Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Girardeau, MO and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Girardeau, MO: $2,120 a month against $2,607 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Cape Girardeau, MO
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Cape Girardeau, MO Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Cape Girardeau, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,120

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Girardeau, MO and in Austin, TX

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cape Girardeau, MO and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,120 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $2,607 in Austin, TX.

Cape Girardeau, MO $2,120
Austin, TX $2,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,261 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $4,031 in Austin, TX.

Cape Girardeau, MO $3,261
Austin, TX $4,031

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,401 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $5,454 in Austin, TX.

Cape Girardeau, MO $4,401
Austin, TX $5,454

Living in Cape Girardeau, MO costs roughly 19% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cape Girardeau, MO 56% above, Austin, TX 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.74 $17.74

$20.35 $20.35

-12.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.5 $56.5

$84.7 $84.7

-33.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.79 $6.79

$12.12 $12.12

-43.98%

Cappuccino

$6.11 $6.11

$5.65 $5.65

8.14%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$3.68 $3.68

-28.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.36 $2.36

-23.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 $3.01

$7.87 $7.87

-61.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 $7.40

$8.82 $8.82

-16.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.14 $1.14

-14.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.69 $3.69

-39.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.34 $7.34

$3.31 $3.31

121.75%

Eggs

$2.92 $2.92

$4.15 $4.15

-29.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.15 $15.15

$12.98 $12.98

16.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.68 $18.68

$13.86 $13.86

34.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.75 $24.75

$16.34 $16.34

51.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$4.69 $4.69

-30.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.45 $1.45

34.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$11.47 $11.47

$5.11 $5.11

124.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.96 $8.96

$4.52 $4.52

98.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$3.08 $3.08

-29.87%

Onion (1kg)

$6.20 $6.20

$2.38 $2.38

160.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.80 $1.80

61.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.22 $2.22

15.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.68 $7.68

$9.97 $9.97

-22.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.22 $12.22

$15.05 $15.05

-18.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.91 $2.91

-39.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 $7.93

$3.33 $3.33

138.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.39 $35.39

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$0.95 $0.95

-9.47%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$34.2K $34.2K

-18.29%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$26.8K $26.8K

-6.69%

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

$196 $196

$223 $223

-11.89%

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

$42.68 $42.68

$58.5 $58.5

-27.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.4 $82.4

$71.2 $71.2

15.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.14 $20.14

$53.0 $53.0

-62.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.75 $16.75

Cinema Ticket

$14.82 $14.82

$14.06 $14.06

5.41%

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

$826 $826

$1,459 $1,459

-43.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.41 $44.41

$52.5 $52.5

-15.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.67 $40.67

$42.75 $42.75

-4.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.2 $86.2

$86.4 $86.4

-0.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.27 $39.27

$104 $104

-62.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 $798

$2,112 $2,112

-62.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$856 $856

$1,230 $1,230

-30.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 $1,578

$3,863 $3,863

-59.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,666 $1,666

$2,407 $2,407

-30.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,505 $1,505

$7,426 $7,426

-79.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,520 $1,520

$3,060 $3,060

-50.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,411 $2,411

$5,179 $5,179

-53.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.82

-5.43%

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

Last update for Cape Girardeau, MO: October 26, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Cape Girardeau, MO

$856 40.4%

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2% 43.8% $375

Groceries & Markets

Cape Girardeau, MO

$515 24.3%

Austin, TX

$410 15.7% 20.5% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Girardeau, MO

$322 15.2%

Austin, TX

$353 13.5% 9.7% $31

Eating Out

Cape Girardeau, MO

$283 13.4%

Austin, TX

$348 13.4% 23% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Girardeau, MO

$95 4.5%

Austin, TX

$128 4.9% 35.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Girardeau, MO

$50 2.4%

Austin, TX

$81 3.1% 63% $31

Getting Around

Cape Girardeau, MO

- * 0%

Austin, TX

$56 2.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $798 in Cape Girardeau, MO and $2,112 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $56 in Cape Girardeau, MO vs $85 in Austin, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $515 vs $410, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cape Girardeau, MO

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

08:56 8:56 AM

Same time as Cape Girardeau, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,941

974,447

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Girardeau, MO Austin, TX 1,090 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cape Girardeau, MO
Austin, TX

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Girardeau, MO wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cape Girardeau, MO the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Cape Girardeau, MO. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $798 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $2,112 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $826 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $1,459 in Austin, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cape Girardeau, MO – a meal for two runs $56 versus $85 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,120 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $2,607 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Cape Girardeau, MO but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Cape Girardeau, MO the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Cape Girardeau, MO wins on affordability, Austin, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.