Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Girardeau, MO and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Girardeau, MO: $2,120 a month against $4,941 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $33,900 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
239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index

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Cape Girardeau, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,120

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,941

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Girardeau, MO and in New York, NY

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 New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,120 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $4,941 in New York, NY.

Cape Girardeau, MO $2,120
New York, NY $4,941

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,261 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $7,225 in New York, NY.

Cape Girardeau, MO $3,261
New York, NY $7,225

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,401 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $9,509 in New York, NY.

Cape Girardeau, MO $4,401
New York, NY $9,509

Living in Cape Girardeau, MO costs roughly 57% less than in New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cape Girardeau, MO 56% above, New York, NY 263% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.74 $17.74

$28.55 $28.55

-37.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.5 $56.5

$118 $118

-52.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.79 $6.79

$15.04 $15.04

-54.85%

Cappuccino

$6.11 $6.11

$6.53 $6.53

-6.43%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$3.96 $3.96

-33.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$3.01 $3.01

-40.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 $3.01

$8.16 $8.16

-63.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 $7.40

$9.84 $9.84

-24.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.37 $1.37

-28.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 $2.22

$4.97 $4.97

-55.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.34 $7.34

$7.81 $7.81

-6.02%

Eggs

$2.92 $2.92

$5.97 $5.97

-51.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.15 $15.15

$18.91 $18.91

-19.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.68 $18.68

$18.04 $18.04

3.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.75 $24.75

$19.05 $19.05

29.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$6.76 $6.76

-51.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.27 $2.27

-14.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$11.47 $11.47

$6.83 $6.83

67.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.96 $8.96

$7.09 $7.09

26.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$4.22 $4.22

-48.82%

Onion (1kg)

$6.20 $6.20

$4.65 $4.65

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.87 $2.87

1.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.60 $2.60

-1.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.68 $7.68

$18.77 $18.77

-59.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.22 $12.22

$20.13 $20.13

-39.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$3.45 $3.45

-48.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 $7.93

$4.02 $4.02

97.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 $2.91

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 $2.12

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.96 $41.96

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.17 $1.17

-26.50%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$34.5K $34.5K

-18.95%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$25.9K $25.9K

-3.40%

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

$196 $196

$219 $219

-10.45%

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

$42.68 $42.68

$74.2 $74.2

-42.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.4 $82.4

$70.2 $70.2

17.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.14 $20.14

$112 $112

-82.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$74.9 $74.9

Cinema Ticket

$14.82 $14.82

$22.14 $22.14

-33.06%

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

$826 $826

$3,558 $3,558

-76.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$62.2K $62.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.41 $44.41

$75.6 $75.6

-41.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.67 $40.67

$51.2 $51.2

-20.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.2 $86.2

$123 $123

-29.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.27 $39.27

$140 $140

-71.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 $798

$4,499 $4,499

-82.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$856 $856

$3,078 $3,078

-72.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 $1,578

$9,447 $9,447

-83.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,666 $1,666

$5,190 $5,190

-67.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,505 $1,505

$18.1K $18.1K

-91.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,520 $1,520

$6,693 $6,693

-77.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,411 $2,411

$5,220 $5,220

-53.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.86

-5.98%

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 New York, NY: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Girardeau, MO

$856 40.4%

New York, NY

$3.1K 62.3% 260% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

Cape Girardeau, MO

$515 24.3%

New York, NY

$563 11.4% 9.3% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Girardeau, MO

$322 15.2%

New York, NY

$364 7.4% 13.2% $42

Eating Out

Cape Girardeau, MO

$283 13.4%

New York, NY

$440 8.9% 55.5% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Girardeau, MO

$95 4.5%

New York, NY

$175 3.6% 85.1% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Girardeau, MO

$50 2.4%

New York, NY

$156 3.2% 214% $106

Getting Around

Cape Girardeau, MO

- * 0%

New York, NY

$164 3.3%

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 $4,499 in New York, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays about 2.2 times 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: $56 in Cape Girardeau, MO vs $118 in New York, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $515 vs $563 per month, with Cape Girardeau, MO cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cape Girardeau, MO

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

02:34 2:34 AM

03:34 3:34 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Girardeau, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,941

8,804,190

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Girardeau, MO New York, NY 1,370 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cape Girardeau, MO
New York, NY

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 New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Girardeau, MO is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 54% 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 $4,499 in New York, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,120 per month in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $4,941 in New York, NY – Cape Girardeau, MO is about 57% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,120 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $4,941 in New York, NY, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Cape Girardeau, MO but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. 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, New York, NY on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.