Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Starkville, MS and Tartu

For one person, living is cheaper in Tartu: $1,661 a month against $1,796 in Starkville, MS, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Starkville, MS outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

87

Cost of Living Index in Starkville, MS
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Starkville, MS Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Tartu
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Tartu Living Index

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Starkville, MS

🇺🇸 United States

$1,796

/mo nomad

Tartu

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Starkville, MS and in Tartu

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

A single person spends $1,796 per month in Starkville, MS vs $1,661 in Tartu, rent included.

Starkville, MS $1,796
Tartu $1,661

A couple spends around $2,733 per month in Starkville, MS vs $2,514 in Tartu, rent included.

Starkville, MS $2,733
Tartu $2,514

A family of three spends $3,669 per month in Starkville, MS vs $3,367 in Tartu, rent included.

Starkville, MS $3,669
Tartu $3,367

Starkville, MS costs about 8% more than Tartu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Starkville, MS and Tartu sit above the global median – Starkville, MS by 33%, Tartu by 23%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.85 $14.85

$17.14 €15.24

-13.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.8 $59.8

$70.1 €62.4

-14.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 $8.46

$11.17 €9.93

-24.26%

Cappuccino

$4.27 $4.27

$4.10 €3.65

4.15%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$3.29 €2.93

-27.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$3.70 €3.29

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.97 $3.97

$6.63 €5.90

-40.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 $6.94

$7.33 €6.52

-5.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.20 €1.07

-26.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 $3.19

$1.96 €1.74

62.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.41 €2.14

11.20%

Eggs

$4.21 $4.21

$3.02 €2.68

39.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.34 $9.34

$12.92 €11.50

-27.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 $11.36

$8.74 €7.77

29.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.05 $15.05

$14.66 €13.04

2.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$2.04 €1.82

86.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.50 €1.33

-7.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.43 €2.17

41.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.95 €2.63

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.05 €0.93

107.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.86 €0.76

154.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.89 €1.68

13.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.23 €1.10

56.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.41 $8.41

$6.83 €6.08

23.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.11 $10.11

$10.19 €9.07

-0.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 $1.63

$2.06 €1.84

-20.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.43 €2.16

35.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.48

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.69 €27.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.41 $4.41

$3.62 €3.22

21.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.03 €0.92

81.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.98 $32.98

$27.05 €24.06

21.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$2.02 €1.79

-56.93%

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

$30.4K $30.4K

$27.9K €24.8K

8.90%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$30.1K €26.7K

-14.46%

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

$169 $169

$311 €276

-45.53%

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

$30.57 $30.57

$17.55 €15.61

74.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 $52.3

$35.95 €31.98

45.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.28 $17.28

$39.75 €35.36

-56.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.29 €30.50

Cinema Ticket

$8.19 $8.19

$11.79 €10.48

-30.53%

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

$1,534 $1,534

$436 €388

251.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,370 $8,370

$11.7K €10.4K

-28.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 $72.7

$112 €99.4

-34.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.2 $52.2

$49.54 €44.06

5.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.9 $86.9

$107 €95.3

-18.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$168 $168

$118 €105

43.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$942 $942

$619 €551

52.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 $748

$432 €384

73.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$1,171 €1,042

35.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 $1,349

$750 €667

79.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,125 $2,125

$3,474 €3,090

-38.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,183 $2,183

$2,597 €2,310

-15.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,273 $4,273

$1,960 €1,743

118.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

3.93

69.21%

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

Last update for Starkville, MS: October 18, 2026

Last update for Tartu: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Starkville, MS

$748 41.6%

Tartu

$432 26% 42.3% $316

Groceries & Markets

Starkville, MS

$332 18.5%

Tartu

$286 17.2% 13.7% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Starkville, MS

$252 14%

Tartu

$364 21.9% 44.4% $112

Eating Out

Starkville, MS

$246 13.7%

Tartu

$296 17.8% 20.2% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Starkville, MS

$171 9.5%

Tartu

$174 10.5% 1.5% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Starkville, MS

$34 1.9%

Tartu

$63 3.8% 88.1% $30

Getting Around

Starkville, MS

$14 * 0.8%

Tartu

$46 2.8% 235% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $942 in Starkville, MS versus $619 in Tartu. 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 118% higher in Starkville, MS, 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 $60.0 in Starkville, MS versus $70.0 in Tartu. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Starkville, MS vs $286 in Tartu – so Tartu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Starkville, MS

🇪🇪 Tartu

🕒 Local time

09:24 9:24 AM

17:24 5:24 PM

8 h ahead of Starkville, MS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,638

102,414

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Starkville, MS Tartu 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Starkville, MS
Tartu

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

Starkville, MS vs Tartu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Starkville, MS is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,695 per month in Starkville, MS and $2,491 in Tartu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tartu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Starkville, MS and $70.0 in Tartu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Starkville, MS, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Tartu, where all-in costs run around $1,661, than in Starkville, MS at $1,796. In Tartu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Starkville, MS it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tartu – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Tartu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Starkville, MS makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.