Moving to Missouri from Kansas
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Kansas to Missouri — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Kansas to Missouri, you would find that Missouri is 7.8% more expensive than Kansas. A $75,000 salary in Kansas would need to be roughly $75,800 in Missouri to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Kansas to Missouri.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $75,800
To maintain the same standard of living in Missouri
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 3.6% more
Groceries
pay 6.5% more
Transportation
pay 42.6% more
Housing
pay 0.8% more
Childcare
pay 9.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 9.5% 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 Kansas 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
Kansas performs better than Missouri 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
Kansas 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 generally does better on what about housing?, though Kansas leads in median home value.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Kansas performs better than Missouri across all infrastructure metrics.
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
Kansas 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
Kansas 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 | Topeka | Columbia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 46°/25°F (8°/-4°C) | 47°/28°F (8°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/53°F (24°/12°C) | 76°/55°F (24°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/63°F (30°/17°C) | 86°/65°F (30°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/32°F (12°/0°C) | 55°/36°F (13°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Topeka | Columbia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39°/19°F (4.1°/-7.3°C) | 40°/22°F (4.3°/-5.3°C) |
| Feb | 44°/23°F (6.9°/-5.1°C) | 45°/26°F (7.2°/-3.3°C) |
| Mar | 56°/32°F (13.4°/0.1°C) | 56°/35°F (13.3°/1.7°C) |
| Apr | 66°/43°F (19.1°/5.9°C) | 67°/46°F (19.3°/7.6°C) |
| May | 75°/53°F (24.1°/11.8°C) | 75°/55°F (24.0°/12.9°C) |
| Jun | 84°/63°F (28.9°/17.0°C) | 85°/65°F (29.2°/18.1°C) |
| Jul | 90°/68°F (32.2°/19.9°C) | 90°/69°F (32.0°/20.4°C) |
| Aug | 89°/65°F (31.6°/18.6°C) | 88°/67°F (31.3°/19.6°C) |
| Sep | 80°/55°F (26.7°/13.0°C) | 80°/58°F (26.6°/14.5°C) |
| Oct | 67°/44°F (19.6°/6.6°C) | 68°/47°F (20.0°/8.1°C) |
| Nov | 54°/32°F (12.3°/0.2°C) | 55°/37°F (12.7°/2.6°C) |
| Dec | 41°/21°F (4.9°/-5.9°C) | 42°/25°F (5.6°/-3.8°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Missouri than Kansas?
Headline costs are within a few percent between Missouri and Kansas; rent and dining are where you'll actually feel differences.
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 $18,950 in Missouri for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Missouri safe?
Kansas performs better than Missouri across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Missouri compared to Kansas?
Kansas generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Missouri leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Missouri compared to Kansas?
The average high temperature in Columbia is 66°F, compared to 66°F in Topeka. Columbia receives around 46.3 in of rainfall per year, while Topeka gets 38.9 in.
