Side-by-side comparison of St. Louis, MO and Columbia, MO — cap rates, rent, prices, and investment metrics.
Cash flow: St. Louis has the edge with an estimated cap rate of 4.40% compared to Columbia's 3.95%. Neither city passes the 1% rule outright, so deal sourcing and value-add strategies become more important. Median home prices are $205,000 in St. Louis vs $225,000 in Columbia, while rents come in at $1,180/mo and $1,180/mo respectively.
Growth & appreciation: Columbia is growing faster at 0.8% annually vs St. Louis's 0.1%. Columbia leads on home value appreciation at 2.6% per year.
Costs & risk: Property taxes are 1.24% in St. Louis vs 1.22% in Columbia. Vacancy rates of 6.8% and 5.2% are mixed — Columbia has the tighter rental market.
Bottom line: Columbia edges out St. Louis on most key metrics. While cap rates are moderate at 3.95%, Columbia's overall profile is stronger. Use our free calculators to model specific deals in St. Louis or Columbia.