?WhereToHQ

Ranked · Renting · Missouri

Best cities for renters in Missouri

Cities of 25,000+ residents, scored with the “Renting” weighting the live tool uses, heaviest on 2-bedroom rent, 1-bedroom rent, rent yoy, walkability. Scores are relative to this set; open the tool to change the weights and re-rank.

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Top 10 · computed ranking

  1. 1.St. Joseph, MO71k residents

    65/100

    2-bedroom rent: $913/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $714/mo · walkability: 34/100

  2. 2.Jefferson City, MO42k residents

    64/100

    2-bedroom rent: $751/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $583/mo · walkability: 30/100

  3. 3.Cape Girardeau, MO40k residents

    63/100

    2-bedroom rent: $864/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $736/mo · walkability: 30/100

  4. 4.Springfield, MO170k residents

    61/100

    2-bedroom rent: $972/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $807/mo · walkability: 38/100

  5. 5.Independence, MO122k residents

    58/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,080/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $921/mo · walkability: 38/100

  6. 6.Joplin, MO53k residents

    58/100

    2-bedroom rent: $962/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $686/mo · walkability: 34/100

  7. 7.Oakville, MO35k residents

    55/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,125/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $913/mo · walkability: 30/100

  8. 8.Grandview, MO27k residents

    55/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,060/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $895/mo · walkability: 30/100

  9. 9.Columbia, MO129k residents

    54/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,032/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $943/mo · walkability: 38/100

  10. 10.Mehlville, MO30k residents

    54/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,074/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $966/mo · walkability: 30/100

Methodology: each city is scored 0–100 by min–max normalizing every weighted facet across this candidate set (direction-aware), identical math to the tool's “Best fit” tab. A different weighting produces a different order, which is the point: this is a starting shortlist, not a verdict.

Questions & answers
Which city is best for renters in Missouri?
St. Joseph, MO ranks first with a fit score of 65/100, followed by Jefferson City (64) and Cape Girardeau (63), using the "Renting" weighting.
How is this ranking calculated?
Each of the 10 candidate cities (25,000+ residents) is scored 0 to 100 by min-max normalizing the weighted facets, heaviest on 2-bedroom rent, 1-bedroom rent, rent yoy, walkability, across this set. Change the weights in the live tool and the order changes with them.