Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Louis, MO and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Louis, MO: $2,552 a month against $4,938 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $28,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in St. Louis, MO
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St. Louis, 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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St. Louis, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,552

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,552 per month in St. Louis, MO vs $4,938 in New York, NY, rent included.

St. Louis, MO $2,552
New York, NY $4,938

A couple spends around $3,739 per month in St. Louis, MO vs $7,273 in New York, NY, rent included.

St. Louis, MO $3,739
New York, NY $7,273

A family of three spends $4,926 per month in St. Louis, MO vs $9,608 in New York, NY, rent included.

St. Louis, MO $4,926
New York, NY $9,608

St. Louis, MO is about 48% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both St. Louis, MO and New York, NY sit above the global median – St. Louis, MO by 88%, New York, NY by 264%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.92 $18.92

$24.99 $24.99

-24.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.9 $75.9

$120 $120

-36.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 $11.06

$13.74 $13.74

-19.51%

Cappuccino

$5.16 $5.16

$6.60 $6.60

-21.82%

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

$2.49 $2.49

$3.82 $3.82

-34.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.87 $2.87

-29.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 $5.91

$7.95 $7.95

-25.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.18 $7.18

$10.06 $10.06

-28.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.37 $1.37

-23.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.44 $3.44

$4.75 $4.75

-27.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$7.69 $7.69

-43.04%

Eggs

$4.19 $4.19

$5.87 $5.87

-28.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.37 $12.37

$19.25 $19.25

-35.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.26 $11.26

$17.83 $17.83

-36.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.45 $15.45

$19.03 $19.03

-18.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$6.69 $6.69

-25.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$2.29 $2.29

-28.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$6.41 $6.41

-35.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$6.75 $6.75

-28.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$3.93 $3.93

-26.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$4.52 $4.52

-36.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.79 $2.79

-25.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$2.51 $2.51

-15.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.55 $9.55

$18.10 $18.10

-47.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.07 $14.07

$20.16 $20.16

-30.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$3.26 $3.26

-46.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 $3.28

$3.75 $3.75

-12.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.92 $2.92

-32.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$143 $143

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$3.06 $3.06

16.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$2.16 $2.16

-24.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.91 $28.91

$41.33 $41.33

-30.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.12 $1.12

-23.21%

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

$29.9K $29.9K

$33.1K $33.1K

-9.78%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$25.7K $25.7K

-0.36%

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

$185 $185

$219 $219

-15.66%

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

$51.9 $51.9

$75.3 $75.3

-31.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.8 $67.8

$70.5 $70.5

-3.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.19 $42.19

$116 $116

-63.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

Cinema Ticket

$13.41 $13.41

$21.37 $21.37

-37.25%

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

$1,311 $1,311

$3,432 $3,432

-61.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K $23.1K

$61.7K $61.7K

-62.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 $50.3

$74.9 $74.9

-32.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.37 $40.37

$52.1 $52.1

-22.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.3 $86.3

$117 $117

-26.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$135 $135

-17.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 $1,620

$4,347 $4,347

-62.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,335 $1,335

$3,117 $3,117

-57.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,663 $2,663

$9,110 $9,110

-70.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,213 $2,213

$5,379 $5,379

-58.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 $2,773

$19.3K $19.3K

-85.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,463 $2,463

$6,943 $6,943

-64.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,238 $5,238

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

6.85

-4.96%

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

Last update for St. Louis, MO: October 18, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Louis, MO

$1.3K 52.3%

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.1% 134% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

St. Louis, MO

$386 15.1%

New York, NY

$552 11.2% 43.2% $167

Eating Out

St. Louis, MO

$308 12.1%

New York, NY

$407 8.2% 32% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Louis, MO

$305 11.9%

New York, NY

$365 7.4% 19.8% $60

Clothing & Footwear

St. Louis, MO

$130 5.1%

New York, NY

$170 3.5% 31% $40

Sport & Entertainment

St. Louis, MO

$69 2.7%

New York, NY

$158 3.2% 129% $89

Getting Around

St. Louis, MO

$20 * 0.8%

New York, NY

$168 3.4% 760% $149

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,620 in St. Louis, MO versus $4,347 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in St. Louis, MO versus $120 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $386 vs $552 – making St. Louis, MO the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 St. Louis, MO

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

18:22 6:22 PM

1 h ahead of St. Louis, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

301,578

8,804,190

💱 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

St. Louis, MO New York, NY 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

St. Louis, 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

St. Louis, MO vs New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 93% more than St. Louis, MO, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,828 per month in St. Louis, MO and $7,407 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 St. Louis, 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 $2,552 in St. Louis, MO and $4,938 in New York, NY. That's a gap of about 93%.

Kindergarten costs $1,311 per month in St. Louis, MO and $3,432 in New York, NY. 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 $2,552 in St. Louis, MO and $4,938 in New York, NY. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. St. Louis, MO costs $2,552 versus $4,938 in New York, NY. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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