Moving to Missouri from South Carolina
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from South Carolina to Missouri — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from South Carolina to Missouri, you would find that Missouri is 8.0% cheaper than South Carolina. A $75,000 salary in South Carolina would need to be roughly $69,000 in Missouri to maintain the same lifestyle. Charleston and Kansas City are about 930 mi apart.
Is Missouri cheaper than South Carolina?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 1.2% less
Groceries
pay 13.7% less
Transportation
pay 19.3% more
Housing
pay 18.6% less
Childcare
pay 12.5% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.4% 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 → $69,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Missouri
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from South Carolina to Missouri.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Missouri performs significantly better than South Carolina 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
South Carolina generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Missouri leads in uninsured 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 South Carolina leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Missouri performs significantly better than South Carolina 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 performs significantly better than South Carolina across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Missouri performs significantly better than South Carolina 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 South Carolina
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Charleston | Kansas City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) | 47°/28°F (8°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) | 76°/57°F (24°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) | 86°/67°F (30°/20°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) | 55°/37°F (13°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Charleston | Kansas City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) | 40°/22°F (4.2°/-5.3°C) |
| Feb | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) | 45°/26°F (7.0°/-3.2°C) |
| Mar | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) | 56°/36°F (13.4°/2.1°C) |
| Apr | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) | 67°/47°F (19.3°/8.1°C) |
| May | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) | 76°/57°F (24.4°/13.9°C) |
| Jun | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) | 85°/67°F (29.4°/19.3°C) |
| Jul | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) | 90°/72°F (32.3°/22.2°C) |
| Aug | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) | 89°/70°F (31.4°/21.2°C) |
| Sep | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) | 80°/60°F (26.7°/15.8°C) |
| Oct | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) | 68°/49°F (19.9°/9.4°C) |
| Nov | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) | 54°/37°F (12.3°/2.6°C) |
| Dec | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.6°C) | 42°/26°F (5.4°/-3.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Missouri than South Carolina?
Yes — Missouri is on average about 8% cheaper than South Carolina. 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 $17,250 in Missouri on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Missouri safe?
Missouri performs significantly better than South Carolina across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Missouri compared to South Carolina?
South Carolina generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Missouri leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Missouri compared to South Carolina?
The average high temperature in Kansas City is 66°F, compared to 73°F in Charleston. Kansas City receives around 39.1 in of rainfall per year, while Charleston gets 44.4 in.
