State comparison
Alabama vs Missouri: which state is better to live in?
Alabama costs a median household about $700 a year less in state and local taxes than Missouri, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $850 a year against $2,112 in Missouri.
Alabama
Moderate tax burden · COL index 87
Wins 7 categories
Missouri
Moderate tax burden · COL index 86
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Alabama vs Missouri
Alabama has a graduated income tax topping out at 5%, which works out to 4.9% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,689 a year. Missouri has a graduated income tax topping out at 4.7%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,325 a year. Missouri wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.39% of home value a year in Alabama and 0.88% in Missouri (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $850 against $2,112, so Alabama has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 9.22% in Alabama and 8.33% in Missouri; Missouri is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $6,602 a year in Alabama, $7,300 in Missouri. Alabama is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Alabama's cost of living index is 87 and Missouri's is 86, where 100 is the national average; Missouri is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $218K in Alabama and $240K in Missouri (Zillow, 2024), a $22K gap in Alabama's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,050 a month in Alabama and $1,100 in Missouri.
Home insurance averages $2,400 a year in Alabama and $2,200 in Missouri, so Missouri is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 547 incidents per 100,000 residents in Alabama and 581 in Missouri (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Alabama is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 6% lower. Property crime is 2,247 per 100,000 in Alabama against 2,695 in Missouri, again favoring Alabama.
Health
Life expectancy is 73.2 years in Alabama and 75.3 in Missouri (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.1-year edge for Missouri. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Alabama's health system 41st of 50 and Missouri's 43rd, so Alabama scores better on care.
11.2% of Alabama residents have no health insurance against 8.2% in Missouri, which favors Missouri. Missouri expanded Medicaid and Alabama did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Alabama's K-12 schools 44th in the country and Missouri's 33rd, 11 places apart in Missouri's favor. Alabama runs a school-choice voucher program; Missouri does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Alabama went to Trump by 28 points and Missouri went to Trump by 19 points.
Alabama has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Missouri has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in both states, and marijuana is medical only in Alabama and legal for adults in Missouri as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Alabama and $12.30 in Missouri.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Alabama (tornado, flood) and high in Missouri (tornado, flood, ice-storm), so Alabama is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 38 in Alabama and 38 in Missouri (under 50 is good).
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
7
Alabama
8
Missouri
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Alabama or Missouri better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Alabama on taxes ($6,602 a year for a median household against $7,300); Missouri on everyday costs (index 86 against 87); Alabama on safety (547 violent crimes per 100,000 against 581); Missouri on schools (ranked 33rd against 44th).
Which is cheaper, Alabama or Missouri?
Missouri is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 86 against 87. The median home is $218K in Alabama and $240K in Missouri (2024). On state and local taxes Alabama saves a median household about $700 a year.
Does Alabama or Missouri have lower taxes?
Alabama. A household earning $74,580 pays about $6,602 a year in Alabama ($3,689 income tax, $850 property tax on the median home and $2,063 in sales tax) and $7,300 in Missouri ($3,325 income tax, $2,112 property tax on the median home and $1,864 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Alabama or Missouri?
Alabama, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 547 per 100,000 residents in Alabama and 581 in Missouri; property crime is 2,247 against 2,695.
Which has better schools, Alabama or Missouri?
Missouri. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Alabama 44th of 50 for K-12 and Missouri 33rd. Alabama also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Alabama or Missouri better for retirees?
Alabama is friendlier to retirees on paper. Alabama does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Missouri taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $850 a year in Alabama and $2,112 in Missouri.