An Overview of Cost of Living in Smithville, MO
Are you thinking about relocating, but curious about the potential cost of living in Smithville? Is it more expensive or more affordable than average? Based on the most recent report, the cost of living in Smithville stands at 96, making it 4% lower than the national average. The cost of living directly affects the affordability of one's desired lifestyle. Knowing the cost of housing, transportation, groceries and other essentials in the new area allows people to gauge whether they can maintain their preferred standard of living.
The cost of living in Smithville aligns closely with the national average when compared to other cities across the nation. Everyday essentials such as groceries, goods and services, health care and utility bills are priced at a level consistent with the average in similar urban areas. Smithville residents can anticipate that their daily expenses won't be significantly higher than those in an average city, ensuring that the cost of living remains manageable.
Is Smithville Affordable?
Is Smithville an affordable place to live? That's a valid question to ask when you're thinking about moving to a new city. After all, how much it costs to live somewhere can be a huge factor in your decision. Affordability can be broken down into 3 common categories. The cost of living index (we talked about it earlier), housing expenses and income levels all play a big role in figuring out if a place is affordable. For instance, in Smithville, the median home price is 10.2% higher than what most folks pay across the country, and monthly rent prices are 21.4% lower than the usual rates. Income levels in Smithville come in at $83,400, which is 50.8% higher than the national average.
What Factors can Influence the Cost of Living in Smithville?
Taxes: Cities that impose higher taxes, including sales and income taxes, can contribute to an escalated cost of living. The added expense of taxes on everyday goods like clothing and food naturally results in higher overall costs. Similarly, a higher income tax rate can further elevate the cost of living. In Smithville, the general sales tax rate starts at 4.225%, and income tax rates begin at 1.5%.
Utilities: Like everything else, utilities costs can range significantly depending on factors like climate, energy sources available, location and even state regulations. Things like electricity, water, heating and waste disposal costs can be higher or lower, depending on the city or state. The utilities index in Smithville comes in at 9% higher than the national average.
Healthcare: Healthcare costs and insurance premiums can undergo substantial fluctuations based on the city or state of residence. Elements such as the availability of healthcare facilities, out-of-pocket costs for medical consultations, dental expenses, prescription medication charges and specialized medical care fees all contribute to variations in the cost of living. In Smithville, healthcare costs are 15.6% lower than the national average.
Where is the Data From?
The Smithville cost of living data displayed above is derived from the C2ER cost of living index to provide a useful and reasonably accurate measure of living cost differences in urban areas. The index takes into account data from 300 independent researches, covering more than 60 goods and services across 6 different categories, to create an overall index for each area, with 100 being the average. The C2ER index does not include sales or income tax rates in their data, however AreaVibes does include both income and sales tax rates in the overall cost of living score for each area.