.03

469.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.23 €1.08

145.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.02 €0.89

116.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.52 $7.52

$5.59 €4.89

34.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 $14.96

$10.05 €8.79

48.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.03 €1.78

-15.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.86 €2.50

38.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.36 €1.19

49.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.50 €30.18

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 $3.49

$4.61 €4.03

-24.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.11 €0.97

36.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.35 $29.35

$17.13 €14.98

71.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$2.04 €1.78

-59.80%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.2K $27.2K

$29.1K €25.5K

-6.48%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$20.0K $20.0K

$29.6K €25.9K

-32.46%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$148 $148

$217 €190

-31.94%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$44.49 $44.49

$27.37 €23.94

62.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.6 $78.6

$34.44 €30.13

128.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.18 $20.18

$56.6 €49.53

-64.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.46 €23.15

Cinema Ticket

$13.47 $13.47

$10.43 €9.13

29.15%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$732 $732

$561 €491

30.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$11.1K €9,691

111.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.93 $39.93

$92.1 €80.6

-56.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.63 $40.63

$46.84 €40.98

-13.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 $83.6

$100 €87.7

-16.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.50 $39.50

$120 €105

-67.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$791 $791

$650 €569

21.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$801 $801

$572 €500

40.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 $1,404

$1,188 €1,039

18.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,635 $1,635

$1,014 €887

61.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,470 $1,470

$4,057 €3,549

-63.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,422 $1,422

$3,221 €2,818

-55.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,430 $2,430

$1,327 €1,161

83.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.99

29.26%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cape Girardeau, MO: July 14, 2026

Last update for Athens: July 11, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $791 in Cape Girardeau, MO and $650 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cape Girardeau, MO pays 83% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49.00 in Cape Girardeau, MO vs $64.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $407 vs $312, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cape Girardeau, MO vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Cape Girardeau, MO. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 83% higher in Cape Girardeau, MO, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $791 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $650 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $732 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $561 in Athens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $49.00 in Cape Girardeau, MO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,705 in Athens versus $1,929 in Cape Girardeau, MO, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Cape Girardeau, MO. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,705 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cape Girardeau, MO and Athens are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Cape Girardeau, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.