Moving to Missouri from Pennsylvania
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Pennsylvania to Missouri — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Pennsylvania to Missouri, you would find that Missouri is 7.8% cheaper than Pennsylvania. A $75,000 salary in Pennsylvania would need to be roughly $69,200 in Missouri to maintain the same lifestyle. Philadelphia and Kansas City are about 1,050 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to Missouri? Get a shortlist of towns in Missouri that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is Missouri cheaper than Pennsylvania?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 2.7% more
Groceries
pay 3.2% less
Transportation
pay 7.3% more
Housing
pay 13.1% less
Childcare
pay 42.7% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 12.0% 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 → $69,200
To maintain the same standard of living in Missouri
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Pennsylvania to Missouri.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania 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 generally does better on what about housing?, though Pennsylvania leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Philadelphia | Kansas City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 46°/29°F (8°/-2°C) | 47°/28°F (8°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 74°/54°F (23°/12°C) | 76°/57°F (24°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/66°F (29°/19°C) | 86°/67°F (30°/20°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 56°/39°F (13°/4°C) | 55°/37°F (13°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Philadelphia | Kansas City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40°/26°F (4.6°/-3.6°C) | 40°/22°F (4.2°/-5.3°C) |
| Feb | 44°/28°F (6.6°/-2.4°C) | 45°/26°F (7.0°/-3.2°C) |
| Mar | 53°/34°F (11.5°/1.3°C) | 56°/36°F (13.4°/2.1°C) |
| Apr | 64°/44°F (17.7°/6.7°C) | 67°/47°F (19.3°/8.1°C) |
| May | 74°/54°F (23.2°/12.2°C) | 76°/57°F (24.4°/13.9°C) |
| Jun | 83°/64°F (28.2°/17.7°C) | 85°/67°F (29.4°/19.3°C) |
| Jul | 87°/69°F (30.6°/20.7°C) | 90°/72°F (32.3°/22.2°C) |
| Aug | 85°/68°F (29.6°/19.9°C) | 89°/70°F (31.4°/21.2°C) |
| Sep | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.7°C) | 80°/60°F (26.7°/15.8°C) |
| Oct | 67°/48°F (19.2°/9.1°C) | 68°/49°F (19.9°/9.4°C) |
| Nov | 56°/39°F (13.3°/4.0°C) | 54°/37°F (12.3°/2.6°C) |
| Dec | 45°/30°F (7.1°/-1.1°C) | 42°/26°F (5.4°/-3.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Missouri than Pennsylvania?
Yes — Missouri is on average about 8% cheaper than Pennsylvania. 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 $17,300 in Missouri on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Missouri safe?
Pennsylvania performs better than Missouri across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Missouri compared to Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania performs better than Missouri across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Missouri compared to Pennsylvania?
The average high temperature in Kansas City is 66°F, compared to 65°F in Philadelphia. Kansas City receives around 39.1 in of rainfall per year, while Philadelphia gets 41.5 in.
