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Jackson County · Missouri

Cost of living in Kansas City, MO

Price levels published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis for Kansas City, MO-KS, with the national average set to 100 — so 108 means things cost 8% more here than the US average.

Quick answer

Living in Kansas City, MO costs 7.5% below the national average — an all-items price level of 92.5. To match the buying power of a $100,000 national-average salary you would need about $92,543 here.

All items
92.5US average = 100
Housing
86.613.4% below the national average
Goods
94.15.9% below the national average
Other services
93.46.6% below the national average

Price level by component

Where the difference actually comes from.

ComponentIndexvs USWhat it covers
Goods94.1-5.9%Groceries, fuel, clothing, durable purchases.
Housing86.6-13.4%Rents and imputed rents — the biggest single swing factor.
Utilities89.0-11.0%Electricity, gas, water and other household energy.
Other services93.4-6.6%Healthcare, dining, repairs, personal services.

What your salary is worth in Kansas City, MO

Enter a salary. We deflate it by the local price level (92.5 where 100 is the US average) and show what you would need to earn here to match the same pay somewhere average.

Real value here
$68,556
Needed to match US average
$58,713
Monthly difference
$-394

What a local paycheck is really worth

Nominal pay is only half the story.

The median household in Kansas City earns $63,444. Deflated by the local price level, that is $68,556 in national-average dollars — the BEA calls this real income, and it is simply income × 100 ÷ 92.5.

Run your own salary through the comparison tool →

Same city, other datasets.

Source: US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities

2024 BEA Regional Price Parities, published for Kansas City, MO-KS. Parities are metro-wide, so a single neighbourhood can sit well above or below these figures.