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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Living alone means bearing 100% of every bill. We ranked 4 cities in Missouri for singles, weighting rent, overall costs, and city size. Springfield leads: rent $1,209/mo, index 90, population 112,544 (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
112,544 residents · Missouri
At $1,209/month for rent and a cost index of 90, Springfield is pretty much what you'd expect from a mid-size city in this part of the country. Income is $45,984. It's fine. Not great, not bad.
281,754 residents · Missouri
The #2 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.
152,933 residents · Missouri
Here's Kansas by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 94. Rent: $1,418/month — make of that what you will — . Income: $67,449/year. Home price: $245,199. Population: 152,933. The strongest category is Housing at 85; the most expensive is Healthcare at 97. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $5,724 per year vs. the national median. That ratio is hard to beat anywhere else.
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.
#1 Ranked: Springfield — cost index 90, rent $1,209/mo, income $45,984
Springfield rent up 3% over the past year
Singles scoring: rent $1,209/mo (solo housing), cost index 90, population 112,544 — livability on one income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Springfield | 90 | $1,209 | Details |
| 2 | St Louis | 89 | $1,326 | Details |
| 3 | Kansas | 94 | $1,418 | Details |
| 4 | Independence | 90 | $1,313 | Details |
Living alone means bearing 100% of every bill. We ranked 4 cities in Missouri for singles, weighting rent, overall costs, and city size. Springfield leads: rent $1,209/mo, index 90, population 112,544 (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
Single-income living means absorbing 100% of housing costs. Our model weights rent under $1,300 (20pts), cost of living (15pts), and city population (10pts) — because a social scene matters when you're on your own. Springfield at $1,209/mo in a city of 112,544 hits the right balance. St Louis offers a larger city as a runner-up.
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. 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 level of affordability is getting rarer every year.
Springfield rent up 3% over the past year. Rent in #1-ranked Springfield has increased from $1,177 to $1,209/mo over the past 12 months — a 3% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time.
Bottom line: Springfield leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
Springfield ranks #1 in Missouri for this analysis with a cost index of 90 and median income of $45,984.
Springfield scores highest for singles due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,209/mo, and competitive median income of $45,984.
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.
Springfield (ranked #1) has a cost index of 90 and rent of $1,209/mo, while Independence (ranked #4) has a cost index of 90 and rent of $1,313/mo — a 0-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 Springfield is $1,209/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $686 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Springfield is $238,992, which is 5.2× the local median income. Most median-income households would stretch to buy at this ratio. 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.