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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The difference between a comfortable retirement and a tight one often comes down to location. In Missouri — known for two major metros with small-city price tags, we evaluated 4 cities on healthcare costs, tax burden, and cost of living. St Louis is the top pick for 2026.
#1 Ranked: St Louis — cost index 77, rent $1,326/mo, income $55,279
St Louis rent up 3% over the past year
Retiree-weighted scoring: healthcare index 95, state tax 4.8%, cost index 77 — protecting fixed retirement income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
The difference between a comfortable retirement and a tight one often comes down to location. In Missouri — known for two major metros with small-city price tags, we evaluated 4 cities on healthcare costs, tax burden, and cost of living. St Louis is the top pick for 2026.
Real talk: the #1 spot goes to St Louis, and the breakdown explains why. It's fine. Not great, not bad. Renters here pay $1,326/month — saving renters $6,828 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 29% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
In plain English: Retirement affordability is about protecting fixed income. And depending on your situation, our model weights healthcare costs at 25 points (medical bills are the #1 financial risk in retirement), cost index at 25 points, and state tax burden at 15 points (taxes directly reduce pension and Social Security income). It lines up with what you'd expect. St Louis leads with low healthcare costs, a 4.8% state tax rate, and a cost index of 77 — we had to double-check this one — . Kansas offers competitive healthcare and cost metrics.
Strip away assumptions, and something unexpected emerges. 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. If you're a planner, this number should anchor your spreadsheet.
Still, the overall picture holds: Missouri — two major metros with small-city price tags. The 4 cities we track here average a cost index of 77 and median income of $57,048. About what you'd guess. 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 (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
Bottom line: St Louis leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. 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.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Louis | 77 | $1,326 | Details |
| 2 | Kansas | 83 | $1,418 | Details |
| 3 | Independence | 77 | $1,313 | Details |
| 4 | Springfield | 71 | $1,209 | Details |
281,754 residents · Missouri
The #1 spot goes to St Louis, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,326/month — saving renters $6,828 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 29% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
152,933 residents · Missouri
Here's Kansas by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 83. Rent: $1,418/month. Income: $67,449/year. Home price: $245,199. Population: 152,933. The strongest category is Housing at 83; the most expensive is Healthcare at 97. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $5,724 per year vs. the national median. On a fixed income, this is the metric that matters most.
120,922 residents · Missouri
Why Independence ranks #3: the numbers tell a clear story. At 77 on the cost index, residents save roughly 34% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,313/month while the median household pulls in $59,480/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 77, though Healthcare (95) lags behind. Home prices average $203,383 — $263,987 below the national median.
112,544 residents · Missouri
What does daily life actually cost in Springfield? Start with the 32% rent-to-income ratio — stretched, especially for single earners. On the category level, Housing (index 71) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 94) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $45,984 and homes at $238,992 round out a profile that ranks #4 for clear reasons.
Our persona scoring model weights cost, income, rent, healthcare, taxes, and city size based on what matters most to retirees. 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.
St Louis ranks #1 in Missouri for this analysis with a cost index of 77 and median income of $55,279.
St Louis scores highest for retirees due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,326/mo, and competitive median income of $55,279.
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 77 and rent of $1,326/mo, while Springfield (ranked #4) has a cost index of 71 and rent of $1,209/mo — a 6-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.