Overall
86.1
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL
Cost-of-living indicators for Cape Girardeau, MO-IL, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 86.1
- Overall RPP
- #364
- of 387 metros
- 56.4
- Rents RPP
- $116K
- $100K national buys
Cape Girardeau ranks #364 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has risen 4.8 points since 2008.
- rising since 2008
- similar cost to Paducah
The verdict
Cape Girardeau costs less than 94% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 86.1, 13.9% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 56.4.
- bottom 6%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 94.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 85.6
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $116,174 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $86,078.
Cape Girardeau vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
86 Bottom 6% higher than 6% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Cape Girardeau cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
56.4 RPP
- Services
Services
85.6 RPP
- Overall
Overall
86.1 RPP
- Goods
Goods
94.2 RPP
What this shows Cape Girardeau's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 56.4 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 85.6. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Cape Girardeau's cost comes from
Metros near Cape Girardeau's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Cape Girardeau (Cape Girardeau, this metro): goods RPP 94.2, rents RPP 56.4
- Paducah: goods RPP 96, rents RPP 48.8
- Brownsville: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 57.7
- Anniston: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 54.7
- Lawton: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 57.4
- Johnstown: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 42.3
- McAllen: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 55.9
Price Index Summary
Goods
94.2
Below avg
Services
85.6
Cheap
Rents
56.4
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Cape Girardeau's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Cape Girardeau: rents index at 56.4, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 86.1.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Muncie, IN, Joplin, MO-KS, Brunswick-St. Simons, GA. They resemble Cape Girardeau across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Cape Girardeau's overall index has risen by 4.8 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$86,078
in Cape Girardeau, MO-IL purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$43,039
$75,000 nationally
$64,559
$125,000 nationally
$107,598
$150,000 nationally
$129,117
$200,000 nationally
$172,156
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
A
90/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability A
90th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Cape Girardeau's overall RPP did not change 0.0 points, from 86.1 in 2023 to 86.1 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 52.2 to 56.4. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending upward, increasing by 4.8 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2010, when the index jumped 4.8 points from the year before.
Cape Girardeau overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 81.3 |
| 2009 | 83.0 |
| 2010 | 87.8 |
| 2011 | 87.0 |
| 2012 | 88.5 |
| 2013 | 89.4 |
| 2014 | 88.1 |
| 2015 | 86.3 |
| 2016 | 86.1 |
| 2017 | 85.2 |
| 2018 | 87.8 |
| 2019 | 90.0 |
| 2020 | 88.9 |
| 2021 | 88.5 |
| 2022 | 86.2 |
| 2023 | 86.1 |
| 2024 | 86.1 |
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Cape Girardeau's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Muncie, IN
Goods 94.3 · Services 86.4 · Rents 57.5 Joplin, MO-KS
Goods 94.2 · Services 85.9 · Rents 54.0 Brunswick-St. Simons, GA
Goods 96.3 · Services 87.3 · Rents 56.3 Decatur, AL
Goods 96.4 · Services 84.7 · Rents 58.1 St. Joseph, MO-KS
Goods 94.2 · Services 88.3 · Rents 55.4 Kokomo, IN
Goods 94.3 · Services 86.3 · Rents 59.3
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Cape Girardeau, MO-IL's index of 86.1.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
MO-relative analysis
Goods prices places Cape Girardeau, MO-IL toward the top of MO's metros
Among the 8 MO metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Cape Girardeau, MO-IL ranks #2 - the 75th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Cape Girardeau, MO-IL only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#2 of 8
75th percentile in MO
Services prices
#6 of 8
25th percentile in MO
Rent prices
#6 of 8
25th percentile in MO
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within MO only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Cape Girardeau, MO-IL: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (86.1 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (56.4 here).
Other MO Metros
St. Louis, MO-IL 95.1 Kansas City, MO-KS 92.5 Columbia, MO 89.4 Springfield, MO 88.6 Jefferson City, MO 88.0 St. Joseph, MO-KS 86.4
View all MO metros → Cheapest in MO → Most expensive in MO →
Compare to Other Metros
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
What this means for Cape Girardeau
How to read Cape Girardeau's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $116,174 in Cape Girardeau. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 56.4, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Cape Girardeau head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Cape Girardeau, MO-IL?
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 86.1, meaning it is 13.9% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 94.2, services at 85.6, and rents at 56.4. It ranks #364 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Cape Girardeau, MO-IL to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $86,078 in Cape Girardeau, MO-IL. Conversely, $100K earned in Cape Girardeau, MO-IL has the purchasing power of $116,174 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Cape Girardeau, MO-IL?
Rents in Cape Girardeau, MO-IL are indexed at 56.4, which is 43.6% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Cape Girardeau, MO-IL getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Cape Girardeau, MO-IL's overall cost index changed by +4.8 points (from 81.3 to 86.1). The cost of living has been trending upward.
What costs the most in Cape Girardeau, MO-IL?
The priciest category in Cape Girardeau, MO-IL is goods at 94.2, 5.8% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 56.4, 43.6% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Cape Girardeau, MO-IL?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Paducah, Brownsville-Harlingen, Anniston-Oxford. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Cape Girardeau, MO-IL's 86.1.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.