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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
For retirees on a fixed income, every percentage point matters. Our retiree-weighted model scored 4 cities in Missouri and St Louis (index 89, healthcare 92, state tax 4.8%) takes the top spot.
For retirees on a fixed income, every percentage point matters. Our retiree-weighted model scored 4 cities in Missouri and St Louis (index 89, healthcare 92, state tax 4.8%) takes the top spot.
The #1 spot goes to St Louis, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,326/month — saving renters $6,828 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 74, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 92. A 29% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
Retirement affordability is about protecting fixed income. Our model weights healthcare costs at 25 points (medical bills are the #1 financial risk in retirement), cost index at 25 points, and state tax burden at 15 points (taxes directly reduce pension and Social Security income). St Louis leads with low healthcare costs, a 4.8% state tax rate, and a cost index of 89. Kansas offers competitive healthcare and cost metrics.
St Louis rent up 3% over the past year. Rent in #1-ranked St Louis has increased from $1,282 to $1,326/mo over the past 12 months — a 3% increase. Fairly typical for a city this size. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time. On a fixed income, this is the metric that matters most.
In plain English: Worth noting: Missouri — two major metros with small-city price tags. And with some exceptions, the 4 cities we track here average a cost index of 91 and median income of $57,048. It's a clear buyer's market compared to national norms. The typical rent runs $1,317/month, which is $578 less than the national median.
Real talk: If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours.
#1 Ranked: St Louis — cost index 89, rent $1,326/mo, income $55,279
St Louis rent up 3% over the past year
Retiree-weighted scoring: healthcare index 92, state tax 4.8%, cost index 89 — protecting fixed retirement income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Louis | 89 | $1,326 | Details |
| 2 | Kansas | 94 | $1,418 | Details |
| 3 | Independence | 90 | $1,313 | Details |
| 4 | Springfield | 90 | $1,209 | Details |
281,754 residents · Missouri
The #1 spot goes to St Louis, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,326/month — saving renters $6,828 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 74, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 92. A 29% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
152,933 residents · Missouri
Why Kansas ranks #2: the numbers tell a clear story. At 94 on the cost index, residents save roughly 18% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,418/month while the median household pulls in $67,449/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 85, though Healthcare (97) lags behind. Home prices average $245,199 — $222,171 below the national median.
120,922 residents · Missouri
Dive into Independence's numbers: cost index 90 (22 points below national average), rent $1,313/month, income $59,480, and a home price of $203,383. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 76, while Healthcare runs 93. With 120,922 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
112,544 residents · Missouri
Here's Springfield by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 90. Rent: $1,209/month — for better or worse — . Income: $45,984/year. Home price: $238,992. Population: 112,544. The strongest category is Housing at 76; the most expensive is Healthcare at 93. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $8,232 per year vs. the national median. That's a red flag worth investigating further.
St Louis ranks #1 in Missouri for this analysis with a cost index of 89 and median income of $55,279.
St Louis scores highest for retirees due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,326/mo, and competitive median income of $55,279.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
St Louis (ranked #1) has a cost index of 89 and rent of $1,326/mo, while Springfield (ranked #4) has a cost index of 90 and rent of $1,209/mo — a 1-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in St Louis is $1,326/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $569 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in St Louis is $179,917, which is 3.3× the local median income. That's within the standard 3.5× affordability rule for most local earners. The national median home price is $467,370.
Missouri has a 4.8% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.335%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.88%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.