Overall
86.4
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
St. Joseph, MO-KS
Cost-of-living indicators for St. Joseph, MO-KS, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 86.4
- Overall RPP
- #361
- of 387 metros
- 55.4
- Rents RPP
- $116K
- $100K national buys
St. Joseph ranks #361 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 6.2 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Morristown
The verdict
St. Joseph costs less than 93% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 86.4, 13.6% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 55.4.
- bottom 7%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 94.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 88.3
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $115,765 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $86,382.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
St. Joseph's overall RPP fell -1.2 points, from 87.6 in 2023 to 86.4 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 59.4 to 55.4. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 6.2 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2014, when the index dropped 1.9 points from the year before.
St. Joseph overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 92.6 |
| 2009 | 92.7 |
| 2010 | 91.3 |
| 2011 | 90.3 |
| 2012 | 91.0 |
| 2013 | 92.0 |
| 2014 | 90.1 |
| 2015 | 90.0 |
| 2016 | 88.7 |
| 2017 | 88.2 |
| 2018 | 89.6 |
| 2019 | 88.6 |
| 2020 | 87.8 |
| 2021 | 88.9 |
| 2022 | 87.1 |
| 2023 | 87.6 |
| 2024 | 86.4 |
St. Joseph vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
86 Bottom 7% higher than 7% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
St. Joseph cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
55.4 RPP
- Services
Services
88.3 RPP
- Overall
Overall
86.4 RPP
- Goods
Goods
94.2 RPP
What this shows St. Joseph's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 55.4 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 88.3. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where St. Joseph's cost comes from
Metros near St. Joseph's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- St. Joseph (St. Joseph, this metro): goods RPP 94.2, rents RPP 55.4
- Morristown: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 59
- Kingsport: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 56.5
- Sioux City: goods RPP 94, rents RPP 57.8
- Grand Island: goods RPP 94.1, rents RPP 61.7
- Grand Forks: goods RPP 95.6, rents RPP 59.7
- Paducah: goods RPP 96, rents RPP 48.8
Price Index Summary
Goods
94.2
Below avg
Services
88.3
Cheap
Rents
55.4
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How St. Joseph's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in St. Joseph: rents index at 55.4, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 86.4.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Albany, GA, Brunswick-St. Simons, GA, Rocky Mount, NC. They resemble St. Joseph across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, St. Joseph's overall index has fallen by 6.2 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$86,382
in St. Joseph, MO-KS purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$43,191
$75,000 nationally
$64,787
$125,000 nationally
$107,978
$150,000 nationally
$129,573
$200,000 nationally
$172,764
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
A
92/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability A
92nd percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
MO-relative analysis
Rent prices places St. Joseph, MO-KS toward the bottom of MO's metros
Among the 8 MO metros PlainCost tracks with reported rent prices data, St. Joseph, MO-KS ranks #7 - the 13th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares St. Joseph, MO-KS only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#6 of 8
25th percentile in MO
Services prices
#2 of 8
75th percentile in MO
Rent prices
#7 of 8
13th percentile in MO
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within MO only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for St. Joseph, MO-KS: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (86.4 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (55.4 here).
Other MO Metros
St. Louis, MO-IL 95.1 Kansas City, MO-KS 92.5 Columbia, MO 89.4 Springfield, MO 88.6 Jefferson City, MO 88.0 Cape Girardeau, MO-IL 86.1
View all MO metros → Cheapest in MO → Most expensive in MO →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to St. Joseph's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Albany, GA
Goods 96.3 · Services 88.3 · Rents 54.6 Brunswick-St. Simons, GA
Goods 96.3 · Services 87.3 · Rents 56.3 Rocky Mount, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 88.4 · Rents 56.1 Anniston-Oxford, AL
Goods 96.4 · Services 87.1 · Rents 54.7 Joplin, MO-KS
Goods 94.2 · Services 85.9 · Rents 54.0 Muncie, IN
Goods 94.3 · Services 86.4 · Rents 57.5
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to St. Joseph, MO-KS's index of 86.4.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for St. Joseph
How to read St. Joseph's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $115,765 in St. Joseph. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 55.4, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare St. Joseph head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in St. Joseph, MO-KS?
St. Joseph, MO-KS has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 86.4, meaning it is 13.6% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 94.2, services at 88.3, and rents at 55.4. It ranks #361 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in St. Joseph, MO-KS to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $86,382 in St. Joseph, MO-KS. Conversely, $100K earned in St. Joseph, MO-KS has the purchasing power of $115,765 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in St. Joseph, MO-KS?
Rents in St. Joseph, MO-KS are indexed at 55.4, which is 44.6% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is St. Joseph, MO-KS getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, St. Joseph, MO-KS's overall cost index changed by -6.2 points (from 92.6 to 86.4). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in St. Joseph, MO-KS?
The priciest category in St. Joseph, MO-KS is goods at 94.2, 5.8% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 55.4, 44.6% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to St. Joseph, MO-KS?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Morristown, Kingsport-Bristol, Sioux City. These areas have RPP values within a few points of St. Joseph, MO-KS's 86.4.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.