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Everyone wants a home that mixes affordability with comfort and Missouri does this very well. Families love the Show Me State's beaches, midlands, and mountains as tourists before moving here and calling it home.
But before you decide to relocate, you have to do some research into the exact cost of living around the state -- and that's how we're going to help you.
These are the places in Missouri that cost a pretty penny -- the most expensive cities in the state.
After we saved up for months and could finally afford it, we landed on this list of the ten most expensive cities in Missouri for 2021.
So where is the most expensive place to live in Missouri? That would be University City.
the 2015-2019 American Community Survey for the 128 places in Missouri with more than 5,000 people.
Here are the 10 most expensive places to live in Missouri for 2021:
What's the most expensive place to live in Missouri? Well, HomeSnacks crunched the numbers and discovered that University City is the most expensive place to live in Missouri.
So hopefully Richmond (the cheapest place to live in Missouri) can show these guys how to live on a budget in the coming years. Read on for how these places had costs rise faster than inflation.
And if you already knew these places were expensive, check out some more reading about Missouri and the most expensive cities in the country:
The 10 Most Expensive Places To Live In Missouri For 2021
/10
Population: 34,498
Rank Last Year: 3 (Up 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 4.5x (3rd most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 57.5x (35th most expensive)
More on University City: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in University City comes in at $61,274 and the median home value is $273,500 for 2021.
/10
Population: 8,472
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 2)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.7x (11th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 57.9x (4most expensive)
More on Sunset Hills: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Sunset Hills comes in at $106,094 and the median home value is $392,200 for 2021.
/10
Population: 5,531
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 3)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.7x (12th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 58.9x (46th most expensive)
More on Weldon Spring: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Weldon Spring comes in at $107,875 and the median home value is $397,300 for 2021.
/10
Population: 6,122
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.6x (13th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 55.2x (27th most expensive)
More on St. Robert: Real Estate | Data
The median income in St. Robert comes in at $52,434 and the median home value is $188,700 for 2021.
/10
Population: 121,230
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 2)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.7x (10th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 57.8x (40th most expensive)
More on Columbia: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Columbia comes in at $51,276 and the median home value is $191,800 for 2021.
/10
Population: 11,416
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 4)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.4x (18th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 54.0x (20th most expensive)
More on Branson: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Branson comes in at $46,319 and the median home value is $157,500 for 2021.
/10
Population: 6,799
Rank Last Year: 29 (Up 20)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.2x (22nd most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 56.9x (33rd most expensive)
More on Valley Park: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Valley Park comes in at $56,786 and the median home value is $179,700 for 2021.
/10
Population: 11,696
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 3)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.8x (8th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 51.5x (14th most expensive)
More on Maryville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Maryville comes in at $34,258 and the median home value is $130,500 for 2021.
/10
Population: 8,051
Rank Last Year: 10 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.9x (5th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 63.3x (60th most expensive)
More on Maplewood: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Maplewood comes in at $48,278 and the median home value is $189,600 for 2021.
/10
Population: 20,169
Rank Last Year: 10 (Down 2)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.5x (15th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 51.0x (11th most expensive)
More on Rolla: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The median income in Rolla comes in at $37,600 and the median home value is $131,100 for 2021.
How We Determined The Most Expensive Places To Live In The Show Me State For 2021
The two most important things to think about when it comes to being able to afford if you can live comes down to:
- How much do money do I make?
- How much do I have spend to live there?
You need to understand your costs in the context of how much money you make.
For example, if the median household earns $100,000 and spends $40,000 on housing it's actually cheaper to live there than a place with a median income of $50,000 and housing costs of $21,000. You might spend more on housing, but you have more money overall to play with.
With that example in mind, we derived several statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2015-2019 around incomes and costs. They are:
- Median Home Price / Median Income (lower is better)
- Median Income / Median Rent (Higher is better)
- Median Home Price
We added simply median home price because high home prices generally correlate with higher expenses for all costs related to homes (heating, electricity, etc).
You can then compare these metrics in each of the places in Missouri to figure out which is the most expensive.
What you are left with is a "Cost of Living Index" by taking the average rank of each of these metrics for each city.
So we used that cost of living index in order to rank all of the 128 places in Missouri that have more than 5,000 people.
The place with the highest cost of living in Missouri according to the data is University City. You can download the data here.
Taking A Chunk Out Of Your Paycheck In Missouri For 2021
Well there you have it, the places in Missouri that have the highest cost of living, with University City ranking as the most expensive city in the Show Me State.
Here's a look at the most affordable cities in Missouri according to the data:
- Richmond
- Trenton
- Bonne Terre
For more Missouri reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Missouri
- Cheapest Places To Live In Missouri
- Most Dangerous Cities in Missouri
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Missouri
- Safest Places In Missouri
- Worst Places To Live In Missouri
Detailed List Of The Most Expensive Cities In Missouri
| Rank | City | ExpensiveScore |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University City | 19.0 |
| 2 | Sunset Hills | 20.33 |
| 3 | Weldon Spring | 22.0 |
| 4 | St. Robert | 25.17 |
| 5 | Columbia | 27.67 |
| 6 | Branson | 30.67 |
| 7 | Valley Park | 31.67 |
| 8 | Maryville | 33.0 |
| 9 | Maplewood | 33.0 |
| 10 | Rolla | 33.67 |
| 11 | St. Louis | 35.33 |
| 12 | Kirksville | 38.0 |
| 13 | Creve Coeur | 38.0 |
| 14 | Cape Girardeau | 38.33 |
| 15 | Warrensburg | 38.67 |
| 16 | Springfield | 38.67 |
| 17 | Olivette | 39.33 |
| 18 | Clayton | 41.33 |
| 19 | Ellisville | 43.67 |
| 20 | Kansas City | 45.33 |
| 21 | Sikeston | 46.33 |
| 22 | Brentwood | 46.67 |
| 23 | Waynesville | 46.67 |
| 24 | Harrisonville | 47.0 |
| 25 | Town And Country | 47.0 |
| 26 | Shrewsbury | 47.33 |
| 27 | Warrenton | 47.83 |
| 28 | Poplar Bluff | 48.33 |
| 29 | Des Peres | 48.67 |
| 30 | Kirkwood | 49.0 |
| 31 | Bridgeton | 49.33 |
| 32 | Caruthersville | 49.67 |
| 33 | St. Charles | 50.33 |
| 34 | Richmond Heights | 50.67 |
| 35 | Chesterfield | 51.0 |
| 36 | Sullivan | 51.67 |
| 37 | Manchester | 52.33 |
| 38 | Bolivar | 53.33 |
| 39 | Webster Groves | 53.67 |
| 40 | Glendale | 54.33 |
| 41 | Lake St. Louis | 54.33 |
| 42 | De Soto | 55.0 |
| 43 | Parkville | 55.67 |
| 44 | Monett | 56.67 |
| 45 | Farmington | 57.0 |
| 46 | Joplin | 57.67 |
| 47 | Ozark | 60.67 |
| 48 | Troy | 61.33 |
| 49 | Nixa | 62.33 |
| 50 | Pacific | 63.0 |
| 51 | Wildwood | 63.33 |
| 52 | Union | 65.33 |
| 53 | Maryland Heights | 66.33 |
| 54 | Ballwin | 67.0 |
| 55 | Pleasant Hill | 68.67 |
| 56 | West Plains | 69.0 |
| 57 | Raymore | 70.0 |
| 58 | O'fallon | 70.67 |
| 59 | Washington | 70.67 |
| 60 | Jackson | 71.0 |
| 61 | Neosho | 71.33 |
| 62 | Gladstone | 71.67 |
| 63 | Excelsior Springs | 72.0 |
| 64 | Eureka | 72.33 |
| 65 | Festus | 72.33 |
| 66 | Clinton | 72.67 |
| 67 | Grain Valley | 73.33 |
| 68 | Perryville | 73.33 |
| 69 | Wentzville | 73.33 |
| 70 | Lee's Summit | 73.67 |
| 71 | Jefferson City | 74.0 |
| 72 | Charleston | 74.33 |
| 73 | Odessa | 74.67 |
| 74 | Battlefield | 74.83 |
| 75 | Grandview | 75.33 |
| 76 | Lebanon | 75.67 |
| 77 | Arnold | 75.83 |
| 78 | Belton | 76.0 |
| 79 | Marshall | 76.67 |
| 80 | Fulton | 76.67 |
| 81 | Crestwood | 76.67 |
| 82 | Greenwood | 77.0 |
| 83 | Hannibal | 77.67 |
| 84 | Dexter | 77.67 |
| 85 | St. Joseph | 77.83 |
| 86 | Moberly | 78.0 |
| 87 | Independence | 78.5 |
| 88 | Republic | 79.67 |
| 89 | Marshfield | 80.0 |
| 90 | Peculiar | 80.33 |
| 91 | St. Peters | 80.67 |
| 92 | Liberty | 80.67 |
| 93 | Ferguson | 81.0 |
| 94 | Dardenne Prairie | 81.33 |
| 95 | Black Jack | 82.17 |
| 96 | Overland | 82.33 |
| 97 | Sedalia | 83.33 |
| 98 | Savannah | 83.67 |
| 99 | Boonville | 83.83 |
| 100 | Carl Junction | 84.0 |
