The Census Bureau does not publish a cost-of-living index. What it does print is income, rent and home value for each city, so this page ranks the two ratios that combine them: rent against income, and home value against income.
Source: Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, read October 30, 2026. Survey estimates carry margins of error, which we did not print; small cities carry larger ones. Rows are cities, towns and census-designated places of 20,000 or more people within their own limits; they are not metro areas. Housing is the only cost covered here. Groceries, transport, taxes and childcare are not in these tables.
Rent and Home Prices Against Income
Rent takes the largest share of median income in Florissant (23.7%) and the smallest in Oakville CDP (12.3%). Homes cost the most against income in Columbia (4.3 times the median household income) and the least in Florissant (2.3 times).
| Rank | City | Median household income | Median gross rent per month | Rent as share of median income (derived) | Median home value | Home value to income (derived) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florissant | $65,318 | $1,288 | 23.7% | $148,800 | 2.3 to 1 |
| 2 | Springfield | $49,311 | $964 | 23.5% | $177,700 | 3.6 to 1 |
| 3 | Grandview | $53,447 | $1,035 | 23.2% | $188,500 | 3.5 to 1 |
| 4 | Belton | $69,226 | $1,290 | 22.4% | $203,200 | 2.9 to 1 |
| 5 | Joplin | $52,097 | $962 | 22.2% | $168,300 | 3.2 to 1 |
| 6 | Independence | $60,339 | $1,109 | 22.1% | $172,900 | 2.9 to 1 |
| 7 | Old Jamestown CDP | $99,521 | $1,835 | 22.1% | $236,100 | 2.4 to 1 |
| 8 | Kansas City | $69,166 | $1,238 | 21.5% | $242,900 | 3.5 to 1 |
| 9 | Hazelwood | $55,908 | $996 | 21.4% | $167,400 | 3.0 to 1 |
| 10 | St. Louis | $56,160 | $997 | 21.3% | $197,500 | 3.5 to 1 |
| 11 | Raytown | $68,840 | $1,218 | 21.2% | $182,900 | 2.7 to 1 |
| 12 | Sedalia | $50,990 | $877 | 20.6% | $143,000 | 2.8 to 1 |
| 13 | Rolla | $46,204 | $789 | 20.5% | $187,000 | 4.0 to 1 |
| 14 | Columbia | $66,498 | $1,097 | 19.8% | $284,600 | 4.3 to 1 |
| 15 | University City | $80,694 | $1,319 | 19.6% | $306,700 | 3.8 to 1 |
| 16 | Mehlville CDP | $67,071 | $1,066 | 19.1% | $218,400 | 3.3 to 1 |
| 17 | Cape Girardeau | $55,658 | $876 | 18.9% | $196,300 | 3.5 to 1 |
| 18 | St. Joseph | $57,956 | $898 | 18.6% | $154,200 | 2.7 to 1 |
| 19 | Maryland Heights | $86,436 | $1,312 | 18.2% | $227,000 | 2.6 to 1 |
| 20 | Ozark | $74,182 | $1,097 | 17.7% | $254,800 | 3.4 to 1 |
| 21 | St. Charles | $85,937 | $1,251 | 17.5% | $298,700 | 3.5 to 1 |
| 22 | St. Peters | $91,637 | $1,321 | 17.3% | $269,900 | 2.9 to 1 |
| 23 | Blue Springs | $88,920 | $1,277 | 17.2% | $263,100 | 3.0 to 1 |
| 24 | Webster Groves | $115,227 | $1,650 | 17.2% | $387,600 | 3.4 to 1 |
| 25 | Arnold | $78,370 | $1,112 | 17.0% | $220,000 | 2.8 to 1 |
| 26 | Lee’s Summit | $102,531 | $1,422 | 16.6% | $340,900 | 3.3 to 1 |
| 27 | Gladstone | $79,271 | $1,088 | 16.5% | $231,500 | 2.9 to 1 |
| 28 | O’Fallon | $110,443 | $1,443 | 15.7% | $326,200 | 3.0 to 1 |
| 29 | Liberty | $88,542 | $1,160 | 15.7% | $283,300 | 3.2 to 1 |
| 30 | Nixa | $83,385 | $1,083 | 15.6% | $258,700 | 3.1 to 1 |
| 31 | Raymore | $104,447 | $1,303 | 15.0% | $339,100 | 3.2 to 1 |
| 32 | Chesterfield | $133,037 | $1,644 | 14.8% | $472,500 | 3.6 to 1 |
| 33 | Jefferson City | $66,371 | $802 | 14.5% | $218,700 | 3.3 to 1 |
| 34 | Wentzville | $112,394 | $1,345 | 14.4% | $331,300 | 2.9 to 1 |
| 35 | Ballwin | $124,626 | $1,418 | 13.7% | $377,100 | 3.0 to 1 |
| 36 | Kirkwood | $121,270 | $1,348 | 13.3% | $451,400 | 3.7 to 1 |
| 37 | Wildwood | $161,060 | $1,661 | 12.4% | $495,800 | 3.1 to 1 |
| 38 | Oakville CDP | $106,362 | $1,091 | 12.3% | $318,600 | 3.0 to 1 |
Notes
- Rank is by rent as a share of median income, highest first (derived: twelve months of median gross rent divided by median household income).
- Read the renters and owners page before comparing two cities.
- No score is made up: every figure is a Census estimate or plain arithmetic on two of them.
What We Could Not Verify
- A true cost-of-living index covering food, transport and services: not collected.
- State and local taxes by city: see taxes.
- Margins of error for each estimate.
More Missouri Guides
Questions People Ask
Is Missouri cheap to live in?
We do not rate it. What we can show is that median rent against median income runs from 12.3% in Oakville CDP to 23.7% in Florissant across the cities listed.
How is rent as a share of income worked out here?
Twelve times the median gross monthly rent, divided by the median household income of the same city, using Census Bureau 2020-2024 estimates.
Sources
Checked October 30, 2026 by It’s Missouri. Cite this page: It’s Missouri (https://itsmissouri.com/living/cost-of-living-by-city/), checked October 30, 2026. Free to quote with a link.