Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Dollar for dollar, few states match Missouri's value. Not the most exciting stat, but it matters. 4 out of 4 cities undercut the national cost index of 112. Leading the pack: St Louis at index 89, where median rent of $1,326/month saves renters $6,828/year versus the national median.
Dollar for dollar, few states match Missouri's value. Not the most exciting stat, but it matters. 4 out of 4 cities undercut the national cost index of 112. Leading the pack: St Louis at index 89, where median rent of $1,326/month saves renters $6,828/year versus the national median.
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. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time. Financially, that's significant.
Why St Louis ranks #1: 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 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — 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 (that's pre-tax, of course).
If the first stat impressed you, this one grounds it. And for the typical household, missouri — two major metros with small-city price tags. That's more or less in line with the region. 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.
Rankings quantify the landscape. And from what we can tell, but the decision to move is personal. Use the spotlights above to zero in on 2-3 finalists, then run your actual salary through the calculator. The question isn't just "where is it cheapest?" — it's "where does my specific income buy the life I want?" Start here. Dig deeper on the linked city pages.
#1 Ranked: St Louis — cost index 89, rent $1,326/mo, income $55,279
St Louis rent up 3% over the past year
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
281,754 residents · Missouri
Why St Louis ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. And in most cases, 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.
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. Fairly typical for a city this size.
112,544 residents · Missouri
Dive into Springfield's numbers: cost index 90 (22 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 76, while Healthcare runs 93. With 112,544 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs. The math checks out.
152,933 residents · Missouri
The #4 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 (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
| Rank | City | Utilities Index | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Louis | 82 | 89 | $1,326 | Details |
| 2 | Independence | 83 | 90 | $1,313 | Details |
| 3 | Springfield | 83 | 90 | $1,209 | Details |
| 4 | Kansas | 86 | 94 | $1,418 | Details |
Cities are ranked by their utilities cost sub-index within Missouri. Each sub-index is derived from the overall cost of living with regional adjustment factors. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
St Louis ranks #1 in Missouri for this analysis with a cost index of 89 and median income of $55,279.
St Louis, MO has the lowest utilities index at 82, compared to the national average of 100.
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 Kansas (ranked #4) has a cost index of 94 and rent of $1,418/mo — a 5-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.