Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Joplin, MO and Rome

For one person, living costs are similar in Joplin, MO and in Rome: $2,032 and $1,998 a month, rent and utilities included.

99

Cost of Living Index in Joplin, MO
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Joplin, MO Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index

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Joplin, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,032

/mo nomad

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,998

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Joplin, MO and in Rome

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,032 in Joplin, MO versus $1,998 in Rome.

Joplin, MO $2,032
Rome $1,998

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,801 in Joplin, MO versus $3,117 in Rome.

Joplin, MO $2,801
Rome $3,117

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,571 in Joplin, MO versus $4,236 in Rome.

Joplin, MO $3,571
Rome $4,236

Living in Joplin, MO is roughly 2% more expensive than in Rome, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Joplin, MO 50% above, Rome 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.74 $14.74

$16.69 €14.84

-11.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.6 $59.6

$65.8 €58.5

-9.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 $10.69

$11.08 €9.85

-3.52%

Cappuccino

$4.59 $4.59

$2.10 €1.87

118.57%

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

$1.96 $1.96

$2.91 €2.59

-32.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.48 €1.32

29.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 $4.87

$5.62 €5.00

-13.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 $6.14

$6.68 €5.94

-8.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.72 €1.53

-47.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.27 €2.02

22.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.99 €2.66

-27.76%

Eggs

$3.30 $3.30

$4.75 €4.23

-30.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.99 $8.99

$14.53 €12.92

-38.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.02 $7.02

$12.63 €11.24

-44.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.27 $17.27

$19.86 €17.67

-13.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.64 €2.35

48.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$2.28 €2.03

-47.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.46 €2.19

1.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 $2.12

$2.42 €2.15

-12.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.38 €1.22

-10.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.55 €1.38

49.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.32 €1.17

43.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$0.55 €0.49

294.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.64 $9.64

$7.31 €6.50

31.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.13 $15.13

$5.44 €4.84

178.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.58 €1.40

12.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 $1.48

$2.62 €2.33

-43.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.63 €1.45

26.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.26 €34.92

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$6.51 €5.79

-62.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.68 €1.50

-5.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.74 $40.74

$33.24 €29.57

22.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$2.17 €1.93

-64.06%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$35.3K €31.4K

5.82%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$35.4K €31.5K

-31.23%

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

$278 $278

$203 €181

37.12%

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

$42.98 $42.98

$11.50 €10.22

273.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.2 $69.2

$32.03 €28.49

115.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.72 $14.72

$65.9 €58.6

-77.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.89 €20.36

Cinema Ticket

$13.47 $13.47

$11.23 €9.99

19.95%

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

$932 $932

$484 €430

92.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K $16.0K

$16.5K €14.7K

-3.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.69 $40.69

$71.0 €63.1

-42.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.86 $31.86

$36.51 €32.47

-12.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.4 $99.4

$84.9 €75.5

17.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.0 $70.0

$122 €108

-42.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,265 $1,265

$1,222 €1,087

3.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$911 $911

$881 €784

3.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 $1,694

$2,537 €2,257

-33.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,265 $1,265

$1,721 €1,530

-26.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,441 $1,441

$8,274 €7,360

-82.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,460 $1,460

$3,084 €2,743

-52.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,370 $3,370

$1,942 €1,728

73.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

3.52

84.38%

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

Last update for Joplin, MO: October 12, 2026

Last update for Rome: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Joplin, MO

$911 44.8%

Rome

$881 44.1% 3.2% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Joplin, MO

$390 19.2%

Rome

$246 12.3% 36.9% $144

Groceries & Markets

Joplin, MO

$304 15%

Rome

$329 16.5% 8.3% $25

Eating Out

Joplin, MO

$257 12.7%

Rome

$251 12.6% 2.5% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Joplin, MO

$109 5.4%

Rome

$141 7.1% 29.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Joplin, MO

$42 2.1%

Rome

$88 4.4% 112% $47

Getting Around

Joplin, MO

$19 * 0.9%

Rome

$61 3% 226% $42

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 $1,265 in Joplin, MO and $1,222 in Rome. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Joplin, MO pays 74% 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: $60.0 in Joplin, MO vs $66.0 in Rome for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $329 per month, with Joplin, MO cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Joplin, MO

🇮🇹 Rome

🕒 Local time

10:47 10:47 AM

17:47 5:47 PM

7 h ahead of Joplin, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,762

2,848,084 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Joplin, MO Rome 8,540 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Joplin, MO
Rome

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

Joplin, MO vs Rome: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rome is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 74% higher in Joplin, 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: $1,265 in Joplin, MO versus $1,222 in Rome. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Joplin, MO pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,032 per month in Joplin, MO versus $1,998 in Rome – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,998 in Rome versus $2,032 in Joplin, MO, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rome but tight or insufficient in Joplin, MO. The gap between the two cities makes Rome the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rome is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Joplin, MO, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Joplin, MO and Rome are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rome gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Joplin, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.