Moving to Missouri
New residents should check the driver license deadline with the Missouri Department of Revenue and must register a car within 30 days. Prices are 9.2% below the U.S. average, and a single filer earning $100,000 pays about $3,670 in Missouri income tax. 72,481 households moved here from other states in 2022–2023, most often from Kansas and Illinois.
New resident checklist for Missouri
Driver license
No fixed day count is published for a regular license (commercial drivers have 30 days); check with the Missouri Department of Revenue. Bring your out-of-state license and proof of Missouri address. Bring proof of identity, your Social Security number and two proofs of your Missouri address.
Vehicle title and registration
Title within 30 days of becoming a resident. Vehicles titled in another state need a VIN and odometer inspection; a Missouri safety inspection satisfies it. Emissions testing applies in the St. Louis area. Switch your auto insurance to a Missouri policy.
Taxes or fees on a car you bring: Whether Missouri sales tax applies to a vehicle you already own depends on when you bought it and the tax you paid. Bring your out-of-state title and any sales tax receipt, and ask the Missouri Department of Revenue.
Annual registration: Based on the vehicle's taxable horsepower, plus a processing fee. Plug-in electric vehicles also need an annual alternative fuel decal: $150 in 2026 ($75 for plug-in hybrids).
Extra yearly fee for an electric vehicle: $150.
Establishing residency
The 30-day titling clock starts when you become a Missouri resident. Residency also decides where you pay income tax in the year you move; see taxes the year you move.
Your first-month checklist in Missouri
- Register to vote at your new address.
- Update your address with the IRS (Form 8822), your employer and your bank.
- Make sure your employer withholds Missouri income tax from your move date.
- Set up utilities and get renters or homeowners insurance. Owners with a mortgage here paid a median $1,676 a year for homeowners insurance in 2024 (Census ACS); premiums have risen in most states since, so get quotes.
- Keep your lease or closing papers and your license date as proof of when you became a resident.
Still planning the move itself? The moving out of state checklist covers the weeks before you go, and the moving timeline turns your move date into dated deadlines. Our guide to moving with pets covers vet records, travel and local pet rules. Shipping a car? See shipping a car to another state, or take the Where should I move? quiz.
Official site: dor.mo.gov. Sources: dor.mo.gov (2), dor.mo.gov (3), afdc.energy.gov, dor.mo.gov (4). Reviewed 2026-09-25. Rules and fees change; confirm with the Missouri motor vehicle agency before you go.
Compare your move to Missouri
Pick the state you're leaving and your salary to see your take-home pay, rent and the salary that keeps your buying power the same in Missouri.
Equal salary in MO: $74,400
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $74,400 in Missouri to match $75,000 in Kansas ($600 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary, standard deduction.
These changes cover taxes, housing and electricity. Food, transport, healthcare, other spending and one-time moving costs are excluded. They are not total savings. State medians may differ from your neighborhood and current quotes.
| Tax on $75,000 | Kansas | Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $7,670 | $7,670 |
| Social Security + Medicare | $5,738 | $5,738 |
| State income tax | $3,385 | $2,534 |
| State payroll programs (UI, disability, paid leave, transit) | $0 | $0 |
| Take-home pay | $58,207 | $59,059 |
Full reports for the most common moves to Missouri: Kansas to Missouri, Illinois to Missouri, Texas to Missouri, California to Missouri, Florida to Missouri and Arkansas to Missouri.
Living in Missouri: costs, taxes and risk
Of the 51 (the 50 states and D.C.), Missouri is not in the best 10 on any of the measures we rank, and in the worst 10 for household income.
- Median rent
- $1,067/mo U.S. $1,487
- Cost to own the median home
- $1,655/mo U.S. $2,298
- Take-home on $100,000
- $75,510 $432 more than in the median state
- Property tax (effective)
- 0.79% median $2,021/yr
- FEMA risk score
- 80.1 of 100 Among the highest of U.S. counties
- Moved in from other states
- 72,481 households, IRS 2022–2023
Pros and cons of living in Missouri
How Missouri ranks among all 51 (the 50 states and D.C.) on 11 measures of costs, taxes, risk and income. Top 10 means among the 10 best for someone moving in, Bottom 10 among the 10 worst.
Where Missouri ranks best
Missouri is not in the best 10 on any of these measures. Its strongest is rent, 11th lowest of 51.
Where Missouri ranks worst
- Bottom 10 Lowest household incomes: $71,589 median household income (Census ACS 2024), 9th lowest of 51.
Measures: state income tax, overall prices, rent, cost to own a home, property tax rate, homeowners insurance, electric bills, car insurance, health premiums, natural hazard risk, household income. State income tax is for a single filer earning $100,000 under 2026 rules, including the average county income tax in Indiana and Maryland. Ties share a rank.
Where new Missouri residents come from
In the latest IRS migration data (2022–2023), 72,481 households filed their taxes in Missouri after filing in another state the year before. Kansas sent the most, 12,138 households (17% of the total). Missouri gained a net 2,794 households from other states that year.
Five-year trend
Moves to Missouri from other states peaked in 2021–22 at 73,289 households, then held roughly steady to 72,481 in 2022–23, up 14% from 2018–19. Missouri gained households from other states on net in four of the five years.
IRS SOI state-to-state migration files, tax years 2018–19 to 2022–23. Net gain or loss by year: 2018–19 −1,081, 2019–20 +3,076, 2020–21 +3,636, 2021–22 +2,032, 2022–23 +2,794.
Cost of living in Missouri vs the U.S.
Overall prices in Missouri are 9.2% below the U.S. average, 13th cheapest of 51. The widest gap is in housing (69.9), 30% below the U.S. level.
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024.
- Average electric bill
- $129/mo U.S. $142
- Car insurance, per car
- $1,155/yr U.S. $1,282
- Health plan, age 40
- $605/mo U.S. $625
EIA 2024 average residential bills, NAIC 2023 average auto insurance expenditure, KFF 2026 benchmark silver Marketplace premium before subsidies.
Taxes in Missouri: take-home pay at three incomes
Missouri taxes wages. Here is what a single filer keeps after 2026 federal and state taxes, compared with the middle of all 51.
| Salary | MO income tax | Take-home | vs. median state |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $1,368 | $40,987 | +$209 |
| $100,000 | $3,670 | $75,510 | +$432 |
| $150,000 | $6,113 | $107,678 | +$92 |
Single filer, 2026 tax rules, standard deduction. Take-home is after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Missouri income taxes. "vs. median state" is the difference from the median take-home of all 51 at the same salary. For married filing jointly, change the filing status in the calculator above.
The statewide sales tax rate is 4.225% before any local sales taxes. Homeowners pay a median $2,021 a year in property tax, 0.79% of the median home value (property tax by county). Retiring? See how Missouri taxes Social Security and pensions. Moving mid-year? Read about taxes the year you move.
Cities in Missouri: where a paycheck goes furthest
Of the 3 Missouri metro areas we cover, Springfield is the best value: about $68,200 there buys what $75,000 buys in an average-priced area with no state income tax. St. Louis takes the most, $75,400.
| Metro area | Salary to match $75k | Price level | Median rent | Median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield | $68,200 | 88.6 | $1,019 | $260,000 |
| Kansas City | $72,900 | 92.5 | $1,315 | $314,300 |
| St. Louis | $75,400 | 95.1 | $1,154 | $268,300 |
Salary to match $75k: the pay that leaves the same after-tax, price-adjusted income as $75,000 in an area at U.S. average prices with no state income tax, single filer, including the principal city's own income tax where it has one. BEA 2024 price levels (U.S. = 100) and Census ACS 2024 rent and home values for each metro area.
Housing and home insurance in Missouri
| Measure | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Median rent (monthly) | $1,067 | $1,487 |
| Median home value | $254,400 | $360,600 |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $1,655 | $2,298 |
| Income needed to buy the median home | $70,941 | $98,486 |
| Median property tax (yearly) | $2,021 | $3,211 |
| Homeowners insurance (yearly median, homes with a mortgage) | $1,676 | $1,450 |
Census ACS 2024 rent, home value and property tax, and ACS 2024 homeowners insurance. Cost to own: principal and interest at the Freddie Mac 30-year average (6.95%) with 20% down, plus the median property tax and the median homeowners insurance paid by owners with a mortgage. Premiums have risen since 2024, especially in high-risk areas, so get quotes. See buying a home in Missouri for other down payments.
Natural disaster risk in Missouri
Missouri's population-weighted score on FEMA's National Risk Index is 80.1 of 100, among the highest of U.S. counties and 25th safest of 51. Expected losses from natural hazards average about $641 per resident a year, and about 33% of residents live in counties FEMA rates relatively high or very high.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
See disaster risk for every Missouri county and how to check a home's risk before you move.
Frequently asked questions
Where do people moving to Missouri come from?
In IRS migration data for 2022–2023, 72,481 households moved to Missouri from other states. The most came from Kansas (12,138 households), Illinois (8,668) and Texas (5,785).
What are the pros and cons of living in Missouri?
Missouri is not in the best 10 of the 50 states and D.C. on any measure we rank; its strongest is rent, 11th lowest of 51. Where it ranks worst: lowest household incomes, 9th lowest of 51.
Is Missouri expensive to live in?
Overall prices in Missouri are 9.2% below the U.S. average (BEA price level 90.8, 2024), 13th cheapest of 51. Median rent is $1,067 a month and the median home is worth $254,400.
How long do I have to get a Missouri driver license after moving?
No fixed day count is published for a regular license (commercial drivers have 30 days); check with the Missouri Department of Revenue. Bring your out-of-state license and proof of Missouri address.
How long do I have to register my car in Missouri?
30 days. Title within 30 days of becoming a resident. Vehicles titled in another state need a VIN and odometer inspection; a Missouri safety inspection satisfies it. Emissions testing applies in the St. Louis area.
Do new residents pay tax on a car brought to Missouri?
Whether Missouri sales tax applies to a vehicle you already own depends on when you bought it and the tax you paid. Bring your out-of-state title and any sales tax receipt, and ask the Missouri Department of Revenue.
What makes me a Missouri resident?
The 30-day titling clock starts when you become a Missouri resident.