How Much Does It Cost to Live In Kansas City, MO?
Kansas City is a large, major city on the border of Missouri and Kansas.
It is actually the single largest city in Missouri.
This city offers a relatively low cost of living and leaves you with plenty of disposable income to travel and go out with your friends.
Kansas City is also an excellent place to raise a family.
Kansas City has affordable housing options compared to other places in the country, but that’s changing as it’s becoming more popular and demand increases.
United States : Cost of Living by City
- Albany, NY
- Albuquerque, NM
- Anchorage, AK
- Ann Arbor, MI
- Arlington, TX
- Asheville, NC
- Atlanta, GA
- Austin, TX
- Bakersfield, CA
- Baltimore, MD
- Bellevue, WA
- Bellingham, WA
- Berkeley, CA
- Birmingham, AL
- Boise, ID
- Boston, MA
- Boulder, CO
- Brooklyn, NY
- Buffalo, NY
- Burlington, VT
- Charleston, SC
- Charlotte, NC
- Chattanooga, TN
- Chicago, IL
- Cincinnati, OH
- Cleveland, OH
- Columbia, SC
- Columbus, OH
- Dallas, TX
- Dayton, OH
- Denver, CO
- Des Moines, IA
- Detroit, MI
- El Paso, TX
- Eugene, OR
- Everett, WA
- Fayetteville, AR
- Fort Myers, FL
- Fort Wayne, IN
- Fort Worth, TX
- Fresno, CA
- Gainesville, FL
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Greensboro, NC
- Hartford, CT
- Honolulu, HI
- Houston, TX
- Huntsville, AL
- Indianapolis, IN
- Irvine, CA
- Jacksonville, FL
- Jersey City, NJ
- Kansas City, MO
- Knoxville, TN
- Las Vegas, NV
- Lexington, KY
- Little Rock, AR
- Long Beach, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Louisville, KY
- Lubbock, TX
- Madison, WI
- Memphis, TN
- Miami, FL
- Milwaukee, WI
- Minneapolis, MN
- Nashville, TN
- New Orleans, LA
- New York, NY
- Oakland, CA
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Olympia, WA
- Orlando, FL
- Peoria, IL
- Philadelphia, PA
- Phoenix, AZ
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Portland, ME
- Portland, OR
- Raleigh, NC
- Reno, NV
- Richmond, VA
- Rochester, NY
- Sacramento, CA
- Saint Louis, MO
- Saint Paul, MN
- Saint Petersburg, FL
- Salem, OR
- Salt Lake City, UT
- San Antonio, TX
- San Diego, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- San Jose, CA
- Santa Barbara, CA
- Santa Rosa, CA
- Seattle, WA
- Spokane, WA
- Springfield, MO
- Syracuse, NY
- Tacoma, WA
- Tallahassee, FL
- Tampa, FL
- Toledo, OH
- Tucson, AZ
- Tulsa, OK
- Vancouver, WA
- Virginia Beach, VA
- Washington, DC
- West Palm Beach, FL
- Wichita, KS
RESTAURANTS
Kansas City offers excellent food, beers, and coffee, famous for good and cheap barbecues.
Westport, Powerlight, and many other locations have an absolutely amazing selection of drinks and food.
If you are more into coffee shops, there is also an abundance of that as well.
If you want steak and BBQ, which is of course heavenly, this is your place, but there are many places to eat at a very reasonable price.
MARKETS
Food and groceries are on par with all major cities.
There are many grocery stores around.
If you know how to cook, you will find all the ingredients you need here which is great news because you can save a ton of money this way.
You should know that supermarkets keep basically the same prices as all the other stores in the country.
TRANSPORTATION
Kansas City is very much a car city.
It’s too spread out to be walkable and cycling is clearly discouraged (since the city lacks a basic bike infrastructure).
The standard price is 1.75$ per trip with transfers available that expire two hours after issuing the ticket.
You can also buy a one-day pass on the bus, but it’s good for local service only.
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
Everything in Kansas City is relatively cheaper than the nation’s average – except for the bills.
The prices of utilities here are almost double the cost of utilities in some other cities.
For an apartment around 85m2 (which is definitely bigger than a usual apartment for one or two people) basic utilities like electricity, trash, and water will cost you 180$ approximately.
SPORTS & LEISURE
Do you like golf?
There are a TON of golf courses here.
And golf is very, very cheap!
There are always deals and clubs where you can get around with a cart on a very nice challenging course for $20.
CLOTHING & SHOES
119th Street is where a number of shopping complexes like Town Center Plaza can be found.
But apart from this street, there are also many shopping malls and many, many other shopping opportunities in Kansas City.
The prices are reasonable.
If you want a pair of Levi’s, it will cost you around 54$, though.
Quality sneakers cost more, around 108$.
RENT PER MONTH
The best part when it comes to the cost of living is that this is a big city with small-town rent!
You are looking on average at around 1,307.62$ for a decent one-bedroom apartment in a nice area of the city.
And of course, the closer you get to the city center, the more expensive the apartments will be.
You can always go to the suburbs and rent a charming apartment further from the city for some 1,091.67$.
Cost of Living Averages Table for Kansas City, MO
*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $15.00 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $5.00 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $1.91 | Average Market Prices |
| Milk (1 Liter) | $1.06 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $3.05 |
| Eggs (12) | $4.30 | Average Transport Prices |
| One Way Ticket | $1.75 |
| Monthly Pass | $50.00 |
| Gasoline | $0.86 | Average Utilities Prices |
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $180.1 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.08 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $68.7 | Average Leisure Prices |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $58.94 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $14.17 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $15.00 | Average Clothing Prices |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $54.44 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $55.00 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $108.10 | Average Rent Prices |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $1307.62 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $1091.67 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $3095.83 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Kansas City, MO?
Most of the money in Kansas City gets spent on food, and people go and spent huge bulks of money in markets and grocery stores.
You can count on 200$ a week going on food, if you have a family.
Another one of the biggest expenses in rent, as it can be pretty steep in certain areas, but in general, it is quite reasonable compared to some other major cities in America.
Restaurants and transportation go side by side like in most countries – though transportation is cheap, it’s essential for everyone, every day, and as for the restaurants – you can’t help eating that delicious Kansas City barbecue every day!
Average Costs Breakdown
Kansas City, MO: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
The quality of life is very good in Kansas City. There are still poor areas for sure, but compared to some other places well-known cities in America, as popular as Kansas City is, it’s really reasonably priced.
The average monthly net salary in Kansas City is relatively high, above 3800$, so most people can live without any problems, while the minimum monthly wage is just a little bit less – around 2600$.
However, if you’re the type of person to go out every night, spend money in bars and restaurants, and act comfortably when it comes to pastime and leisure – you might find this average salary a bit too low.
Kansas City Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Kansas City Safety Review
Safety Index:
- OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM
- TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
- PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM
- NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM
- MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM
- TERRORISM RISK: MEDIUM
- SCAMS RISK: LOW
- WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: MEDIUM
