Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scottsdale, AZ and Kansas City, MO

For one person, living is cheaper in Kansas City, MO: $2,399 a month against $2,911 in Scottsdale, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Scottsdale, AZ outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

142

Cost of Living Index in Scottsdale, AZ
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Scottsdale, AZ Living Index
117

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

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Scottsdale, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,911

/mo nomad

Kansas City, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Scottsdale, AZ and in Kansas City, MO

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

A single person spends $2,911 per month in Scottsdale, AZ vs $2,399 in Kansas City, MO, rent included.

Scottsdale, AZ $2,911
Kansas City, MO $2,399

A couple spends around $4,339 per month in Scottsdale, AZ vs $3,577 in Kansas City, MO, rent included.

Scottsdale, AZ $4,339
Kansas City, MO $3,577

A family of three spends $5,767 per month in Scottsdale, AZ vs $4,755 in Kansas City, MO, rent included.

Scottsdale, AZ $5,767
Kansas City, MO $4,755

Scottsdale, AZ costs about 21% more than Kansas City, MO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Scottsdale, AZ and Kansas City, MO sit above the global median – Scottsdale, AZ by 116%, Kansas City, MO by 78%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.63 $19.63

$24.91 $24.91

-21.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.9 $85.9

$79.3 $79.3

8.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.83 $12.83

$12.37 $12.37

3.72%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$5.93 $5.93

-10.29%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$3.14 $3.14

-6.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.56 $2.56

-7.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 $6.10

$6.95 $6.95

-12.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 $7.88

$7.72 $7.72

2.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.16 $1.16

-12.93%

White Bread (500g)

$4.06 $4.06

$3.44 $3.44

18.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$5.24 $5.24

-5.15%

Eggs

$4.49 $4.49

$4.31 $4.31

4.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.68 $13.68

$14.05 $14.05

-2.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.21 $11.21

$9.65 $9.65

16.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 $17.13

$13.72 $13.72

24.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$4.55 $4.55

-3.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.59 $1.59

17.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$4.32 $4.32

-12.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$5.56 $5.56

-25.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$3.23 $3.23

-12.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.30 $3.30

-14.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 $2.12

$2.38 $2.38

-10.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.18 $2.18

20.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.65 $10.65

$7.99 $7.99

33.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 $13.49

$15.44 $15.44

-12.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.94 $1.94

28.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.91 $3.91

-14.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 $2.26

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.51 $42.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.55 $2.55

8.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.21 $1.21

10.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.81 $35.81

$59.5 $59.5

-39.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$0.99 $0.99

20.20%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$35.5K $35.5K

3.31%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$24.8K $24.8K

2.51%

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

$200 $200

$204 $204

-1.67%

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

$63.7 $63.7

$64.6 $64.6

-1.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.2 $75.2

$70.8 $70.8

6.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.23 $34.23

$45.47 $45.47

-24.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.04 $10.04

$31.41 $31.41

-68.04%

Cinema Ticket

$13.71 $13.71

$14.87 $14.87

-7.80%

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

$1,238 $1,238

$1,188 $1,188

4.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K $20.2K

$21.5K $21.5K

-6.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 $54.9

$61.4 $61.4

-10.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.13 $43.13

$43.70 $43.70

-1.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 $99.2

$107 $107

-7.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$144 $144

-7.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,387 $2,387

$1,399 $1,399

70.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 $1,567

$1,042 $1,042

50.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,230 $3,230

$2,739 $2,739

17.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,760 $2,760

$1,731 $1,731

59.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,759 $3,759

$2,626 $2,626

43.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,744 $4,744

$1,931 $1,931

145.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,671 $5,671

$3,893 $3,893

45.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

6.56

0.91%

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

Last update for Scottsdale, AZ: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kansas City, MO: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scottsdale, AZ

$1.6K 53.8%

Kansas City, MO

$1K 43.5% 33.5% $525

Groceries & Markets

Scottsdale, AZ

$406 14%

Kansas City, MO

$393 16.4% 3.2% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scottsdale, AZ

$339 11.7%

Kansas City, MO

$339 14.1% 0% $0.1

Eating Out

Scottsdale, AZ

$327 11.2%

Kansas City, MO

$381 15.9% 16.4% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Scottsdale, AZ

$149 5.1%

Kansas City, MO

$160 6.7% 7.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Scottsdale, AZ

$62 2.1%

Kansas City, MO

$75 3.1% 22% $14

Getting Around

Scottsdale, AZ

$61 2.1%

Kansas City, MO

$8.6 * 0.4% 85.9% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,387 in Scottsdale, AZ versus $1,399 in Kansas City, MO. 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 46% higher in Scottsdale, AZ, 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 $86.0 in Scottsdale, AZ versus $79.0 in Kansas City, MO. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $406 vs $393 – making Kansas City, MO the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Scottsdale, AZ

🇺🇸 Kansas City, MO

🕒 Local time

02:35 2:35 AM

04:35 4:35 AM

2 h ahead of Scottsdale, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,361

463,202

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Scottsdale, AZ Kansas City, MO 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Scottsdale, AZ
Kansas City, 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

Scottsdale, AZ vs Kansas City, MO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,911 in Scottsdale, AZ, $2,399 in Kansas City, MO – roughly 21% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,366 per month in Scottsdale, AZ and $3,599 in Kansas City, MO. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,911 in Scottsdale, AZ and $2,399 in Kansas City, MO. That's a gap of about 21%.

Kindergarten costs $1,238 per month in Scottsdale, AZ and $1,188 in Kansas City, MO. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,911 in Scottsdale, AZ and $2,399 in Kansas City, MO. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Kansas City, MO has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,399 in Kansas City, MO to $2,911 in Scottsdale, AZ. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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