Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kansas City, MO and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Kansas City, MO: $2,442 a month against $4,941 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $30,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Kansas City, MO
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Kansas City, 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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Kansas City, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,442

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,941

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kansas City, 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 Kansas City, MO and in New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,442 per month in Kansas City, MO vs $4,941 in New York, NY, rent included.

Kansas City, MO $2,442
New York, NY $4,941

A couple spends around $3,599 per month in Kansas City, MO vs $7,225 in New York, NY, rent included.

Kansas City, MO $3,599
New York, NY $7,225

A family of three spends $4,756 per month in Kansas City, MO vs $9,509 in New York, NY, rent included.

Kansas City, MO $4,756
New York, NY $9,509

Kansas City, MO is about 51% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kansas City, MO and New York, NY sit above the global median – Kansas City, MO by 79%, New York, NY by 263%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.16 $25.16

$28.55 $28.55

-11.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 $80.5

$118 $118

-32.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.48 $12.48

$15.04 $15.04

-17.02%

Cappuccino

$5.98 $5.98

$6.53 $6.53

-8.42%

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

$3.19 $3.19

$3.96 $3.96

-19.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$3.01 $3.01

-18.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.96 $6.96

$8.16 $8.16

-14.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.61 $7.61

$9.84 $9.84

-22.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.37 $1.37

-15.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.37 $3.37

$4.97 $4.97

-32.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.16 $5.16

$7.81 $7.81

-33.93%

Eggs

$4.21 $4.21

$5.97 $5.97

-29.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.38 $14.38

$18.91 $18.91

-23.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.82 $9.82

$18.04 $18.04

-45.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 $13.71

$19.05 $19.05

-28.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$6.76 $6.76

-33.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$2.27 $2.27

-28.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$6.83 $6.83

-35.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$7.09 $7.09

-22.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$4.22 $4.22

-23.93%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$4.65 $4.65

-28.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 $2.28

$2.87 $2.87

-20.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.60 $2.60

-19.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.93 $7.93

$18.77 $18.77

-57.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.03 $15.03

$20.13 $20.13

-25.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$3.45 $3.45

-44.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 $3.95

$4.02 $4.02

-1.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 $2.91

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 $2.48

$3.08 $3.08

-19.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.12 $2.12

-42.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.7 $59.7

$41.96 $41.96

42.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.17 $1.17

-15.38%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$34.5K $34.5K

-0.32%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$25.9K $25.9K

1.24%

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

$199 $199

$219 $219

-9.51%

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

$66.6 $66.6

$74.2 $74.2

-10.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$70.2 $70.2

3.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.00 $44.00

$112 $112

-60.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.05 $32.05

$74.9 $74.9

-57.19%

Cinema Ticket

$15.17 $15.17

$22.14 $22.14

-31.48%

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

$1,136 $1,136

$3,558 $3,558

-68.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K $21.0K

$62.2K $62.2K

-66.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 $61.7

$75.6 $75.6

-18.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 $43.49

$51.2 $51.2

-15.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$123 $123

-16.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 $147

$140 $140

5.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,250 $1,250

$4,499 $4,499

-72.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,087 $1,087

$3,078 $3,078

-64.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,468 $2,468

$9,447 $9,447

-73.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,724 $1,724

$5,190 $5,190

-66.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,584 $2,584

$18.1K $18.1K

-85.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,837 $1,837

$6,693 $6,693

-72.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,939 $3,939

$5,220 $5,220

-24.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

6.86

-4.37%

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

Last update for Kansas City, MO: October 25, 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

Kansas City, MO

$1.1K 44.5%

New York, NY

$3.1K 62.3% 183% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Kansas City, MO

$392 16.1%

New York, NY

$563 11.4% 43.7% $171

Eating Out

Kansas City, MO

$383 15.7%

New York, NY

$440 8.9% 14.9% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kansas City, MO

$338 13.8%

New York, NY

$364 7.4% 7.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Kansas City, MO

$160 6.6%

New York, NY

$175 3.6% 9.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Kansas City, MO

$74 3%

New York, NY

$156 3.2% 110% $82

Getting Around

Kansas City, MO

$8.5 * 0.4%

New York, NY

$164 3.3% 1826% $156

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,250 in Kansas City, MO versus $4,499 in New York, NY. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 33% higher in New York, NY, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Kansas City, MO versus $118 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $563 – making Kansas City, MO the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kansas City, MO

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

20:46 8:46 PM

1 h ahead of Kansas City, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

463,202

8,804,190

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kansas City, MO New York, NY 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kansas City, 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

Kansas City, MO vs New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,442 in Kansas City, MO, $4,941 in New York, NY – Kansas City, MO comes out roughly 51% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,664 per month in Kansas City, MO and $7,412 in New York, NY. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kansas City, MO, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,250 there versus $4,499 in New York, NY.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,442 in Kansas City, MO and $4,941 in New York, NY. That makes Kansas City, MO about 51% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,136 per month in Kansas City, MO and $3,558 in New York, NY. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Kansas City, MO, where all-in costs run around $2,442, than in New York, NY at $4,941. In Kansas City, MO it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. New York, NY has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,442 in Kansas City, MO to $4,941 in New York, NY. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Kansas City, MO. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, New York, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.