Moving to Missouri from Oregon
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Oregon to Missouri — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Oregon to Missouri, you would find that Missouri is 7.4% cheaper than Oregon. A $75,000 salary in Oregon would need to be roughly $69,400 in Missouri to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Kansas City averages 66°F vs 56°F in Portland, making it significantly warmer. Portland and Kansas City are about 1,500 mi apart.
Is Missouri cheaper than Oregon?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 1.3% more
Groceries
pay 0.3% more
Transportation
pay 6.3% more
Housing
pay 20.3% less
Childcare
pay 0.6% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 12.4% 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 → $69,400
To maintain the same standard of living in Missouri
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Oregon to Missouri.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Oregon generally does better on safety, though Missouri leads in property crime rate.
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
Oregon 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 Oregon across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Oregon 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
Oregon 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
Oregon 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 Oregon
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Portland | Kansas City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 36°/18°F (2°/-8°C) | 47°/28°F (8°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 63°/44°F (17°/7°C) | 76°/57°F (24°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 76°/56°F (24°/13°C) | 86°/67°F (30°/20°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/30°F (9°/-1°C) | 55°/37°F (13°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Portland | Kansas City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/13°F (-0.4°/-10.3°C) | 40°/22°F (4.2°/-5.3°C) |
| Feb | 35°/16°F (1.4°/-8.7°C) | 45°/26°F (7.0°/-3.2°C) |
| Mar | 42°/25°F (5.6°/-3.9°C) | 56°/36°F (13.4°/2.1°C) |
| Apr | 53°/35°F (11.8°/1.5°C) | 67°/47°F (19.3°/8.1°C) |
| May | 64°/44°F (17.5°/6.8°C) | 76°/57°F (24.4°/13.9°C) |
| Jun | 73°/54°F (22.9°/12.0°C) | 85°/67°F (29.4°/19.3°C) |
| Jul | 79°/59°F (26.0°/15.2°C) | 90°/72°F (32.3°/22.2°C) |
| Aug | 78°/58°F (25.4°/14.6°C) | 89°/70°F (31.4°/21.2°C) |
| Sep | 70°/50°F (21.1°/10.2°C) | 80°/60°F (26.7°/15.8°C) |
| Oct | 59°/39°F (14.8°/3.8°C) | 68°/49°F (19.9°/9.4°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.9°/-0.6°C) | 54°/37°F (12.3°/2.6°C) |
| Dec | 37°/20°F (2.9°/-6.4°C) | 42°/26°F (5.4°/-3.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Missouri than Oregon?
Yes — Missouri is on average about 7% cheaper than Oregon. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Missouri?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $17,350 in Missouri on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Missouri safe?
Oregon generally does better on safety, though Missouri leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Missouri compared to Oregon?
Oregon performs better than Missouri across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Missouri compared to Oregon?
The average high temperature in Kansas City is 66°F, compared to 56°F in Portland. Kansas City receives around 39.1 in of rainfall per year, while Portland gets 47.2 in.
