Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Louis, MO and West New York, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in West New York, NJ: $1,328 a month against $2,428 in Saint Louis, MO, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Saint Louis, MO outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Saint Louis, MO
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Saint Louis, MO Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in West New York, NJ
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West New York, NJ Living Index

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Saint Louis, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,428

/mo nomad

West New York, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$1,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saint Louis, MO and in West New York, NJ

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,428 in Saint Louis, MO versus $1,328 in West New York, NJ.

Saint Louis, MO $2,428
West New York, NJ $1,328

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,685 in Saint Louis, MO versus $2,216 in West New York, NJ.

Saint Louis, MO $3,685
West New York, NJ $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,942 in Saint Louis, MO versus $3,105 in West New York, NJ.

Saint Louis, MO $4,942
West New York, NJ $3,105

Living in Saint Louis, MO is roughly 83% more expensive than in West New York, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saint Louis, MO is 80% above, West New York, NJ is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.12 $18.12

$19.37 $19.37

-6.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 $78.6

$80.7 $80.7

-2.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.21 $12.21

$12.85 $12.85

-4.98%

Cappuccino

$5.16 $5.16

$5.14 $5.14

0.39%

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

$2.30 $2.30

$2.47 $2.47

-6.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.12 $1.12

57.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 $5.71

$5.83 $5.83

-2.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 $6.94

$7.11 $7.11

-2.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.33 $1.33

-3.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.91 $3.91

$4.61 $4.61

-15.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$6.14 $6.14

-4.23%

Eggs

$3.94 $3.94

$5.09 $5.09

-22.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$13.84 $13.84

-5.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.42 $15.42

$10.32 $10.32

49.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.08 $20.08

$19.61 $19.61

2.40%

Apples (1kg)

$8.16 $8.16

$6.08 $6.08

34.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$3.60 $3.60

-33.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$4.22 $4.22

36.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$5.20 $5.20

2.88%

Potato (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$3.11 $3.11

35.37%

Onion (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$3.11 $3.11

62.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.79 $2.79

$3.00 $3.00

-7.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$3.07 $3.07

-4.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 $7.85

$12.15 $12.15

-35.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.26 $15.26

$15.23 $15.23

0.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.85 $1.85

59.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 $3.24

$3.56 $3.56

-8.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 $2.48

$3.73 $3.73

-33.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.9 $78.9

$125 $125

-36.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.05 $3.05

12.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.14 $2.14

-28.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.69 $40.69

$41.57 $41.57

-2.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$0.86 $0.86

17.44%

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

$35.4K $35.4K

$35.5K $35.5K

-0.47%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$25.0K $25.0K

-1.62%

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

$240 $240

$85.6 $85.6

180.33%

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

$70.1 $70.1

$49.16 $49.16

42.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.0 $77.0

$50.7 $50.7

51.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.14 $32.14

$29.02 $29.02

10.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.82 $19.82

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 $13.95

$20.62 $20.62

-32.35%

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

$1,378 $1,378

$1,980 $1,980

-30.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$15.9K $15.9K

48.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.1 $60.1

$49.87 $49.87

20.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.85 $39.85

$81.3 $81.3

-50.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 $89.2

$86.4 $86.4

3.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$101 $101

16.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,495 $1,495

$2,629 $2,629

-43.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 $948

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,069 $2,069

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,696 $1,696

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,393 $1,393

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,872 $1,872

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,203 $4,203

$5,369 $5,369

-21.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

6.36

5.66%

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

Last update for Saint Louis, MO: October 13, 2026

Last update for West New York, NJ: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Louis, MO

$948 39%

West New York, NJ

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Saint Louis, MO

$494 20.3%

West New York, NJ

$462 34.8% 6.3% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Louis, MO

$387 15.9%

West New York, NJ

$185 14% 52.1% $201

Eating Out

Saint Louis, MO

$302 12.4%

West New York, NJ

$313 23.6% 3.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Louis, MO

$138 5.7%

West New York, NJ

$143 10.8% 3.7% $5.2

Getting Around

Saint Louis, MO

$100 4.1%

West New York, NJ

$153 11.5% 53.4% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Louis, MO

$60 2.5%

West New York, NJ

$70 5.3% 17% $10

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 $1,495 in Saint Louis, MO and $2,629 in West New York, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

West New York, NJ pays 28% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $79.0 in Saint Louis, MO vs $81.0 in West New York, NJ. Groceries flip the comparison at $494 vs $462, with West New York, NJ cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Louis, MO

🇺🇸 West New York, NJ

🕒 Local time

11:05 11:05 AM

12:05 12:05 PM

1 h ahead of Saint Louis, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

301,578

49,708

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Saint Louis, MO West New York, NJ 1,400 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint Louis, MO
West New York, NJ

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

Saint Louis, MO vs West New York, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

West New York, NJ is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and utilities. The 83% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in West New York, NJ. 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: $1,495 in Saint Louis, MO versus $2,629 in West New York, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,378 in Saint Louis, MO versus $1,980 in West New York, NJ. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Saint Louis, MO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. West New York, NJ is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find West New York, NJ gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Saint Louis, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.