Advantages & Disadvantages of Moving to Missouri

You consider moving to Missouri but want to get additional information about the state, living costs, housing, entertainment options, nature, job market, income prospects and much more before making your final decision?

Great! This article is exactly for you since I will show you the pros and cons of living in Missouri in the following chapters.

Living in Missouri – Overview

Advantages of Living in Missouri

1. Rents are still affordable for the average person in Missouri
2. Property prices in Missouri are way below national average
3. Many people can still live the American dream in Missouri
4. Low living costs make moving to Missouri attractive
5. Low overall financial pressure for people living in Missouri
6. Rather easy to get a mortgage in most parts of Missouri
7. It’s not all about the money in Missouri
8. You don’t have to search for a long time to find a decent place to stay
9. Housing shortage is not a big problem in most parts of Missouri yet
10. You can meet many helpful people in Missouri
11. High level of tolerance in the big cities of Missouri
12. You can experience different lifestyles in the big metropolitan regions
13. You can meet many honest and genuine people in Missouri
14. Easy to make friends for a lifetime in many parts of Missouri
15. Decent bars and clubs in the big cities of Missouri
16. You can find solid education in the urban regions of Missouri
17. Many big cities in Missouri
18. You can make many nice day trips in Missouri
19. Missouri offers a good mix of city life and nature
20. You can go fishing, camping and do many other nice things in Missouri
21. People in Missouri spend lots of time outdoors
22. Pretty decent air quality in many parts of Missouri
23. You may not have to go to the gym to stay fit in Missouri
24. People in Missouri can live a pretty original lifestyle
25. Missouri may be a great place to live self-sufficient
26. Many recreational spaces in Missouri
27. You can live a rather relaxed lifestyle in Missouri
28. Real seasons may make your life in Missouri more interesting
29. People in Missouri may be able to save enough for retirement
30. People in Missouri may not be overly career-focused
31. Missouri is not overly crowded with tourists yet
32. Many people from other states consider moving to Missouri
33. Traffic is not a big problem apart from the biggest cities of Missouri
34. Decent medical infrastructure in the big cities of Missouri
35. You can watch games of many great sports teams in the urban parts of Missouri
36. High levels of cultural diversity in the big cities of Missouri
37. You can try many delicious foods in many regions of Missouri
38. Missouri is not the most hectic state
39. Decent supply of material goods in most parts of Missouri
40. Easy to get to the big cities of Missouri
41. Decent internet connection in most parts of Missouri
42. Missouri may be an interesting place to retire
43. You can teach your kids quite a lot about nature
44. Missouri may still be an underrated place to live

Rents are still affordable for the average person in Missouri

One benefit of living in Missouri is that rents are pretty low in most regions and this means that you don’t have to spend as much money on housing as people living in California or other much more expensive regions where people often struggle to pay their rent on time.

Property prices in Missouri are way below national average

Not only rents are pretty low but also property prices in Missouri are still affordable for the average person so many people are still able to buy decent homes and really enjoy their lives without having to financially overextend themselves for reaching this goal.

Many people can still live the American dream in Missouri

In general, Missouri may be a great place to live the American dream since thanks to rather low housing costs and costs of daily life, many people are still able to afford a decent car, a solid home and so on while people moving to San José or other much more expensive regions are often no longer able to aspire to this kind of lifestyle unless they make absurd amounts of money from what they are doing.

Low living costs make moving to Missouri attractive

Another upside to living in Missouri is that living costs are below national average and this means you will be able to afford more nice things with the same budget compared to people living in more expensive regions and therefore don’t have to spend lots of money on drinks and other things in most regions of Missouri.

Low overall financial pressure for people living in Missouri

Thanks to rather low living and housing costs, also overall financial pressure for people moving to Missouri is rather low compared to people moving to NYC or other much more expensive places where people often have to worry about their finances on a regular basis.

Rather easy to get a mortgage in most parts of Missouri

Due to rather low property prices, many people in Missouri are also able to save up enough equity for buying a home and also have a rather easy time getting a mortgage since due to low purchase prices, monthly mortgage rates are also rather low and you may therefore have more money left to spend on other nice and important things of life.

It’s not all about the money in Missouri

In general, while money and the nice things you have may be pretty important in many other states, Missouri is one of those regions where money isn’t that important yet and people rather care about your character instead of what you own.

You don’t have to search for a long time to find a decent place to stay

Since there are more than enough housing options in most parts of Missouri no matter whether you are single or searching for a home for a big family, it will often not take you a long time to find a good place to stay while this might be much harder in more popular regions where competition in the housing market may be much fiercer.

Housing shortage is not a big problem in most parts of Missouri yet

In general, housing shortage is not a serious problem in most regions of Missouri yet and this will likely also be the case for many years to come since Missouri is not the most popular state and many people rather want to move to other regions which keeps overall demand for housing in Missouri rather low.

You can meet many helpful people in Missouri

Another advantage of living in Missouri is that you will also meet many helpful people who are willing to help you out on various occasions of daily life and this can be great, especially in your first weeks and months when everything may look new and unfamiliar to you.

High level of tolerance in the big cities of Missouri

You will also experience a high level of tolerance in the biggest cities of Missouri and may be able to meet many great people to hang out with so you don’t have to worry about your background or your history and as long as you are open and tolerant yourself, you can just have a great time in the urban parts of Missouri.

You can experience different lifestyles in the big metropolitan regions

Since the big cities of Missouri are usually pretty tolerant, you may also be able to experience many different lifestyles and meet people who live alternative ways of life and you may therefore learn quite a lot for your own life and may also be able to grow in character in the long run.

You can meet many honest and genuine people in Missouri

Since many people in Missouri are genuine and real, you also learn to trust those people rather quickly and some of those people will also help you overcome difficult periods of your life so you will have lots of emotional support to carry on with your life during those difficult times.

Easy to make friends for a lifetime in many parts of Missouri

Since you can really rely on many of your social connections in Missouri, you may also be able to make many friends for a lifetime whom you can share your experiences with and many of those people will often feel rather like family instead of just normal friends in the long run.

Decent bars and clubs in the big cities of Missouri

Another advantage of moving to Missouri is that you will also find many decent bars and clubs in the big cities and will therefore have many opportunities to go out and party quite a lot on a regular basis as long as you stay in the urban regions.

You can find solid education in the urban regions of Missouri

You should also know that you can find many decent schools and colleges in the big cities of Missouri and can therefore assure that your kids get solid education so they will have good chances of finding a nice job later on.

Many big cities in Missouri

In general, there are also several big cities in Missouri and you can therefore enjoy big city life you may be used to from other big cities and chances are you will not get bored as long as you live in one of those big and vibrant places.

You can make many nice day trips in Missouri

Since there are many big cities in Missouri, this also gives you the opportunity to make many nice day trips to other cities or nature reserves and you will therefore be able to see many different things and can make many unique experiences with your loved ones.

Missouri offers a good mix of city life and nature

Another upside to moving to Missouri is that you will just have a solid mix of nature activities and big city life so you will find most things you need for daily life pretty close to your home while you will have nature reserves not too far from your home so you can make many nice weekend trips and relax and reload your batteries.

You can go fishing, camping and do many other nice things in Missouri

Moving to Missouri can also be a great idea in case you love nature activities like fishing, hunting, foraging for food and so on since there are just countless opportunities to do so in many regions and you can not only enjoy yourself by doing those things but may also learn a lot about nature in general.

People in Missouri spend lots of time outdoors

Thanks to the many nice things you can do in nature, people in Missouri also get the incentive of spending lots of time outdoors and you may therefore get into a better mood compared to people living in regions where they don’t have beautiful nature and may just sit indoors in front of their PC all day long.

Pretty decent air quality in many parts of Missouri

In many regions of Missouri outside of the big cities, you will also be able to enjoy pretty decent air quality and while you may not deem this important at first glance, decent air quality may still lower your risk of suffering from serious health conditions later in your life.

You may not have to go to the gym to stay fit in Missouri

Another benefit of moving to Missouri is since you can do many things in nature where you will burn lots of calories, your need to go to the gym may be rather limited and you may be able to stay fit in a completely natural manner instead.

People in Missouri can live a pretty original lifestyle

Since there are many forests and other nice places nearby your home, you can also live a pretty original lifestyle in many parts of Missouri and can live in line with natural forests so you can preserve some of the knowledge your ancestors may have shared with you and you can honor them in this regard.

Missouri may be a great place to live self-sufficient

If you no longer want to be dependent on society, moving to Missouri may also be the right way to go for you since Missouri may be a great place to live a self-sufficient life.

In fact, many people in this region are still able to buy a large piece of land and grow their own crops and raise cattle so they may no longer have to rely on conventional stores for most things in the long run.

Many recreational spaces in Missouri

You will also find many recreational spaces in the big cities of Missouri and can therefore relax in parks and other green spaces after work or also during lunch break so you may be able to reload your batteries for the stressful times that may still lie ahead of you.

You can live a rather relaxed lifestyle in Missouri

In general, since living and housing costs are rather low and people don’t have to worry a lot about money compared to other much more expensive regions, many people in Missouri also don’t have to work many extra hours and can rather spend their time on the things they like even more than working.

Real seasons may make your life in Missouri more interesting

Since you can enjoy warm summers and pretty cold winters, you can also experience real seasons in Missouri and this gives you the opportunity to go swimming in summer and do winter sports during the cold months of the year and you may therefore be able to live a more interesting life compared to people moving to Austin or other regions where it is often pretty warm all year long.

People in Missouri may be able to save enough for retirement

Thanks to rather low living and housing costs, people in Missouri may also be able to save significant amounts of money for retirement age and may therefore be at lower risk of suffering from old-age poverty compared to people living in more expensive regions where saving lots of money is almost impossible for the general public.

People in Missouri may not be overly career-focused

Since people in Missouri don’t solely care about their careers and money, they may also be less career-focused and may take more time to help you out compared to regions where people are often in a rush since they have to get from one meeting to the other in time on a regular basis.

Missouri is not overly crowded with tourists yet

You should also know that Missouri is not the most popular place for tourists and this can be great for you since you will not run into large groups of tourists on a regular basis and may therefore find more places to hang out in a rather quiet atmosphere.

Many people from other states consider moving to Missouri

While Missouri is not really popular among people from all over the US or the world in general, it may become more popular in the future since people from other states consider moving to this region and in case this happens, Missouri may become an even better place to live since there will be even more interesting cultural influences.

Traffic is not a big problem apart from the biggest cities of Missouri

You will also not have to deal with traffic jams in most parts of Missouri and may be able to get around by car in a pretty efficient manner while people moving to Los Angeles and other much more crowded regions may lose lots of time in traffic on a regular basis.

Decent medical infrastructure in the big cities of Missouri

As long as you move to the biggest cities of Missouri, you will also find many decent doctors and hospitals so in case of medical emergency, you will be able to get medical support rather quickly and can get proper treatment for your health condition so you can recover as quickly as possible.

You can watch games of many great sports teams in the urban parts of Missouri

There are also many solid sports teams in the big cities of Missouri and if you are a real sports fan and want to watch many games in person, you can do so in Kansas City and other big metropolitan regions.

High levels of cultural diversity in the big cities of Missouri

Since there are many people from different geographical regions living in Missouri, you can also enjoy high levels of cultural diversity in the big cities of this state and may be able to have many interesting conservations which may help you see the world from a different perspective.

You can try many delicious foods in many regions of Missouri

Thanks to many different cultural influences, you can also try many delicious foods and this may not only increase your overall quality of life but may also improve your overall culinary knowledge so you may get some additional inspiration when it comes to cooking at home.

Missouri is not the most hectic state

You should also know that Missouri is just not the most hectic state and you can therefore live your life in Missouri in a rather quiet atmosphere outside the big cities so you can really slow down your life quite a bit and can focus on what really matters to you.

Decent supply of material goods in most parts of Missouri

Thanks to good public infrastructure, you also don’t have to worry about running out of important material goods in most parts of Missouri anytime soon and may rather find most things you need pretty close to your home in the urban regions of Missouri.

Easy to get to the big cities of Missouri

Since the big cities of Missouri have decent airports, you will also have a rather easy time traveling and visiting other people in different parts of the US and your loved ones may also have a rather easy time visiting you.

Decent internet connection in most parts of Missouri

Many people in Missouri also have a pretty good internet connection and this helps them stay in touch with their loved ones from other regions and also allows them to stay up-to-date with latest news and things that are going on in the world right now.

Missouri may be an interesting place to retire

Since there are many nice things to do for the older generation and living and housing costs are fairly low, Missouri may be a great place to retire since retirees may be able to live a decent lifestyle even if they don’t have a really high pension.

You can teach your kids quite a lot about nature

Missouri may also be a solid place to raise your kids since due to the mix of big city life and nature activities you can do, you can also teach your kids quite a lot about how our planet works and chances are they will turn into responsible grownups who will also be pretty eager to protect our environment as best as possible.

Missouri may still be an underrated place to live

Since there are many nice things to do in Missouri at a rather affordable price, Missouri may still be considered an underrated state and by moving to Missouri, you may be able to reap many of those benefits before this region may become more expensive in the future.

As you can see, there are many reasons for moving to Missouri.

Yet, there are also some drawbacks of moving to Missouri that I want to discuss for you in the following so you will be better able to decide for yourself whether you still want to move to Missouri or rather want to move to Delaware or other nice regions instead.

Disadvantages of Living in Missouri

1. Above-average unemployment rate in Missouri
2. Hard to build a strong business network in many parts of Missouri
3. Low-qualified people often have a hard time finding solid jobs
4. Missouri is not considered the safest state
5. Many social problems in the big cities of Missouri
6. Missouri doesn’t have a coastline
7. Missouri may be too cold for you during winter
8. Hard to find good education outside of the big cities of Missouri
9. Public transport is not great in most parts of Missouri
10. You may have to drive long distances to find good doctors in rural regions
11. You may not find many entertainment options outside of the big cities of Missouri
12. Living in Missouri may demand lots of organizational work
13. You may have to drive long distances to bring your kids to school
14. Not many great art scenes outside of the big cities of Missouri
15. Many people in the rural regions of Missouri are still pretty conservative
16. You may miss cultural diversity in the rural parts of Missouri
17. Missouri may not be the most exciting state
18. You may get bored with the Missouri lifestyle sooner or later
19. Missouri may not be the most popular state
20. Hard to get to many rural parts of Missouri
21. Storms and other natural disasters may become a problem in Missouri
22. Income level in Missouri is rather low
23. Missouri may not be the greatest place for students
24. Many people in Missouri live a pretty unhealthy lifestyle
25. You may not be able to meet many international tourists in Missouri
26. You should not expect as many fancy shopping options as in many other states
27. Questionable future outlook for Missouri

Above-average unemployment rate in Missouri

One problem with moving to Missouri is that unemployment rate is pretty high and you may therefore often have to worry about losing your job, especially in rural regions where there are often barely any jobs and competition in the labor market is pretty fierce.

Hard to build a strong business network in many parts of Missouri

Since there may not be as many great jobs in Missouri as in many other states and Missouri may therefore not attract as many talented people, you may also have a rather hard time building a strong business network in this region and this may slow down your overall career progress in the long run.

Low-qualified people often have a hard time finding solid jobs

Due to high unemployment rates and fierce competition in the job market, many low-qualified people often have to search for quite a long time to find a decent job and may become increasingly desperate since they may no longer know how to pay their bills.

Missouri is not considered the safest state

Another downside to moving to Missouri is that crime rates in the big cities of Missouri are pretty high and way above national average and in case you are a careful person, you may just not feel safe in those cities and may rather want to move to Virginia Beach or other regions where crime rates are much lower.

Many social problems in the big cities of Missouri

Due to high unemployment rates, there are also many social problems many big cities in Missouri have to deal with since people often have to deal with significant poverty and may not find ways to get out of their misery so they may become increasingly desperate and crime rates may increase even further.

Missouri doesn’t have a coastline

Since Missouri is not located at the coast, people in Missouri are not able to go surfing on a regular basis while people moving to Maine or other coastal regions will be able to enjoy this luxury on a regular basis.

Missouri may be too cold for you during winter

Another disadvantage of moving to Missouri is that it can be pretty cold during winter months and if you are the type of person who can’t stand cold weather, you may be better off moving to Dallas or other much warmer regions.

Hard to find good education outside of the big cities of Missouri

While you may be able to find solid education in the big cities of Missouri, you may have a hard time doing so in the rural regions and you may therefore not be able to provide the best education possible for your kids which may translate into worse job opportunities later on.

Public transport is not great in most parts of Missouri

In most parts of Missouri, you will also miss good public transport and you may therefore have no choice but to rely on your car to get around in an efficient manner and in case you are no longer able to drive due to various possible reasons, you may just not be mobile enough to live a good life in many rural parts of Missouri.

You may have to drive long distances to find good doctors in rural regions

While medical infrastructure may be pretty decent in the big cities of Missouri, the opposite is often true in many rural regions and it may therefore take you quite a long time to find a good expert who will be able to treat rather exotic health conditions in a proper manner.

You may not find many entertainment options outside of the big cities of Missouri

You should also know that outside of the big cities, entertainment options may be rather limited and you may therefore not find enough things to do with your leisure and may get annoyed with your life in Missouri in the long run.

Living in Missouri may demand lots of organizational work

If you want to move to one of the rural parts of Missouri, you should also be aware of the fact that managing your life in those regions may require you to do lots of organizational work since distances are often pretty long and you may have to spend lots of time on things that would be far less time-consuming in urban regions.

You may have to drive long distances to bring your kids to school

Since there are also not many great schools in the rural parts of Missouri, you may also have to drive long distances to bring your kids to and back from school and this may eat up lots of your precious leisure and may become really annoying sooner or later.

Not many great art scenes outside of the big cities of Missouri

Another downside to living in Missouri is that you will also not find many great museums or art scenes outside of the big cities and in case you are interested in art and want to hang out with many like-minded people, chances are you will not find what you are looking for in many parts of Missouri.

Many people in the rural regions of Missouri are still pretty conservative

You should also know that while many people in the big cities of Missouri are pretty open and tolerant, you will also meet many rather conservative and traditional people in the rural parts of Missouri who may not appreciate alternative ways of life as much as you might have wished.

You may miss cultural diversity in the rural parts of Missouri

You should also not expect to experience the same high level of cultural diversity you may be used to from other big metropolitan regions in many rural regions of Missouri and you may therefore just not be able to have as many interesting conversations with people from all over the world as in other regions.

Missouri may not be the most exciting state

In general, Missouri may also just not be the most exciting state and especially in many rural areas, you may not find many exciting leisure activities and may consider moving to a different place rather quickly.

You may get bored with the Missouri lifestyle sooner or later

If you are the type of person who needs adrenaline 24/7, you may also get bored with the Missouri way of life rather soon and may want to move to Las Vegas or other more exciting regions instead.

Missouri may not be the most popular state

Another disadvantage of living in Missouri is that it may also not be the most popular state and your loved ones may therefore not understand your decision of moving to Missouri and may also have to worry quite a lot about your well-being due to high crime rates in the big cities.

Hard to get to many rural parts of Missouri

While the big cities of Missouri are well-accessible by plane or car, it may take you quite a long time to get to many rural and remote regions and you may not have as many guests due to that as you might have wanted.

Storms and other natural disasters may become a problem in Missouri

Another problem with living in Missouri is that storms and other natural disasters may hit your home sooner or later and due to climate change, also costs for homeowners insurance are about to increase quite a lot since natural disasters in Missouri may become more common in the future.

Income level in Missouri is rather low

You should also know that it is rather hard to make really good money in Missouri since overall income levels are pretty low and if your goal is to get wealthy or even rich as an employee, chances are you will not get lucky in Missouri most of the time.

Missouri may not be the greatest place for students

Since you may have trouble finding excellent education in many rural parts of Missouri and entertainment options may also be rather limited, Missouri may also not be the greatest place for students and you may be better off studying in Los Angeles or other more vibrant places instead.

Many people in Missouri live a pretty unhealthy lifestyle

You should also be aware of the fact that many people in Missouri also live a rather unhealthy lifestyle when it comes to nutrition and by moving to Missouri, you may adopt some of those unhealthy things into your own life and may have to deal with the consequences later on.

You may not be able to meet many international tourists in Missouri

Since Missouri is not the most popular place for tourists, you may also miss out on many opportunities to have interesting conversations with people from all over the world compared to people moving to Washington D.C. or other regions that attract many people from all over the globe.

You should not expect as many fancy shopping options as in many other states

Before moving to Missouri, you should also know that the number of fancy shopping opportunities are rather limited, especially in the rural parts of Missouri where you will just not find many fancy boutiques.

Questionable future outlook for Missouri

Since Missouri has to deal with rather high unemployment rates and many social problems, also its future outlook is rather questionable and many people may leave this region sooner or later which may worsen overall public infrastructure quite a lot.

Top 10 Moving To Missouri Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is Missouri A Good Place To Live?

While moving to Missouri can make quite a lot of sense since living costs are pretty low, housing is still affordable and you can enjoy real seasons and lots of beautiful nature, you should also know that Missouri has to deal with high unemployment and crime rates and may not have the best future outlook.

In the end, it is on you to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of moving to Missouri so you can make the best possible decision according to your individual preferences.

Most Popular Cities To Live In Missouri – Comparison

Alternative States To Live

If you no longer want to move to Missouri, you may also want to have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Minnesota

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Mississippi

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Michigan

Sources

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/MO

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.