A wise sage once said:
‘She works hard for the money…’
And these places in Missouri definitely treat her right.
You see, these are the places in Missouri where the cost of living is the lowest; where your salary goes the furthest. And when if you have the luxury of choosing where to live in the Show Me State, then the cost of living should play a role in the decision.
So we did the hard for you and crunched the numbers to find the cities that have lower food, energy, and housing costs. After the dust settled on our analysis of the 120 largest places in Missouri, we were left with this set of the best value for your money.
Here are the 10 cheapest places to live in Missouri for 2018:
- Dexter (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Kennett (Homes For Sale)
- Poplar Bluff (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Sikeston (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Nevada (Homes For Sale)
- Neosho (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Webb City (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Carthage (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Joplin (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Aurora (Photos | Homes For Sale)
So listen up Ladue (the most expensive place in Missouri) as we explain how we created this ranking. You could learn some things from the rest of the state.
And if you already knew these places were cheap, check out the best places to live in Missouri or the most expensive.
How We Determined The Cheapest Places To Live In The Show Me State For 2018
There are basic necessities that you have to buy no matter where in the country you live. Those things include:
- Housing
- Food
- Gas
- Health Insurance
- Utilities
- Transportation
You can then compare the cost of these things in each of the places in Missouri to figure out which is the least expensive.
What you are left with is a ‘Cost of Living Index’ that normalizes to 100 for an average place in the United States.
So we used that cost of living index in order to rank all of the 120 places in Missouri that have more than 5,000 people.
And just so you can better understand how the cost of living index works, 100 is the average cost of a place in the United States. A score of 90 means that the place cost 10% less than average. A score of 90 means it’s 10% less expensive.
San Francisco has a score of 243 meaning it’s almost 2.5 times as expensive as the average place in the country.
1. Dexter
Population: 7,846 Services: 93
Groceries: 92
Health Care: 86
Housing: 49
Transportation: 87
Utilities: 92
More on Dexter: Homes For Sale | Data
Dexter is a city in Stoddard County, Missouri, United States, founded in 1873. The population was 7,864 at the 2010 census.
2. Kennett
Population: 11,244 Services: 93
Groceries: 92
Health Care: 86
Housing: 52
Transportation: 87
Utilities: 92
More on Kennett: Homes For Sale | Data
Kennett is a city in and the county seat of Dunklin County, Missouri, United States. The city is located in the southeast corner (or ‘Bootheel’) of Missouri, 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Arkansas and 20 miles (32 km) from the Mississippi River. It has a population of 10,932 according to the 2010 Census. It is the largest city in the Bootheel, a mostly agricultural area.
3. Poplar Bluff
Population: 17,110 Services: 93
Groceries: 92
Health Care: 86
Housing: 52
Transportation: 87
Utilities: 92
More on Poplar Bluff: Homes For Sale | Data
Poplar Bluff is a small city in Butler County in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is the county seat of Butler County and is known as ‘The Gateway to the Ozarks’ among other names. The population was 17,023 at the 2010 census.
4. Sikeston
Population: 16,414 Services: 93
Groceries: 92
Health Care: 86
Housing: 58
Transportation: 87
Utilities: 92
More on Sikeston: Homes For Sale | Data
Sikeston /sakstn/ is a city located both in southern Scott County and northern New Madrid County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is situated just north of the ‘Missouri Bootheel’, although many locals consider Sikeston a part of it. By way of Interstate 55, Interstate 57, and U.S. Route 60, Sikeston is close to the halfway point between St. Louis, Missouri and Memphis, Tennessee and three hours from Nashville, Tennessee. The city is named after John Sikes, who founded it in 1860. It is the principal city of the Sikeston Micropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of all of Scott County, and has a total population of 41,143.
5. Nevada
Population: 8,073 Services: 94
Groceries: 89
Health Care: 90
Housing: 46
Transportation: 87
Utilities: 119
More on Nevada: Homes For Sale | Data
Nevada /nved/ (local pronunciation is NevAYda) is a city and a county seat of Vernon County, Missouri, United States. The population was 8,386 at the 2010 census, and 8,171 in the 2012 estimate. Nevada is the home of Cottey College. Nevada’s local government is the council-manager model. The mayor of Nevada is Brian Leanard.
6. Neosho
Population: 11,906 Services: 94
Groceries: 89
Health Care: 90
Housing: 52
Transportation: 87
Utilities: 119
More on Neosho: Homes For Sale | Data
Neosho (/nioo/; originally Siouan pronunciation: [nioo] or Siouan pronunciation: [niou] is the most populous city in Newton County, Missouri, United States, which it serves as the county seat. With a population of 11,835 as of the 2010 census, the city is a part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region with an estimated 176,849 (2011) residents. Neosho lies on the western edge of the Ozarks.
7. Webb City
Population: 10,923 Services: 94
Groceries: 89
Health Care: 90
Housing: 54
Transportation: 87
Utilities: 119
More on Webb City: Homes For Sale | Data
Webb City is a city in Jasper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,996 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. Webb City also has a police department, a fire department, and animal control services.
8. Carthage
Population: 14,271 Services: 94
Groceries: 89
Health Care: 90
Housing: 55
Transportation: 87
Utilities: 119
More on Carthage: Homes For Sale | Data
Carthage is a city in Jasper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 14,378 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Jasper County and is nicknamed ‘America’s Maple Leaf City.’
9. Joplin
Population: 49,924 Services: 94
Groceries: 89
Health Care: 90
Housing: 60
Transportation: 87
Utilities: 119
More on Joplin: Homes For Sale | Data
Joplin (/dpln/) or (/pln/) is a city in southern Jasper County and northern Newton County in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. Joplin is the largest city in Jasper County, though it is not the county seat (the county seat is Carthage). As of the 2010 census, the city population was 50,150. Joplin is the main hub of the three-county Joplin-Miami, Oklahoma metropolitan area.
10. Aurora
Population: 7,502 Services: 99
Groceries: 100
Health Care: 94
Housing: 52
Transportation: 83
Utilities: 103
More on Aurora: Homes For Sale | Data
Aurora is a city in Lawrence County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,508 at the 2010 census.
There You Have It Mr. Or Mrs. Cheapskate
If you’re looking at the cost of living numbers in Missouri, this is an accurate list of the cheapest places to call home.
