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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Families relocating within Missouri face a complex equation: income, housing costs, healthcare, and quality schools. We ran the numbers on 4 cities. Kansas — index 83, rent $1,418/mo, healthcare index 97 — ranks #1 on our family-weighted model.
Families relocating within Missouri face a complex equation: income, housing costs, healthcare, and quality schools. We ran the numbers on 4 cities. Kansas — index 83, rent $1,418/mo, healthcare index 97 — ranks #1 on our family-weighted model.
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 83, 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.
Our family scoring model prioritizes four dimensions: household income above $60K (supporting a family-sized budget), cost index under 100 (keeping daily expenses manageable), healthcare index under 110 (critical for pediatric care and family premiums), and population above 200K (ensuring access to quality schools and youth programs). Kansas leads because it scores across all four. St Louis and Independence follow with even better healthcare costs.
Kansas rent up 3% over the past year. Rent in #1-ranked Kansas has increased from $1,379 to $1,418/mo over the past 12 months — a 3% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time.
Before celebrating, check the next metric: Across Missouri, the average cost of living index is 77 — 34 points below the national median. Known for two major metros with small-city price tags, the state offers 4 tracked cities with median rents averaging $1,317/month. That's $578 less than the national average of $1,895. That could be a concern depending on your priorities.
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. Nothing too surprising there. 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.
#1 Ranked: Kansas — cost index 83, rent $1,418/mo, income $67,449
Kansas rent up 3% over the past year
Family-weighted scoring: income $67,449, healthcare index 97, population 152,933 — balancing career, care, and schools
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
152,933 residents · Missouri
A closer look at Kansas: the cost index of 83 breaks down to a Housing index of 83 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 97 (weakest). 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.
281,754 residents · Missouri
Look, a closer look at St Louis: the cost index of 77 breaks down to a Housing index of 77 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 95 (weakest). Median rent is $1,326/month — 30% below the national median — while household income sits at $55,279, meaning locals spend about 29% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room (that's pre-tax, of course).
120,922 residents · Missouri
The #3 spot goes to Independence, and the breakdown explains why. It lines up with what you'd expect. Renters here pay $1,313/month — saving renters $6,984 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 77, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 95. A 26% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
112,544 residents · Missouri
Here's Springfield by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). 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. There's real money on the table here.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas | 83 | $1,418 | Details |
| 2 | St Louis | 77 | $1,326 | Details |
| 3 | Independence | 77 | $1,313 | Details |
| 4 | Springfield | 71 | $1,209 | Details |
Our persona scoring model weights cost, income, rent, healthcare, taxes, and city size based on what matters most to families. Each factor scores 10-25 points out of a 100-point composite. The guide ranks every tracked city in Missouri by this personalized metric. 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.
Kansas ranks #1 in Missouri for this analysis with a cost index of 83 and median income of $67,449.
Kansas scores highest for families 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 83 and rent of $1,418/mo, while Springfield (ranked #4) has a cost index of 71 and rent of $1,209/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 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.