Last updated 2026-07-10 ยท MovePlan Editorial Team
Below the national average overall, with housing the main reason it stays affordable.
Cost of living index (US avg = 100): 90
Median 2BR rent: $1,200/mo
Housing: 71 vs 100
Groceries: 99 vs 100
Utilities: 105 vs 100
Transportation: 100 vs 100
Healthcare: 96 vs 100
Columbia offers hot, humid summers and cold, snowy winters and an affordable place to land in Missouri. Housing is the line item that moves your budget most, anchored here to a real median 2BR rent of about $1,200/mo.