Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The numbers are clear: 4 of 4 cities in Missouri beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Kansas stands out at 94 on the index, with rent of $1,418/month and household income of $67,449. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
| Rank | City | Value Ratio | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas | 718 | 94 | $1,418 | Details |
| 2 | Independence | 661 | 90 | $1,313 | Details |
| 3 | St Louis | 621 | 89 | $1,326 | Details |
| 4 | Springfield | 511 | 90 | $1,209 | Details |
#1 Ranked: Kansas — cost index 94, rent $1,418/mo, income $67,449
4 of 4 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
The numbers are clear: 4 of 4 cities in Missouri beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Kansas stands out at 94 on the index, with rent of $1,418/month and household income of $67,449. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
Dive into Kansas's numbers: cost index 94 (18 points below national average), rent $1,418/month, income $67,449, and a home price of $245,199. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 85, while Healthcare runs 97. With 152,933 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
Value = income ÷ cost index. The national benchmark ratio is 718. Kansas delivers 718 — 0% more purchasing power per dollar earned. This metric catches cities that expensive-but-high-paying rankings miss: a $90K salary in a city with index 80 buys more than $120K in a city with index 150.
Digging deeper, The 4 cities we track in Missouri paint a clearly affordable picture. Average cost index: 91. Median rent: $1,317/month. Household income: $57,048. Missouri is known for two major metros with small-city price tags — and the data backs that reputation convincingly.
Here's how we'd use this ranking: start with the top 5, click into each city's detail page, and look at the 12-month rent trend. A city that's #3 but trending down beats a city that's #1 but climbing fast. Kansas leads today — the trend data below tells you whether it'll lead tomorrow.
152,933 residents · Missouri
A closer look at Kansas: the cost index of 94 breaks down to a Housing index of 85 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 97 (weakest). And more often than not, median rent is $1,418/month — 25% below the national median — while household income sits at $67,449, meaning locals spend about 25% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room.
120,922 residents · Missouri
At $1,313/month for rent and a cost index of 90, Independence is pretty much what you'd expect from a mid-size city in this part of the country. Income is $59,480. That tracks (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
281,754 residents · Missouri
Why St Louis ranks #3: the numbers tell a clear story. At 89 on the cost index, residents save roughly 23% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,326/month while the median household pulls in $55,279/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 74, though Healthcare (92) lags behind. Home prices average $179,917 — $287,453 below the national median.
112,544 residents · Missouri
Why Springfield ranks #4: the numbers tell a clear story. And most of the time, at 90 on the cost index, residents save roughly 22% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,209/month while the median household pulls in $45,984/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 76, though Healthcare (93) lags behind. Home prices average $238,992 — $228,378 below the national median.
Kansas ranks #1 in Missouri for this analysis with a cost index of 94 and 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.