Cost of Living

[mrschilicook]

I think the biggest difference is housing. We moved out of California in 2002 (but still visit frequently) and out of Las Vegas the middle of last year. We now reside near Branson MO.

This is what I have seen (and don't get me wrong..I LOVE Missouri):

Groceries are about the same in all three states. Some things are less here and some things are less in CA. Almost everything costs more by a few cents in LV 'cause they don't grow anything.

Auto fuel is cheaper in MO but the gap between the west isn't as wide as it was last year. LV is slightly less than many parts of CA. But in CA the cost is different between the Bay Area and the central valley....often by a dime or more.

Food is taxed in MO while it is not in NV or CA.
So what ever is saved in price is lost in tax.

For us, we also use more fuel in MO than in either CA or LV....we don't live in the city anymore and things are more spread out. So while we may save on the price of gas, we spend more on gas to get anyplace.

Utilities are lower here, but the weather is colder than most of CA and Southern NV. Our gas/electric bill in Las Vegas during the winter (yes it does get cold) was about $100/mo. Out here, it's running closer to $500 month in the winter. Summer electric is quite a bit less than LV as electricity is less and it's not as absolutely hot. Summer in Las Vegas was about $200/mo and here it's about 1/2 that amount. Over all it's the propane heating in winter that is killin' the ol' budget. We also haven't found much of a push for alternative methods like wind or solar power in this immediate area.

Property taxes depends on where you live in MO. They are different county by county. Some counties (like St. Louis) are VERY high and some (like Taney) are very low. In CA they are pretty much based on the purchase price (1%) plus any bonds, etc..with limits on how much they can go up each year. In NV it's much the same but the yearly caps are a bit more than CA. In MO, the property tax rates are lower in this area than both CA or NV HOWEVER, they tax on appraised value and we haven't found anything about caps on increases yet. We've been told that they reappraise, by state law, every two years but don't quote me on that one.

Vehicle registration is WAY less expensive here than in either CA or NV...but they have personal property tax on vehicles in addition to registration fees. We haven't had to pay them yet, but from what we can gleen, the overall tax will still be less than registration in either NV or CA.

Medical insurance (we have to buy our own health insurance at this point in our lives) is less here than it was in Las Vegas (we worked in CA so I don't know the comparable price) by about 15%.
Medical prices also seem to be 10-20% less here than in Las Vegas. We paid $50 for an eye exam in Las Vegas and $35 in Ozark, MO.

So, overall we have not found it much cheaper to live in MO than it was in Las Vegas on a monthly expense basis. But the quality of life is MUCH MUCH better...trees, clean air, lakes, rivers, etc.. Living in either LV or the Branson area is less expensive than the bay area of California.

But housing is the biggest difference between all of 'em. The house we live in now (2600 sq. feet on 1 acre in a planned development) would EASILY be over 1.5 million in Pleasanton, would likely be in the $700-$800 range in Las Vegas (depending on location), and here you can buy something like this for less than $500K as long as your not talking lakefront. If you don't want the land, you could buy something similiar in Springfield/Ozark for less than $350K.

So the difference in housing sure makes up for any increase in tax, utilities, etc...for many many years....

[MOviaCA]

"Groceries are about the same in all three states. Some things are less here and some things are less in CA. Almost everything costs more by a few cents in LV 'cause they don't grow anything."

Thank you for the insight. Interesting to me these calculators say that MO would be 15 to 20 percent cheaper grocery wise (excluding housing) . Better to get the information from the people who actually live there in my opinion. Thanks everyone !

[mrschilicook]

Unfortunately, food has gone up everywhere in the past several months. I fear it's only going to get worse as oil prices continue to rise and it costs more to product and delivery our food. That garden is looking better all of the time.

[MOviaCA]

Originally Posted by mrschilicook

Unfortunately, food has gone up everywhere in the past several months. I fear it's only going to get worse as oil prices continue to rise and it costs more to product and delivery our food. That garden is looking better all of the time.

Can of Maxwell house coffee was 10.48 yesterday . Ya things have been going up a good clip.