Which Missouri Metro Has Lowest Cost of Living? KC or St. Louis?

Do you consider yourself a big city person and want to live in Missouri? There's a big difference in the cost of living between Kansas City and St. Louis, but your priorities in life will determine which place is really more affordable.

I've spent plenty of time in my life in both Kansas City and St. Louis, but have never actually lived in either place. The most detailed breakdown I could find that shows a cost of living comparison between both Missouri metros was at Numbeo. It is so detailed you can even compare the price of eggs in both cities. For the sake of simplicity, here's the 10,000 foot view of how St. Louis, Missouri compares to Kansas City, Missouri:

• Cost of Living in Saint Louis, MO is 0.8% higher than in Kansas City, MO (without rent)
• Cost of Living Including Rent in Saint Louis, MO is 0.2% higher than in Kansas City, MO
• Rent Prices in Saint Louis, MO are 1.2% lower than in Kansas City, MO
• Restaurant Prices in Saint Louis, MO are 11.2% higher than in Kansas City, MO
• Groceries Prices in Saint Louis, MO are 3.7% lower than in Kansas City, MO
• Local Purchasing Power in Saint Louis, MO is 12.4% higher than in Kansas City, MO

See what I mean by how your own life preferences decide which city is better for you? If you mainly live on groceries, St. Louis is slightly cheaper than KC. If you like to eat out often, it will cost you and arm and a leg in St. Louis compared to Kansas City.

The key statistic is the last one and that's purchasing power. 12.4% is a huge difference in overall how far your dollars will take you in St. Louis versus Kansas City.

There many things more important than money, so you'd need to factor in crime rates and safety although both St. Louis and Kansas City have challenges there.

If you're seriously considering a move to either Missouri metro, I'd recommend checking out the zillions of comparisons on Numbeo. It's about as detailed as you're gonna get for city versus city comparisons.