In the 4th quarter of 2002, Missouri had the 18th lowest cost of living in the United States (of the 45 states and the District of Columbia surveyed by ACCRA). In general, the most expensive areas to live are New England, Alaska, Hawaii, and the West Coast. The least expensive areas continue to be the Midwest and Southern States.
MERIC derives the cost of living index for each state by averaging the indices of participating cities and metropolitan areas in that state. Missouri's cost of living for the 4th quarter 2002 was 94.6, compared to 92.6 in the previous quarter.
Cities across the nation participate in ACCRA's survey on a volunteer basis. Price information in the survey is governed by ACCRA collection guidelines which strive for uniformity. No cities in DE, ME, NH, RI, or VT participated last quarter.
| 4th Quarter 2002 Cost of Living Figures | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Rank | Composite Index | Grocery Items | Health Care | Housing | MISC | Transportation | Utilities |
| AK | 42 | 128.2 | 133.6 | 147.6 | 131.7 | 122.0 | 119.8 | 129.7 |
| AL | 12 | 92.8 | 96.0 | 84.2 | 83.1 | 98.9 | 97.3 | 95.0 |
| AR | 1 | 89.5 | 90.2 | 86.7 | 80.2 | 95.4 | 93.4 | 93.9 |
| AZ | 26 | 98.7 | 106.2 | 104.6 | 91.8 | 97.5 | 101.5 | 106.2 |
| CA | 43 | 130.7 | 120.9 | 133.4 | 172.4 | 109.0 | 113.1 | 114.7 |
| CO | 34 | 102.2 | 106.2 | 109.5 | 106.6 | 98.8 | 103.8 | 86.3 |
| CT | 40 | 126.0 | 114.1 | 132.2 | 161.1 | 103.3 | 113.3 | 132.6 |
| DC | 44 | 137.6 | 117.9 | 116.1 | 188.1 | 117.5 | 124.8 | 113.0 |
| FL | 23 | 98.0 | 102.2 | 98.3 | 88.5 | 101.5 | 103.3 | 101.7 |
| GA | 8 | 92.0 | 98.7 | 90.6 | 79.7 | 98.6 | 92.2 | 95.0 |
| HI | 46 | 154.6 | 158.2 | 120.1 | 217.8 | 106.1 | 135.5 | 171.8 |
| IA | 13 | 92.8 | 89.1 | 91.5 | 89.4 | 95.5 | 97.8 | 95.9 |
| ID | 16 | 93.9 | 91.3 | 99.4 | 86.6 | 100.6 | 99.6 | 86.7 |
| IL | 30 | 100.8 | 99.0 | 97.3 | 101.6 | 99.2 | 104.2 | 105.8 |
| IN | 9 | 92.4 | 92.3 | 91.9 | 87.4 | 93.9 | 94.5 | 101.1 |
| KS | 15 | 93.9 | 91.5 | 89.9 | 86.6 | 98.8 | 98.4 | 100.9 |
| KY | 5 | 91.6 | 93.8 | 89.7 | 85.0 | 97.1 | 93.9 | 86.2 |
| LA | 27 | 98.8 | 96.1 | 91.5 | 98.3 | 100.7 | 99.5 | 102.5 |
| MA | 41 | 127.2 | 109.1 | 127.0 | 168.7 | 103.6 | 113.0 | 133.1 |
| MD | 14 | 93.7 | 91.9 | 92.3 | 87.5 | 96.9 | 93.2 | 107.7 |
| MI | 25 | 98.6 | 109.1 | 88.0 | 89.6 | 103.5 | 104.7 | 88.3 |
| MN | 36 | 102.9 | 99.1 | 109.0 | 102.3 | 100.6 | 110.2 | 108.9 |
| MO | 18 | 94.6 | 96.9 | 95.8 | 87.9 | 99.1 | 94.9 | 93.7 |
| MS | 10 | 92.4 | 93.4 | 86.5 | 81.9 | 100.4 | 96.0 | 93.8 |
| MT | 21 | 97.2 | 107.4 | 93.4 | 92.4 | 100.1 | 96.5 | 84.8 |
| NC | 20 | 96.4 | 98.5 | 92.1 | 96.2 | 97.4 | 92.7 | 95.9 |
| ND | 4 | 91.5 | 95.6 | 85.1 | 83.8 | 97.6 | 96.6 | 82.7 |
| NE | 11 | 92.6 | 100.0 | 88.2 | 85.2 | 96.5 | 96.6 | 85.6 |
| NJ | 45 | 143.1 | 114.4 | 178.8 | 197.8 | 117.0 | 111.8 | 133.8 |
| NM | 35 | 102.5 | 99.5 | 106.7 | 111.1 | 100.4 | 99.9 | 88.1 |
| NV | 37 | 102.9 | 109.9 | 108.2 | 97.9 | 99.6 | 108.4 | 110.0 |
| NY | 39 | 119.6 | 112.3 | 114.7 | 141.5 | 107.1 | 108.5 | 126.1 |
| OH | 22 | 97.4 | 104.6 | 92.2 | 86.9 | 97.5 | 100.6 | 118.1 |
| OK | 6 | 91.7 | 94.2 | 91.2 | 81.4 | 98.2 | 93.2 | 94.3 |
| OR | 38 | 106.5 | 106.9 | 119.1 | 106.9 | 106.8 | 101.2 | 102.6 |
| PA | 29 | 100.0 | 99.2 | 91.4 | 97.1 | 99.5 | 100.4 | 118.2 |
| SC | 24 | 98.1 | 99.0 | 92.3 | 92.7 | 103.1 | 96.3 | 100.2 |
| SD | 28 | 99.5 | 98.3 | 93.9 | 92.5 | 106.4 | 100.2 | 100.7 |
| TN | 2 | 89.6 | 93.7 | 85.3 | 79.7 | 97.2 | 92.0 | 84.7 |
| TX | 3 | 91.0 | 87.4 | 95.7 | 83.7 | 95.8 | 96.8 | 93.2 |
| UT | 17 | 94.5 | 108.9 | 89.7 | 82.1 | 99.2 | 99.0 | 87.1 |
| VA | 33 | 102.0 | 100.6 | 99.0 | 107.2 | 99.3 | 100.4 | 101.8 |
| WA | 31 | 101.6 | 108.5 | 120.6 | 97.9 | 101.8 | 98.5 | 91.7 |
| WI | 19 | 95.1 | 91.4 | 104.4 | 91.2 | 97.0 | 99.9 | 97.0 |
| WV | 7 | 91.9 | 99.8 | 90.2 | 84.1 | 93.7 | 101.5 | 85.2 |
| WY | 32 | 101.7 | 103.0 | 97.0 | 102.6 | 101.8 | 99.5 | 100.8 |
Both Kansas City and St. Louis had an index score over the national average of 100 in the 4th quarter of 2002. Other Missouri cities ranged from an index of 85.3 in Joplin to 98.1 in Columbia. In general, the metropolitan areas are the most expensive areas in Missouri to reside.
| Cost of Living Indices for Participating Missouri Cities 4th Quarter 2002 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | Composite Index | Grocery Items | Housing | Utilities | Transportation | Health Care | Misc. |
| Columbia | 98.1 | 99.0 | 92.7 | 95.5 | 97.7 | 92.9 | 103.9 |
| Jefferson City | 94.6 | 96.4 | 81.9 | 100.3 | 99.9 | 88.8 | 102.5 |
| Joplin | 85.3 | 82.5 | 80.1 | 93.3 | 81.0 | 92.9 | 89.4 |
| Kansas City | 103.3 | 96.7 | 101.4 | 97.3 | 107.1 | 110.8 | 107.3 |
| Nevada | 88.0 | 91.7 | 82.8 | 84.9 | 83.2 | 89.5 | 92.7 |
| St Louis | 103.5 | 115.7 | 96.3 | 106.9 | 102.8 | 99.4 | 103.6 |
| Springfield | 89.2 | 96.5 | 79.9 | 77.5 | 92.8 | 96.5 | 94.4 |
| Missouri | 94.6 | 96.9 | 95.8 | 87.9 | 99.1 | 94.9 | 93.7 |
| US Average | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
