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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
This next stat is the one to screenshot: St Louis rent up 3% over the past year. And generally speaking, that's more or less in line with the region. 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…
#1 Ranked: St Louis — cost index 77, rent $1,326/mo, income $55,279
St Louis rent up 3% over the past year
Student-budget scoring: rent $1,326/mo, food index 92, cost index 77 — survival-level affordability
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
This next stat is the one to screenshot: St Louis rent up 3% over the past year. And generally speaking, that's more or less in line with the region. 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.
"Affordable" for students means: can rent fit a part-time paycheck? Are groceries reasonable? We analyzed 4 cities in Missouri, weighting rent and food highest. And generally speaking, st Louis takes the top spot.
St Louis earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 77 cost index sits 34 points below the national baseline, and the $55,279 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $179,917 — $287,453 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 77, while Healthcare trails at 95.
It's a strong position — but not without footnotes. State context matters: Missouri's 4 cities average a 77 cost index with $1,317/month median rent and $57,048 household income. Two major metros with small-city price tags. The city profiles tell the rest of the story (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
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. 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.
| 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
Here's St Louis by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). And as far as the data shows, cost index: 77. Rent: $1,326/month. Income: $55,279/year. Home price: $179,917. Population: 281,754. The strongest category is Housing at 77; the most expensive is Healthcare at 95. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $6,828 per year vs. the national median. This is quietly one of the better values out there. Worth a deeper look.
152,933 residents · Missouri
Dive into Kansas's numbers: cost index 83 (28 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 83, while Healthcare runs 97. With 152,933 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
120,922 residents · Missouri
Look, Here's Independence by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 77. Rent: $1,313/month. Income: $59,480/year. Home price: $203,383. Population: 120,922. The strongest category is Housing at 77; the most expensive is Healthcare at 95. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $6,984 per year vs. the national median. From a pure purchasing-power standpoint, this is elite.
112,544 residents · Missouri
Frankly, Springfield comes in at #4. Rent is $1,209 a month. Household income is $45,984. The cost of living index is 71. Not the most exciting stat, but it matters.
Our persona scoring model weights cost, income, rent, healthcare, taxes, and city size based on what matters most to students. 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 students 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.