Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Cape Girardeau, MO

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Girardeau, MO: $2,120 a month against $3,037 in Chicago, IL, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Chicago, IL
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Chicago, IL Living Index
102

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

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Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,037

/mo nomad

Cape Girardeau, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,120

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chicago, IL and in Cape Girardeau, MO

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,037 in Chicago, IL versus $2,120 in Cape Girardeau, MO.

Chicago, IL $3,037
Cape Girardeau, MO $2,120

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,518 in Chicago, IL versus $3,261 in Cape Girardeau, MO.

Chicago, IL $4,518
Cape Girardeau, MO $3,261

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,999 in Chicago, IL versus $4,401 in Cape Girardeau, MO.

Chicago, IL $5,999
Cape Girardeau, MO $4,401

Living in Chicago, IL is roughly 43% more expensive than in Cape Girardeau, MO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Chicago, IL 123% above, Cape Girardeau, MO 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.71 $20.71

$17.74 $17.74

16.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.2 $89.2

$56.5 $56.5

57.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.19 $13.19

$6.79 $6.79

94.26%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$6.11 $6.11

-7.36%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$2.62 $2.62

0.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.80 $1.80

26.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 $6.87

$3.01 $3.01

128.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.84 $8.84

$7.40 $7.40

19.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$0.98 $0.98

27.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.22 $2.22

67.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$7.34 $7.34

-26.57%

Eggs

$4.74 $4.74

$2.92 $2.92

62.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.84 $13.84

$15.15 $15.15

-8.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.40 $14.40

$18.68 $18.68

-22.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 $18.38

$24.75 $24.75

-25.74%

Apples (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$3.26 $3.26

60.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.95 $1.95

1.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$11.47 $11.47

-64.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$8.96 $8.96

-44.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.16 $2.16

23.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$6.20 $6.20

-57.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.91 $2.91

-23.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 $3.13

$2.57 $2.57

21.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 $13.82

$7.68 $7.68

79.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$12.22 $12.22

21.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.76 $1.76

44.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$7.93 $7.93

-55.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.43 $2.43

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.5 $73.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 $3.18

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.03 $25.03

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$0.86 $0.86

39.53%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$27.9K $27.9K

25.39%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$25.0K $25.0K

6.81%

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

$194 $194

$196 $196

-1.05%

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

$69.5 $69.5

$42.68 $42.68

62.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.6 $61.6

$82.4 $82.4

-25.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.90 $47.90

$20.14 $20.14

137.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.34 $27.34

Cinema Ticket

$17.81 $17.81

$14.82 $14.82

20.18%

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

$1,794 $1,794

$826 $826

117.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K $31.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 $67.0

$44.41 $44.41

50.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$40.67 $40.67

28.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$86.2 $86.2

17.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$39.27 $39.27

266.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 $2,526

$798 $798

216.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 $1,578

$856 $856

84.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,738 $4,738

$1,578 $1,578

200.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,693 $2,693

$1,666 $1,666

61.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,190 $4,190

$1,505 $1,505

178.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,768 $2,768

$1,520 $1,520

82.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,931 $4,931

$2,411 $2,411

104.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

6.45

5.58%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 25, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chicago, IL

$1.6K 52%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$856 40.4% 45.8% $722

Groceries & Markets

Chicago, IL

$447 14.7%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$515 24.3% 15.2% $68

Eating Out

Chicago, IL

$345 11.4%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$283 13.4% 17.9% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chicago, IL

$326 10.7%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$322 15.2% 1.2% $4

Clothing & Footwear

Chicago, IL

$164 5.4%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$95 4.5% 42.2% $69

Getting Around

Chicago, IL

$93 3.1%

Cape Girardeau, MO

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Chicago, IL

$84 2.8%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$50 2.4% 40.4% $34

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 $2,526 in Chicago, IL and $798 in Cape Girardeau, MO. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chicago, IL pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $89 in Chicago, IL vs $56 in Cape Girardeau, MO. Groceries flip the comparison at $447 vs $515, with Chicago, IL cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 Cape Girardeau, MO

🕒 Local time

22:42 10:42 PM

Same time as Chicago, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,746,388

37,941

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Chicago, IL Cape Girardeau, MO 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chicago, IL
Cape Girardeau, MO

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

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

Cape Girardeau, MO is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Chicago, IL is about 2 times higher, 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: $2,526 in Chicago, IL versus $798 in Cape Girardeau, MO. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Chicago, IL pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $3,037 per month in Chicago, IL versus $2,120 in Cape Girardeau, MO – Cape Girardeau, MO is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,120 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $3,037 in Chicago, IL, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Cape Girardeau, MO but tight or insufficient in Chicago, IL. 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, Chicago, IL on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.