Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Girardeau, MO and Saint-Etienne

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Etienne: $1,436 a month against $2,120 in Cape Girardeau, MO, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Etienne
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Saint-Etienne Living Index

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Cape Girardeau, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,120

/mo nomad

Saint-Etienne

🇫🇷 France

$1,436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Girardeau, MO and in Saint-Etienne

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 Saint-Etienne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,120 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $1,436 in Saint-Etienne.

Cape Girardeau, MO $2,120
Saint-Etienne $1,436

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,261 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $2,264 in Saint-Etienne.

Cape Girardeau, MO $3,261
Saint-Etienne $2,264

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,401 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $3,092 in Saint-Etienne.

Cape Girardeau, MO $4,401
Saint-Etienne $3,092

Living in Cape Girardeau, MO is roughly 48% more expensive than in Saint-Etienne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cape Girardeau, MO 56% above, Saint-Etienne 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.74 $17.74

$16.56 €14.88

7.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.5 $56.5

$56.7 €50.9

-0.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.79 $6.79

$13.54 €12.16

-49.85%

Cappuccino

$6.11 $6.11

$2.07 €1.86

195.17%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$3.42 €3.07

-23.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.70 €1.53

5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 $3.01

$5.07 €4.55

-40.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 $7.40

$5.75 €5.16

28.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.29 €1.15

-24.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.10 €0.99

101.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.34 $7.34

$2.09 €1.88

251.20%

Eggs

$2.92 $2.92

$3.05 €2.74

-4.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.15 $15.15

$17.01 €15.28

-10.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.68 $18.68

$11.17 €10.03

67.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.75 $24.75

$16.35 €14.68

51.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.27 €2.94

-0.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.54 €2.28

-23.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$11.47 $11.47

$2.45 €2.20

368.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.96 $8.96

$2.71 €2.43

230.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.57 €1.41

37.58%

Onion (1kg)

$6.20 $6.20

$1.73 €1.55

258.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.10 €0.99

164.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.30 €2.07

11.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.68 $7.68

$12.15 €10.91

-36.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.22 $12.22

$10.14 €9.11

20.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$3.32 €2.99

-46.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 $7.93

$3.26 €2.93

143.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 €1.62

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.87 €35.82

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 €2.54

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$2.11 €1.89

-59.24%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$20.1K €18.0K

39.15%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$32.0K €28.7K

-21.90%

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

$196 $196

$164 €148

19.56%

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

$42.68 $42.68

$29.01 €26.06

47.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.4 $82.4

$19.04 €17.11

332.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.14 $20.14

$29.86 €26.82

-32.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.61 €5.94

Cinema Ticket

$14.82 $14.82

$9.89 €8.88

49.85%

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

$826 $826

$996 €894

-17.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.41 $44.41

$72.1 €64.8

-38.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.67 $40.67

$30.47 €27.37

33.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.2 $86.2

$103 €92.3

-16.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.27 $39.27

$151 €135

-73.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 $798

$515 €463

54.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$856 $856

$370 €332

131.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 $1,578

$873 €785

80.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,666 $1,666

$716 €643

132.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,505 $1,505

$1,677 €1,506

-10.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,520 $1,520

$1,619 €1,454

-6.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,411 $2,411

$2,255 €2,026

6.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.67

75.75%

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 Saint-Etienne: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Girardeau, MO

$856 40.4%

Saint-Etienne

$370 25.8% 56.8% $486

Groceries & Markets

Cape Girardeau, MO

$515 24.3%

Saint-Etienne

$339 23.6% 34.2% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Girardeau, MO

$322 15.2%

Saint-Etienne

$212 14.8% 33.9% $109

Eating Out

Cape Girardeau, MO

$283 13.4%

Saint-Etienne

$255 17.8% 9.9% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Girardeau, MO

$95 4.5%

Saint-Etienne

$160 11.2% 69.1% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Girardeau, MO

$50 2.4%

Saint-Etienne

$50 3.5% 0.3% $0.1

Getting Around

Cape Girardeau, MO

- * 0%

Saint-Etienne

$50 * 3.5%

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 $515 in Saint-Etienne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cape Girardeau, MO pays 7% 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 $57 in Saint-Etienne. Groceries flip the comparison at $515 vs $339, with Saint-Etienne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cape Girardeau, MO

🇫🇷 Saint-Etienne

🕒 Local time

11:56 11:56 AM

17:56 5:56 PM

6 h ahead of Cape Girardeau, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,941

172,718

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Girardeau, MO Saint-Etienne 7,430 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Girardeau, MO
Saint-Etienne

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 Saint-Etienne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint-Etienne is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. The 48% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 7% 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: $798 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $515 in Saint-Etienne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Cape Girardeau, MO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Childcare runs $826 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $996 in Saint-Etienne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 – Saint-Etienne wins on affordability, Cape Girardeau, MO on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.