Missouri Ties With Iowa For 7th Lowest Cost Of Living In The US
Missouri was tied with Iowa for the seventh-lowest cost of living in the United States for the first quarter of 2026.
That’s according to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center which also reports the state’s cost of living index for the first quarter was 88.6.
The cost-of-living index is derived by averaging the indices of participating cities and metropolitan areas in each state.
In general, the most expensive areas to live in were Hawaii, Alaska, the Northeast, and the West Coast while the least expensive areas were the Midwest and Southern states.
All of the participating Missouri cities had a composite index below the national average for the first quarter of 2026. The city with the lowest cost of living index for this time period was Joplin with an index of 83.7. The city with the highest cost of living was Columbia, with an index of 91.3.
Cost of Living Indices for Participating Missouri Cities – First Quarter 2026
| Metro | Index | Grocery | Housing | Utilities | Transportation | Health | Misc. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joplin MO | 83.7 | 91.6 | 59.8 | 98.0 | 80.9 | 93.8 | 96.9 |
| Missouri | 88.6 | 94.7 | 76.1 | 92.4 | 86.5 | 98.0 | 95.2 |
| Springfield MO | 89.7 | 92.2 | 84.5 | 79.3 | 90.5 | 98.4 | 94.3 |
| St. Louis MO-IL | 89.8 | 98.7 | 80.4 | 98.0 | 88.8 | 103.6 | 90.4 |
| Columbia MO | 91.3 | 96.5 | 79.7 | 94.1 | 85.9 | 96.3 | 99.3 |
See the full report here: https://meric.mo.gov/data/cost-living-data-series?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
Reporter Mike Anthony
