Moving to Missouri from California
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from California to Missouri — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from California to Missouri, you would find that Missouri is 19.4% cheaper than California. A $75,000 salary in California would need to be roughly $53,321 in Missouri to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from California to Missouri.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $53,321
To maintain the same standard of living in Missouri
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 18.8% less
Groceries
pay 14.1% less
Transportation
pay 2.3% more
Housing
pay 31.2% less
Childcare
pay 37.4% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 28.3% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Key Indicator Comparison
How California and Missouri stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Missouri performs significantly better than California across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
California generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Missouri leads in diabetes rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Missouri performs significantly better than California across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
California generally does better on infrastructure, though Missouri leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
California generally does better on employment & economy, though Missouri leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
California performs better than Missouri across all family life metrics.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Sacramento | Columbia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 60°/41°F (15°/5°C) | 47°/28°F (8°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/51°F (26°/11°C) | 76°/55°F (24°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/57°F (32°/14°C) | 86°/65°F (30°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 65°/44°F (18°/7°C) | 55°/36°F (13°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Sacramento | Columbia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54°/39°F (12.1°/3.8°C) | 40°/22°F (4.3°/-5.3°C) |
| Feb | 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.2°C) | 45°/26°F (7.2°/-3.3°C) |
| Mar | 65°/44°F (18.4°/6.7°C) | 56°/35°F (13.3°/1.7°C) |
| Apr | 71°/46°F (21.7°/7.9°C) | 67°/46°F (19.3°/7.6°C) |
| May | 80°/51°F (26.6°/10.6°C) | 75°/55°F (24.0°/12.9°C) |
| Jun | 87°/56°F (30.6°/13.2°C) | 85°/65°F (29.2°/18.1°C) |
| Jul | 92°/58°F (33.4°/14.7°C) | 90°/69°F (32.0°/20.4°C) |
| Aug | 91°/58°F (32.9°/14.4°C) | 88°/67°F (31.3°/19.6°C) |
| Sep | 87°/56°F (30.7°/13.2°C) | 80°/58°F (26.6°/14.5°C) |
| Oct | 78°/50°F (25.3°/10.1°C) | 68°/47°F (20.0°/8.1°C) |
| Nov | 64°/43°F (17.7°/6.0°C) | 55°/37°F (12.7°/2.6°C) |
| Dec | 54°/38°F (12.2°/3.6°C) | 42°/25°F (5.6°/-3.8°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Missouri than California?
Generally yes: Missouri runs about 29% cheaper than California on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Missouri?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $13,330 in Missouri for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Missouri safe?
Missouri performs significantly better than California across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Missouri compared to California?
California generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Missouri leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Missouri compared to California?
The average high temperature in Columbia is 66°F, compared to 74°F in Sacramento. Columbia receives around 46.3 in of rainfall per year, while Sacramento gets 18.5 in.
