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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 111. Springfield stands out at 71 on the index, with rent of $1,209/month and household income of $45,984. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
#1 Ranked: Springfield — cost index 71, rent $1,209/mo, income $45,984
Springfield rent up 3% over the past year
4 of 4 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
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 111. Springfield stands out at 71 on the index, with rent of $1,209/month and household income of $45,984. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
Dive into Springfield's numbers: cost index 71 (40 points below national average), rent $1,209/month, income $45,984, and a home price of $238,992. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 71, while Healthcare runs 94. With 112,544 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
Rent data is sourced from Zillow's Observed Rent Index (ZORI), which tracks the median rent across all active listings — not just new leases. This gives a more representative and stable signal than asking prices alone. Springfield: $1,209/mo — we had to double-check this one — , Independence: $1,313/mo, St Louis: $1,326/mo. The cheapest city here is $686 under the national median — that's $8,232/year in savings on rent alone.
Bottom line: Springfield leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. And depending on your situation, 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 (a figure that keeps climbing, by the way).
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Springfield | 71 | $1,209 | Details |
| 2 | Independence | 77 | $1,313 | Details |
| 3 | St Louis | 77 | $1,326 | Details |
| 4 | Kansas | 83 | $1,418 | Details |
112,544 residents · Missouri
In plain English: Here's Springfield by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). And for the typical household, cost index: 71. Rent: $1,209/month. Income: $45,984/year. Home price: $238,992. Population: 112,544. The strongest category is Housing at 71; the most expensive is Healthcare at 94. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $8,232 per year vs. the national median. From a pure purchasing-power standpoint, this is elite (a figure that keeps climbing, by the way).
120,922 residents · Missouri
Dive into Independence's numbers: cost index 77 (34 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 77, while Healthcare runs 95. With 120,922 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
281,754 residents · Missouri
The numbers for St Louis are straightforward: 77 on the cost index, $1,326/month rent, $55,279 income. Not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. Standard stuff, really. It's fine. Not great, not bad.
152,933 residents · Missouri
At $1,418/month for rent and a cost index of 83, Kansas is pretty much what you'd expect from a mid-size city in this part of the country. Income is $67,449. That alone makes it worth considering (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes). Worth a deeper look.
Springfield ranks #1 in Missouri for this analysis with a cost index of 71 and 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 71 and rent of $1,209/mo, while Kansas (ranked #4) has a cost index of 83 and rent of $1,418/mo — a 12-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.