Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Cape Girardeau, MO

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Girardeau, MO: $2,120 a month against $4,941 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $33,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
102

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

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,941

/mo nomad

Cape Girardeau, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,120

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,941 in New York, NY versus $2,120 in Cape Girardeau, MO.

New York, NY $4,941
Cape Girardeau, MO $2,120

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,225 in New York, NY versus $3,261 in Cape Girardeau, MO.

New York, NY $7,225
Cape Girardeau, MO $3,261

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,509 in New York, NY versus $4,401 in Cape Girardeau, MO.

New York, NY $9,509
Cape Girardeau, MO $4,401

Living in New York, NY is roughly 133% more expensive than in Cape Girardeau, MO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New York, NY 263% above, Cape Girardeau, MO 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.55 $28.55

$17.74 $17.74

60.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$56.5 $56.5

109.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.04 $15.04

$6.79 $6.79

121.50%

Cappuccino

$6.53 $6.53

$6.11 $6.11

6.87%

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

$3.96 $3.96

$2.62 $2.62

51.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.80 $1.80

67.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 $8.16

$3.01 $3.01

171.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.84 $9.84

$7.40 $7.40

32.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$0.98 $0.98

39.80%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.22 $2.22

123.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$7.34 $7.34

6.40%

Eggs

$5.97 $5.97

$2.92 $2.92

104.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$15.15 $15.15

24.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.04 $18.04

$18.68 $18.68

-3.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.05 $19.05

$24.75 $24.75

-23.03%

Apples (1kg)

$6.76 $6.76

$3.26 $3.26

107.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.95 $1.95

16.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.83 $6.83

$11.47 $11.47

-40.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$8.96 $8.96

-20.87%

Potato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.16 $2.16

95.37%

Onion (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$6.20 $6.20

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.91 $2.91

-1.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$2.57 $2.57

1.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.77 $18.77

$7.68 $7.68

144.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.13 $20.13

$12.22 $12.22

64.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.76 $1.76

96.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 $4.02

$7.93 $7.93

-49.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 $2.91

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 $2.12

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.96 $41.96

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$0.86 $0.86

36.05%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$27.9K $27.9K

23.38%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$25.0K $25.0K

3.52%

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

$219 $219

$196 $196

11.67%

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

$74.2 $74.2

$42.68 $42.68

73.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$82.4 $82.4

-14.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 $112

$20.14 $20.14

455.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$74.9 $74.9

Cinema Ticket

$22.14 $22.14

$14.82 $14.82

49.39%

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

$3,558 $3,558

$826 $826

330.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$62.2K $62.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.6 $75.6

$44.41 $44.41

70.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 $51.2

$40.67 $40.67

25.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 $123

$86.2 $86.2

42.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$39.27 $39.27

255.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,499 $4,499

$798 $798

463.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,078 $3,078

$856 $856

259.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,447 $9,447

$1,578 $1,578

498.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,190 $5,190

$1,666 $1,666

211.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.1K $18.1K

$1,505 $1,505

1103.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,693 $6,693

$1,520 $1,520

340.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,220 $5,220

$2,411 $2,411

116.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

6.45

6.36%

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 26, 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

New York, NY

$3.1K 62.3%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$856 40.4% 72.2% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$563 11.4%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$515 24.3% 8.5% $48

Eating Out

New York, NY

$440 8.9%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$283 13.4% 35.7% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.4%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$322 15.2% 11.6% $42

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$175 3.6%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$95 4.5% 46% $81

Getting Around

New York, NY

$164 3.3%

Cape Girardeau, MO

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$156 3.2%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$50 2.4% 68.1% $106

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 $4,499 in New York, NY and $798 in Cape Girardeau, MO. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays about 2.2 times 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: $118 in New York, NY vs $56 in Cape Girardeau, MO for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $563 vs $515 per month, with Cape Girardeau, MO cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇸 Cape Girardeau, MO

🕒 Local time

03:34 3:34 AM

02:34 2:34 AM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

37,941

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Cape Girardeau, MO 1,370 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
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

New York, NY vs Cape Girardeau, MO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Girardeau, MO is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in New York, NY is about 2.2 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: $4,499 in New York, NY versus $798 in Cape Girardeau, MO. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $4,941 per month in New York, NY versus $2,120 in Cape Girardeau, MO – Cape Girardeau, MO is about 57% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,120 in Cape Girardeau, MO versus $4,941 in New York, NY, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Cape Girardeau, MO but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. 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, New York, NY on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.