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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Career-launching requires a city that pays well and has employer depth. Take it or leave it — the data is what it is. We analyzed 4 cities in Missouri. Kansas: index 94 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — , income $67,449, transport index 89. Hard to argue with that.
#1 Ranked: Kansas — cost index 94, rent $1,418/mo, income $67,449
Kansas rent up 3% over the past year
Young-professional scoring: income $67,449, population 510,704 (job market depth), transport index 89
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Career-launching requires a city that pays well and has employer depth. Take it or leave it — the data is what it is. We analyzed 4 cities in Missouri. Kansas: index 94 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — , income $67,449, transport index 89. Hard to argue with that.
Kansas comes in at #1. Rent is $1,418 — we had to double-check this one — a month. Household income is $67,449. The cost of living index is 94. Pretty standard for this type of city.
For young professionals, we weight income potential highest (20pts) — early career earnings compound over decades. Population comes next (15pts) as a proxy for job market depth: more employers means more opportunity. Transport costs (10pts) matter because most early-career workers are car-dependent. Kansas leads with $67,449 median income and 510,704 residents.
Strip away assumptions, and something unexpected emerges. Kansas rent up 3% over the past year. Rent in #1-ranked Kansas has increased from $1,379 — for better or worse — to $1,418/mo over the past 12 months — a 3% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time. If two cities have the same income, this cost gap is the tiebreaker.
Against the national baseline, though: State context matters: Missouri's 4 cities average a 91 cost index with $1,317/month median rent and $57,048 household income. Two major metros with small-city price tags. The trend data adds another dimension to this.
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.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas | 94 | $1,418 | Details |
| 2 | St Louis | 89 | $1,326 | Details |
| 3 | Independence | 90 | $1,313 | Details |
| 4 | Springfield | 90 | $1,209 | Details |
510,704 residents · Missouri
The #1 spot goes to Kansas, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,418/month — saving renters $5,724 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 85, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 97. A 25% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
281,754 residents · Missouri
St Louis earns its position at #2 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 89 cost index sits 23 points below the national baseline, and the $55,279 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $179,917 — $287,453 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 74, while Healthcare trails at 92.
120,922 residents · Missouri
Independence earns its position at #3 through a combination that's hard to replicate. That tracks. The 90 cost index sits 22 points below the national baseline, and the $59,480 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $203,383 — $263,987 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 76, while Healthcare trails at 93.
170,188 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. Income: $45,984/year. Home price: $238,992. Population: 170,188. 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. This is quietly one of the better values out there.
Kansas ranks #1 in Missouri for this analysis with a cost index of 94 and median income of $67,449.
Kansas scores highest for young professionals due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,418/mo, and competitive median income of $67,449.
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.
Kansas (ranked #1) has a cost index of 94 and rent of $1,418/mo, while Springfield (ranked #4) has a cost index of 90 and rent of $1,209/mo — a 4-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 Kansas is $1,418/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $477 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Kansas is $245,199, which is 3.6× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. 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.