Moving to Missouri from New York
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from New York to Missouri — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from New York to Missouri, you would find that Missouri is 21.9% cheaper than New York. A $75,000 salary in New York would need to be roughly $58,500 in Missouri to maintain the same lifestyle. New York City and Kansas City are about 1,100 mi apart.
Is Missouri cheaper than New York?
The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 9.4% less
Groceries
pay 11.3% less
Transportation
pay 4.0% less
Housing
pay 35.8% less
Childcare
pay 40.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 25.6% 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.
What salary do you need in Missouri?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $58,500
To maintain the same standard of living in Missouri
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
How New York 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
New York 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
New York performs better than Missouri across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Missouri performs significantly better than New York across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
New York 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
New York 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
New York performs better than Missouri across all family life metrics.
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
Weather in Missouri vs New York
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | New York City | Kansas City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 43°/30°F (6°/-1°C) | 47°/28°F (8°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 70°/54°F (21°/12°C) | 76°/57°F (24°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/66°F (27°/19°C) | 86°/67°F (30°/20°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/41°F (12°/5°C) | 55°/37°F (13°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | New York City | Kansas City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38°/27°F (3.5°/-2.8°C) | 40°/22°F (4.2°/-5.3°C) |
| Feb | 42°/29°F (5.3°/-1.7°C) | 45°/26°F (7.0°/-3.2°C) |
| Mar | 50°/35°F (9.8°/1.8°C) | 56°/36°F (13.4°/2.1°C) |
| Apr | 61°/45°F (16.2°/7.1°C) | 67°/47°F (19.3°/8.1°C) |
| May | 71°/54°F (21.6°/12.2°C) | 76°/57°F (24.4°/13.9°C) |
| Jun | 79°/64°F (26.3°/17.6°C) | 85°/67°F (29.4°/19.3°C) |
| Jul | 84°/69°F (28.9°/20.4°C) | 90°/72°F (32.3°/22.2°C) |
| Aug | 83°/68°F (28.1°/19.9°C) | 89°/70°F (31.4°/21.2°C) |
| Sep | 75°/61°F (24.0°/16.0°C) | 80°/60°F (26.7°/15.8°C) |
| Oct | 64°/50°F (17.7°/10.0°C) | 68°/49°F (19.9°/9.4°C) |
| Nov | 54°/42°F (12.1°/5.3°C) | 54°/37°F (12.3°/2.6°C) |
| Dec | 43°/32°F (6.1°/0.0°C) | 42°/26°F (5.4°/-3.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Missouri than New York?
Generally yes: Missouri runs about 22% cheaper than New York 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 $14,625 in Missouri for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Missouri safe?
New York performs better than Missouri across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Missouri compared to New York?
New York performs better than Missouri across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Missouri compared to New York?
The average high temperature in Kansas City is 66°F, compared to 62°F in New York City. Kansas City receives around 39.1 in of rainfall per year, while New York City gets 49.9 in.
