Cost Of Living in Charleston, MO

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Charleston	Missouri	National
Cost of living	78	88	100
Goods & Services	94	92	100
Groceries	97	95	100
Health care	87	90	100
Housing	46	78	100
Transportation	89	91	100
Utilities	86	99	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Charleston is 12% lower than the Missouri average
The cost of living in Charleston is 22% lower than the national average
Charleston housing is 54% lower than the national average
Missouri general sales tax is 17% lower than the national average
Missouri state income tax is 23% lower than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$43,214	$3,601	$1,008	$1,297
Renters	$13,231	$1,103	$309	$397

A good indicator of the general affordability of housing in Charleston, MO, is the percentage of monthly income that should be spent on housing expenses, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Generally speaking, no more than 28 percent of your total gross income should be spent on your housing expenses and not more than 36 percent of your gross income on total expenses, including debts. In Charleston, the median monthly income is $43,214 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $1,008 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $13,231, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $309 on monthly rental expenses.

Missouri Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Missouri	4.225%	10.85%

Missouri Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Missouri	2%	4.95%

Goods & Services

Item	Charleston	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$24.01	$24.26	1.0%
Beauty Salon	$33.55	$45.56	26.4%
Toothpaste	$3.74	$3.70	1.1%
Shampoo	$1.08	$1.28	15.9%
Movie	$11.93	$12.13	1.7%
Bowling	$12.50	$18.00	30.6%

Groceries

Item	Charleston	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$5.94	$5.84	1.7%
Fried Chicken	$1.67	$1.57	6.2%
Milk	$4.54	$4.67	2.8%
Potatoes	$5.03	$4.93	1.9%
Pizza	$12.00	$12.09	0.7%
Beer	$9.74	$10.41	6.5%

Health Care

Item	Charleston	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$127.08	$125.68	1.1%
Doctor	$138.39	$135.78	1.9%
Dentist	$86.67	$113.29	23.5%
Ibuprofen	$10.10	$10.65	5.2%
Lipitor	$338.33	$468.60	27.8%

Housing

Item	Charleston	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$66,800.00	$184,700.00	63.8%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,691.70	$2,346.69	27.9%
Apartment Rent	$654.00	$949.00	31.1%

Transportation

Item	Charleston	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.15	$3.46	9.0%
Tire Balancing	$50.50	$59.92	15.7%

Utilities

Item	Charleston	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$148.29	$193.99	23.6%
Phone	$192.18	$192.25	0.0%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Pinhook, MO	0	92	8.0%
Lambert, MO	26	92	8.0%
Mounds, IL	916	72	28.4%
Wilson City, MO	24	73	27.5%
Mound City, IL	777	73	27.1%
Charleston, MO	5,478	78	21.8%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Preston, ID	5,477	98	2.3%
Somerdale, NJ	5,479	101	1.4%
New Holland, PA	5,479	104	4.2%
Cameron, TX	5,476	81	19.2%
Orchard Homes, MT	5,480	112	11.9%
Charleston, MO	5,478	78	21.8%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; this is the most current data available.

Cost of Living in Charleston, MO