Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Girardeau, MO and Seattle, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Girardeau, MO: $2,120 a month against $3,785 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 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
184

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index

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Cape Girardeau, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,120

/mo nomad

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,785

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Girardeau, MO and in Seattle, WA

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 Seattle, WA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,120 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $3,785 in Seattle, WA.

Cape Girardeau, MO $2,120
Seattle, WA $3,785

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,261 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $5,688 in Seattle, WA.

Cape Girardeau, MO $3,261
Seattle, WA $5,688

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,401 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $7,592 in Seattle, WA.

Cape Girardeau, MO $4,401
Seattle, WA $7,592

Living in Cape Girardeau, MO costs roughly 44% less than in Seattle, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cape Girardeau, MO 56% above, Seattle, WA 178% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.74 $17.74

$25.30 $25.30

-29.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.5 $56.5

$101 $101

-44.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.79 $6.79

$14.76 $14.76

-54.00%

Cappuccino

$6.11 $6.11

$6.50 $6.50

-6.00%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$3.21 $3.21

-18.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$3.14 $3.14

-42.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 $3.01

$7.97 $7.97

-62.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 $7.40

$8.13 $8.13

-8.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.17 $1.17

-16.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 $2.22

$5.30 $5.30

-58.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.34 $7.34

$6.40 $6.40

14.69%

Eggs

$2.92 $2.92

$5.06 $5.06

-42.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.15 $15.15

$18.71 $18.71

-19.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.68 $18.68

$18.72 $18.72

-0.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.75 $24.75

$22.88 $22.88

8.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$6.06 $6.06

-46.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

Oranges (1kg)

$11.47 $11.47

$5.51 $5.51

108.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.96 $8.96

$6.52 $6.52

37.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$3.49 $3.49

-38.11%

Onion (1kg)

$6.20 $6.20

$3.29 $3.29

88.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.80 $2.80

3.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.58 $2.58

-0.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.68 $7.68

$12.49 $12.49

-38.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.22 $12.22

$14.87 $14.87

-17.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$4.19 $4.19

-58.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 $7.93

$5.80 $5.80

36.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 $2.58

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.12 $30.12

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.41 $1.41

-39.01%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$36.8K $36.8K

-24.06%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$26.6K $26.6K

-6.08%

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

$196 $196

$308 $308

-36.13%

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

$42.68 $42.68

$69.2 $69.2

-38.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.4 $82.4

$86.1 $86.1

-4.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.14 $20.14

$76.5 $76.5

-73.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.50 $35.50

Cinema Ticket

$14.82 $14.82

$18.02 $18.02

-17.76%

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

$826 $826

$2,746 $2,746

-69.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.6K $30.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.41 $44.41

$79.2 $79.2

-43.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.67 $40.67

$54.3 $54.3

-25.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.2 $86.2

$127 $127

-32.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.27 $39.27

$159 $159

-75.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 $798

$2,508 $2,508

-68.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$856 $856

$1,938 $1,938

-55.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 $1,578

$5,117 $5,117

-69.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,666 $1,666

$3,542 $3,542

-52.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,505 $1,505

$7,374 $7,374

-79.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,520 $1,520

$5,002 $5,002

-69.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,411 $2,411

$6,470 $6,470

-62.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.89

-6.39%

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 Seattle, WA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Girardeau, MO

$856 40.4%

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.2% 127% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Cape Girardeau, MO

$515 24.3%

Seattle, WA

$547 14.5% 6.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Girardeau, MO

$322 15.2%

Seattle, WA

$463 12.2% 44% $141

Eating Out

Cape Girardeau, MO

$283 13.4%

Seattle, WA

$406 10.7% 43.5% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Girardeau, MO

$95 4.5%

Seattle, WA

$189 5% 99.1% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Girardeau, MO

$50 2.4%

Seattle, WA

$112 3% 126% $63

Getting Around

Cape Girardeau, MO

- * 0%

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4%

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 $2,508 in Seattle, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $56 in Cape Girardeau, MO vs $101 in Seattle, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $515 vs $547 per month, with Cape Girardeau, MO cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cape Girardeau, MO

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🕒 Local time

13:06 1:06 PM

11:06 11:06 AM

2 h behind Cape Girardeau, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,941

737,015

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Cape Girardeau, MO Seattle, WA 2,900 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

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Cape Girardeau, MO
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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 Seattle, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Girardeau, MO is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 63% 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 $2,508 in Seattle, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Seattle, WA. 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 $3,785 in Seattle, WA – a 79% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,120 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $3,785 in Seattle, WA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Cape Girardeau, MO but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. 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, Seattle, WA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.