Kansas City vs Springfield
The short version
- Springfield is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the Kansas City area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $177,700 in Springfield and $242,900 in Kansas City.
- Households earn more in Kansas City ($69,166 vs $49,311 median).
- Springfield has the warmer winter: January highs of 44°F vs 40°F.
- Kansas City is growing faster: +2.6% since 2020 vs +0.4%.
- Commutes are shorter in Springfield (18 vs 22 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Kansas City, MO | Springfield, MO | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 521,220 | 169,847 |
| Growth since 2020 | +2.6% | +0.4% |
| People per square mile | 1,657 | 2,039 |
| Median age | 35.8 | 33.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 38% | 31% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $69,166 | $49,311 |
| Median home value | $242,900 | $177,700 |
| Home value to income | 3.5× | 3.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,238 | $964 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 92.5 | 88.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 86.6 | 65.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $69,400 | $66,400 |
| Homeowners | 55% | 44% |
| Top state income tax | 4.7% | 4.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.44% | 8.44% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 21.7 | 17.6 |
| Work from home | 17% | 10% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Poverty rate | 14.6% | 18.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 40° / 22° | 44° / 24° |
| July high / low | 90° / 72° | 90° / 69° |
| Precipitation per year | 38 in | 45 in |
| Snowfall per year | 11 in | 14 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 47 | 40 |
| Nights below freezing | 93 | 95 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 96.5 | 90.1 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 49% | 63% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.2% | +4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +42.4% | +47.8% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Kansas City: April and September to October. Springfield: June and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Kansas City weather by month and Springfield weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $69,400 in Kansas City and $66,400 in Springfield. Moving from Kansas City to Springfield, you would need about $71,800 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Kansas City and Springfield
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Kansas City and Springfield.
Which would you pick?
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