Moving from Ohio to Missouri
Everyone compares rent and groceries. Almost nobody compares the two numbers that actually decide whether a move works: state income tax and property tax. Here is Ohio and Missouri, side by side.
Moving to Missouri costs about
About the same
Ohio and Missouri work out within $50/mo of each other
Worth knowing
State income tax is what separates these two states
Of everything that changes when you move from Ohio to Missouri, state income tax moves the most: about $117 a month more, which is most of the whole difference.
Ohio vs Missouri at a glance
| Ohio | Missouri | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $214,800 | $230,300 |
| Median rent | $1,034/mo | $1,033/mo |
| State income tax | Up to 2.75% | Up to 4.70% |
| Property tax rate | 1.31% | 0.85% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 94 | 96 |
| Utilities | 96 | 79 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
What changes each month
| Monthly | OH | MO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,034 | $1,033 | -$1 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income taxBiggest factor | $118 | $235 | +$117 |
| Local income tax (state average) | $105 | $15 | -$90 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $84 | $60 | -$24 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,717 | $1,765 | +$48 |
| Utilities | $391 | $324 | -$67 |
| Total | -$20 | ||
What the move itself costs
$1,900 to $4,300
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $450 to $700, against roughly $200 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 2-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Cincinnati is not Ohio-average and St. Louis is not Missouri-average, so a specific city can look nothing like its state. Compare metro areas instead to narrow it to 387 real places, including which side of a state line you would live on.
Run this with your own numbers
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Every figure is a statewide median or average and will not match any particular household.