Moving to Ohio from Missouri
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Missouri to Ohio — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Missouri to Ohio, you would find that Ohio is 5.3% cheaper than Missouri. A $75,000 salary in Missouri would need to be roughly $71,000 in Ohio to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Columbus averages 76°F vs 66°F in Kansas City, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Missouri to Ohio.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $71,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Ohio
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 10.0% less
Groceries
pay 6.8% less
Transportation
pay 4.9% less
Housing
pay 7.2% less
Childcare
pay 18.1% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.9% 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 Missouri and Ohio 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
Ohio performs significantly 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
Missouri generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Ohio leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Ohio generally does better on what about housing?, though Missouri leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Ohio performs significantly 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
Missouri generally does better on employment & economy, though Ohio leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Missouri generally does better on family life, though Ohio leads in life expectancy.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Kansas City | Columbus |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 47°/28°F (8°/-2°C) | 63°/41°F (17°/5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 76°/57°F (24°/14°C) | 84°/62°F (29°/16°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/67°F (30°/20°C) | 90°/71°F (32°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 55°/37°F (13°/3°C) | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) |
View all months
| Month | Kansas City | Columbus |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40°/22°F (4.2°/-5.3°C) | 58°/37°F (14.2°/2.7°C) |
| Feb | 45°/26°F (7.0°/-3.2°C) | 62°/40°F (16.7°/4.5°C) |
| Mar | 56°/36°F (13.4°/2.1°C) | 69°/46°F (20.8°/7.8°C) |
| Apr | 67°/47°F (19.3°/8.1°C) | 77°/53°F (24.8°/11.4°C) |
| May | 76°/57°F (24.4°/13.9°C) | 84°/62°F (28.9°/16.6°C) |
| Jun | 85°/67°F (29.4°/19.3°C) | 90°/70°F (32.2°/20.9°C) |
| Jul | 90°/72°F (32.3°/22.2°C) | 92°/73°F (33.4°/22.7°C) |
| Aug | 89°/70°F (31.4°/21.2°C) | 91°/72°F (33.0°/22.4°C) |
| Sep | 80°/60°F (26.7°/15.8°C) | 86°/67°F (30.2°/19.3°C) |
| Oct | 68°/49°F (19.9°/9.4°C) | 77°/56°F (25.2°/13.1°C) |
| Nov | 54°/37°F (12.3°/2.6°C) | 68°/46°F (20.2°/7.8°C) |
| Dec | 42°/26°F (5.4°/-3.6°C) | 59°/39°F (15.2°/3.8°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Ohio than Missouri?
Generally yes: Ohio runs about 5% cheaper than Missouri on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Ohio?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $17,750 in Ohio for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Ohio safe?
Ohio performs significantly better than Missouri across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Ohio compared to Missouri?
Missouri generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Ohio leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Ohio compared to Missouri?
The average high temperature in Columbus is 76°F, compared to 66°F in Kansas City. Columbus receives around 46.8 in of rainfall per year, while Kansas City gets 39.1 in.
