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Missouri city profile

What Is It Like to Live in Kansas City?

What it costs to live in Kansas City, and how it compares with other Missouri cities, in plain numbers.

Value score

26

52nd best value in Missouri

How much you get for what you pay, versus other Missouri cities.

Overall livability

30

50th overall in Missouri

Cost, safety, schools, jobs and quality of life combined.

Kansas City is home to about 502,597 people. A typical home runs $175,400 and a household earns around $60,000, a price-to-income ratio of 2.9. Among Missouri's largest cities, it ranks 52nd for value and 50th overall.

Kansas City at a glance

Median home price

$175,400

40th in MO of 58

Median rent

$1,040/mo

Median household income

$60,000

Home price to income

2.9x

Unemployment

5.1%

42nd in MO of 58

School rating

4/10

36th in MO of 58

Air quality (AQI)

45

0th in MO of 58

Walk score

62/100

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‹ See all top Missouri cities ranked  ยท  Missouri state profile ›

Sources: Home prices and rent from Zillow; income, unemployment and commute from the U.S. Census; school ratings from state education data; crime from the FBI; air quality from the EPA. City rankings are within Missouri only. Updated 2026.