Kansas City, Missouri is a big city with a population of 471,767 people. If you are not a fan of long commutes, you will enjoy living in Kansas City. With average one way commute time of only 22 minutes, getting to and from work is a breeze compared to the national average of 26 minutes.
Are you trying to figure out if living in Kansas City is the right fit for your lifestyle? To ensure a positive experience before moving to any new city in Missouri, you will probably want to make sure that you check all of the most important boxes. With useful information like amenities, cost of living, weather, employment, housing and other key data points, finding the best places to live in Kansas City and in the areas around Kansas City is a much easier task.
Kansas City, MO receives 64/100 for its livability score; this results in a ranking of #595 in Missouri and #18,725 in the USA. If we consider each of the categories on their own, we see that Kansas City ranks well for amenities (A+) and cost of living (B). There are some categories that Kansas City ranks poorly for, including: crime (F), education (D-) and housing (F). It might be worth taking a closer look to find out why.
Based on the proximity of local amenities like grocery stores, restaurants, coffee shops, parks, librairies, etc., Kansas City has received a higher than average score for its local amenities. If you’re planning on relocating and making this area your permanent home, it’s nice to know that there is an ample amount of amenities and things to do within walking distance or a short drive. Some of the notable things to do include: National World War I Museum, Country Club Plaza, and Country Club Plaza.
Jobs are always a hot topic for anyone looking to relocate to a new area. Your chances of finding new employment in Kansas City is actually far better than most areas. With a low unemployment rate of 0%, finding work should be much easier than the average city.
Certain items on your wish list like shopping, restaurants, nightlife and proximity to public transportation are all important factors to search for. Having said that, perhaps the most important metric to consider when contemplating a move to Kansas City is real estate affordability. Median real estate prices in Kansas City come in at $135,900, which is 3.8% lower than the Missouri average. The home price to income ratio compares the median home prices to the median household income. In Kansas City, the home price to income ratio is 2.9, which is 0% lower than the Missouri average. Knowing if your home will appreciate on a long term or even a short term basis should be factored into your decision making. An increase in your home’s value can be a good way to generate tax-free equity that can create long term financial security. In the past year, appreciation rates for homes in the Kansas City area were 10.7% and 5 year appreciation rates were 2.8%.
| Statistic | Kansas City | Missouri | National |
| Average one way commute | 22min | 23min | 26min |
| Workers who drive to work | 80.1% | 81.6% | 76.4% |
| Workers who carpool | 8.6% | 9.1% | 9.3% |
| Workers who take public transit | 3.1% | 1.5% | 5.1% |
| Workers who bicycle | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Workers who walk | 2.1% | 1.9% | 2.8% |
| Working from home | 4.6% | 4.6% | 4.6% |
| Walk | Bike | Compact | Car | S.U.V. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | |||||
| Duration | |||||
| Cost/Month |
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