Missouri is known as the Show-Me State, and we're about to show you why this state can be a great place to retire. Missouri delivers on that front if you like hot summers and cold winters. Missouri is filled with culture, from St. Louis to the smallest towns that know how to farm. You have a variety of activities to do when you're in this state, including resting peacefully in an area with a low cost of living. Read below to see how the cost of living in Missouri compares to the rest of the country.
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Overall, the cost of living is less than the rest of the country, almost 13 points below the national average. Where Missouri shines is its housing costs, which are nearly 22 points below the national average. Its rent is below the rest of the country, and its median home cost is almost $150K cheaper. While utilities are near the national average, they're still lower. Combined with the affordable homes Missouri offers, you might be able to retire in Missouri without paying too much. There's a reason why many are looking to Missouri as their retirement place. Here is why you should too.
Cost-of-living indices
100 = US average. Higher means more expensive.
Housing & rent
Statewide medians and averages.
Whether you're comparing options for a parent or planning ahead for yourself, here's where to start by care level.
Assisted living provides personal care, meals, and daily support for seniors who need help with everyday tasks but not full medical supervision.
Memory care is a specialized type of senior living for people with Alzheimer's disease, dementia, or other cognitive decline.
Independent living is community housing for active seniors who want amenities, social life, and freedom from home upkeep without daily personal-care services.
Home care brings personal-care services and companionship into the senior's own home rather than moving them into a community.
A skilled nursing facility (SNF, often called a nursing home) provides 24-hour licensed medical care and rehabilitation for seniors with serious health conditions.
Senior apartments are age-restricted rental homes - typically for residents 55+ or 62+ - designed for older adults who live independently.
Browse by city
Hand-picked from our directory
Independence, MO
3.3 · 36 reviews
Blue Springs, MO
4.3 · 24 reviews
Ballwin, MO
4.3 · 22 reviews
O Fallon, MO
4.0 · 22 reviews
Chesterfield, MO
3.2 · 21 reviews
Springfield, MO
4.8 · 20 reviews
Caregivers who come to you
O Fallon, MO
4.8 · 216 reviews
Buckner, MO
4.5 · 172 reviews
Columbia, MO
4.4 · 93 reviews
Liberty, MO
5.0 · 51 reviews
Ballwin, MO
4.7 · 42 reviews
Belton, MO
4.5 · 27 reviews
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Guides for families
Resource library
The enhanced premium tax credits that held down Affordable Care Act premiums from 2021 through 2025 have expired, and Congress has not renewed them for 2027. The 400 percent subsidy cliff is back, and adults 50 to 64 face the steepest increases. Here is what changed and what to do during open enrollment.
Resource library
If you claim Social Security early and keep working, 2027 lets you earn more before any benefit is held back. The under-full-retirement-age limit rises to $25,560 a year. Here is how the earnings test works, what counts as earnings, and why the money that is withheld is not actually gone.
Resource library
For two years, a federal program quietly held down the premiums on stand-alone Medicare drug plans. It ends with the 2027 plan year, which is why some Part D premiums could jump more this Open Enrollment than they have recently. Here is what changed, who is affected, and how to protect your drug costs before December 7.
Savings
Most U.S. airlines quietly dropped senior fares. We checked all 13 carriers against their own pages: which discounts are real in 2026, which are gone, and how to tell a senior fare from a regular one.
Savings
Compare senior grocery discounts at 13 chains, including age requirements, shopping days, and exclusions. Learn how to confirm local participation and request savings at checkout.
Savings
Section 8, Section 202, public housing and tax credit apartments explained in plain language: who qualifies, what rent really costs, what paperwork to gather, and how to work the waiting lists so you don't lose your place.
More beyond care: all savings guides and all buying guides.
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