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Salary status · Below comfortable threshold~8th percentile · Below Average

Is $15K a Good Salary in Missouri? 2026 Take-Home Pay & Cost of Living

$15K
gross / year
≈ $1,133 / month take-home in Missouri
Verdict
Tight for Missouri on one income

Honestly, $15K in Missouri is tight for a single adult — you'll cover essentials but saving is hard.

Monthly take-home
$1,133
$13,597/yr net
Est. monthly savings
$0
After typical expenses
Housing pressure
High
Rent in Missouri
Effective tax
9.4%
On $15,000 gross
Affordability

Where your monthly paycheck goes

Visual split of a typical single-adult budget against your take-home pay.

High pressureMonthly flexibility · 0% of take-home
Money left after essentials
$0/mo
High pressure budget
Rent (1BR avg)$1,05093%
Food & groceries$37433%
Transport$42738%
Utilities, health, extras$90480%
Leftover / savings$00%
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Take-home pay breakdown

Gross / year
$15,000
Net / year
$13,597
Net / month
$1,133
Effective tax
9.4%

Where your paycheck actually goes

Approximate split of $15,000 gross — federal, state/provincial, social, and what lands in your account.

Federal income tax
$772
5%
State income tax
$216
1%
Social contributions
$416
3%
Take-home (net)
$13,597
91%
What this means in real life

At $15K/year in Missouri, a single adult typically clears about $1,133/month after tax. Rent on a 1-bedroom averages $1,050, leaving roughly $83 for everything else. Without roommates or a cheaper neighborhood like St. Louis, this income usually means living paycheck to paycheck.

Lifestyle verdict
Difficult without trade-offs

In Missouri, $15K is tight for a single adult — roommates, a cheaper neighborhood like St. Louis, or a side income make the math work. A family on this alone would struggle.

How it stacks up in Missouri

Local median household$65,000
This salary$15,000
1.5× median$97,500

Roughly the 8th percentile of Missouri households. Below Average.

Who can comfortably live on this?

Same take-home pay, three very different realities.

Single adult
Stretched

One income, one rent.

Budget: $2,755/mo
Short: $1,622/mo
Couple, no kids
Stretched

Shared rent, two earners possible.

Budget: $3,823/mo
Short: $2,690/mo
Family (2 adults + kids)
Stretched

Bigger apartment, childcare, more food.

Budget: $4,778/mo
Short: $3,645/mo
Reality check

What can you actually afford in Missouri with $15K?

A realistic monthly breakdown for a single adult — rent in Kansas City, food, transport, insurance, and what's left to save. Tuned to the cost of living in Missouri.

Net / month
$1,133
Typical spend
$2,755
100% of net
Monthly leftover
$0
0% saveable
Spent 100%Saved 0%

  • Rent in Kansas City

    $1,050/mo
    1-bedroom, average neighborhood

  • Food & groceries

    $374/mo
    Cooking mostly, eating out 1–2×/week

  • Car & transport

    $427/mo
    Fuel, insurance, public transit

  • Health & insurance

    $285/mo
    Coverage, dental, prescriptions

  • Utilities & internet

    $174/mo
    Power, water, mobile, broadband

  • Entertainment & dining

    $196/mo
    Streaming, restaurants, weekends

  • Savings potential

    $0/mo
    What's left after a typical month
Lifestyle insight

With $15K in Missouri, a single adult is essentially break-even in Kansas City — covering rent and basics, but with little room to save without roommates or a cheaper neighborhood.

People love reality. Not just taxes.

Lifestyle & affordability

What life actually looks like on this salary

Can you live comfortably on this in Missouri?

  • Tight

    Rent in Kansas City drives most of the affordability story

  • Tight

    A car (and its insurance) is usually a fixed monthly line

  • Tight

    Employer-sponsored health coverage shapes real take-home

$15K in Missouri sits in a real-world context shaped by local rent, car dependency, and US-style health insurance costs.

On $15K, a single adult in Kansas City usually needs to budget carefully — rent, a car, and health coverage are the three pressure points.

Outside Kansas City, the same paycheck typically goes 15–30% further on housing, which dramatically changes the savings picture.

Reality check

$15K in Missouri is workable solo in smaller cities, tight in Kansas City.

Lifestyle snapshot

1-bedroom in a decent neighborhood, one car, cooking most nights, modest savings.

Reality check

How rich you actually feel

A reality-based view of $15K in Missouri — after taxes, rent, and everyday costs.

Lifestyle classMissouri
Below comfortable threshold

This income runs tight in most of Missouri — housing and essentials absorb most of the paycheck.

Higher than 8% of earners · Top 92%
Financial flexibility
17/100
Limited flexibility
Blends leftover income, rent burden, savings ability and tax weight.
Income percentile
Top 92%
in Missouri
Higher than 8% of earners
Rent stress
93%
of take-home on typical rent
High urban housing pressure
Savings power
$0/mo
≈ $0/year potential
Take-home: $1,133/mo
Purchasing power
  • △Comfortable solo apartment
  • △Reliable car ownership
  • △Dining out several times/week
  • △Moderate travel flexibility
  • △Luxury neighborhoods
Compare this salary

Monthly budget for a single adult in Missouri

Below typical living costs by about 1622/month. Workable only with cheaper housing, roommates, or lower-cost cities in the region.

Housing (rent + insurance)
$1,050
38%
Transportation
$427
15%
Groceries
$374
14%
Utilities & internet
$174
6%
Healthcare
$285
10%
Entertainment & dining
$196
7%
Misc & personal
$249
9%
Total
$2,755
Surplus / month
-$1,622

Savings potential

With a typical single-adult budget, you could put away roughly $0/year — about 0% of take-home pay. Cheaper housing or living outside Kansas City can lift this significantly.

Savings rate0%

Try your own numbers

All math runs locally in your browser — nothing is saved.

Tight
$
$
$
Net / month
$1,133
Leftover / month
-$1,622
Rent share
93%

Tip: housing experts suggest keeping rent under 30% of take-home pay. You're at 93%.

Rent share of take-home

Average rent in Missouri: $1,050 (1BR) · $1,250 (2BR).

1BR rent vs net monthly93%
2BR rent vs net monthly110%

Salary ladder in Missouri

  1. $5KTight
    Take-home / mo
    $379
    Save
    $0/mo
    Pctl
    3th
    −$754/mo

    Roommates likely needed in Kansas City.

  2. $10KTight
    Take-home / mo
    $758
    Save
    $0/mo
    Pctl
    5th
    −$375/mo

    Roommates likely needed in Kansas City.

  3. $15KTight
    Take-home / mo
    $1,133
    Save
    $0/mo
    Pctl
    8th

    Roommates likely needed in Kansas City.

    You are here
  4. $20KTight
    Take-home / mo
    $1,470
    Save
    $0/mo
    Pctl
    10th
    +$337/mo

    Roommates likely needed in Kansas City.

  5. $25KTight
    Take-home / mo
    $1,807
    Save
    $0/mo
    Pctl
    14th
    +$674/mo

    Roommates likely needed in Kansas City.

What changes if you earn more?

Going from $15K to $25K in Missouri:

Take-home / month
+$674
Est. monthly savings
+$0
Rent burden
−34.6pp
See $25K in Missouri

Compare $15,000 across countries

United States
California
Tight
Net / mo
$1,101
Tax
12%
Rent / net
191%
Pctl
5th

Roommates likely needed in Los Angeles.

See breakdown →
Canada
Ontario
Tight
Net / mo
$1,109
Tax
11%
Rent / net
171%
Pctl
5th

Roommates likely needed in Toronto.

See breakdown →
Australia
Australia
Tight
Net / mo
$1,225
Tax
2%
Rent / net
196%
Pctl
5th

Roommates likely needed in Sydney.

See breakdown →
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Tight
Net / mo
£1,110
Tax
11%
Rent / net
108%
Pctl
16th

Roommates likely needed in London.

See breakdown →

Explore other salary ranges in Missouri

Early career
$40K
Entry-level take-home
~$2,764/moView →
Median income
$65K
Typical household
~$4,309/moView →
Upper-middle
$100K
Comfortable lifestyle
~$6,262/moView →
High income
$170K
Strong savings potential
~$10,020/moView →
Compare with neighboring states
Related tools
Full cost of living in MissouriAverage rent in MissouriSalary & tax calculatorMortgage calculatorIs this a good salary? (national)

Common questions

These estimates are approximate and may vary by city, taxes, rent, family size, and personal spending. Use them as a starting point, not a substitute for personalised financial or tax advice.

Last updated: 2026. Estimates use simplified federal + state tax models and median rent figures.