State comparison
Missouri vs Washington: which state is better to live in?
Washington costs a median household about $450 a year less in state and local taxes than Missouri, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 117 against 86).
Missouri
Moderate tax burden · COL index 86
Wins 6 categories
Washington
Moderate tax burden · COL index 117
Wins 11 categories
Taxes: Missouri vs Washington
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 $3,356 a year. Washington has no state income tax. Washington wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.88% of home value a year in Missouri and 0.84% in Washington (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,112 against $4,788, so Washington has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.33% in Missouri and 9.38% in Washington; Missouri is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,332 a year in Missouri, $6,887 in Washington. Washington is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Missouri's cost of living index is 86 and Washington's is 117, where 100 is the national average; Missouri is about 36% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $240K in Missouri and $570K in Washington (Zillow, 2024), a $330K gap in Missouri's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,100 a month in Missouri and $2,000 in Washington.
Home insurance averages $2,200 a year in Missouri and $900 in Washington, so Washington is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 581 incidents per 100,000 residents in Missouri and 347 in Washington (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Washington is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 67% lower. Property crime is 2,695 per 100,000 in Missouri against 3,187 in Washington, again favoring Missouri.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.3 years in Missouri and 79.3 in Washington (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 4.0-year edge for Washington. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Missouri's health system 43rd of 50 and Washington's 10th, so Washington scores better on care.
8.2% of Missouri residents have no health insurance against 6.5% in Washington, which favors Washington. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Missouri's K-12 schools 33rd in the country and Washington's 7th, 26 places apart in Washington's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Missouri went to Trump by 19 points and Washington went to Harris by 16 points.
Missouri has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Washington has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A, so Washington regulates guns more tightly and Missouri is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Missouri and protected by state law in Washington, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $12.30 an hour in Missouri and $16.28 in Washington.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Missouri (tornado, flood, ice-storm) and high in Washington (wildfire, earthquake, flood). Annual average air quality index is 38 in Missouri and 40 in Washington (under 50 is good), favoring Missouri.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at rates in force as of 2026-09-04. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
6
Missouri
11
Washington
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Missouri or Washington better to live in?
Washington wins more of the measures that decide a move. Washington on taxes ($6,887 a year for a median household against $7,332); Missouri on everyday costs (index 86 against 117); Washington on safety (347 violent crimes per 100,000 against 581); Washington on schools (ranked 7th against 33rd).
Which is cheaper, Missouri or Washington?
Missouri is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 86 against 117. The median home is $240K in Missouri and $570K in Washington (2024). On state and local taxes Washington saves a median household about $450 a year.
Does Missouri or Washington have lower taxes?
Washington. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,332 a year in Missouri ($3,356 income tax, $2,112 property tax on the median home and $1,864 in sales tax) and $6,887 in Washington ($0 income tax, $4,788 property tax on the median home and $2,099 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Missouri or Washington?
Washington, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 581 per 100,000 residents in Missouri and 347 in Washington; property crime is 2,695 against 3,187.
Which has better schools, Missouri or Washington?
Washington. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Missouri 33rd of 50 for K-12 and Washington 7th.
Is Missouri or Washington better for retirees?
Washington is friendlier to retirees on paper. Missouri taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Washington does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,112 a year in Missouri and $4,788 in Washington.