Side-by-side comparison of St. Louis, MO and Kansas City, 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 Kansas City's 3.96%. 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 $245,000 in Kansas City, while rents come in at $1,180/mo and $1,320/mo respectively.
Growth & appreciation: Kansas City is growing faster at 0.8% annually vs St. Louis's 0.1%. Kansas City leads on home value appreciation at 2.9% per year.
Costs & risk: Property taxes are 1.24% in St. Louis vs 1.32% in Kansas City. Vacancy rates of 6.8% and 5.9% are mixed — Kansas City has the tighter rental market.
Bottom line: St. Louis edges out Kansas City on most key metrics. While cap rates are moderate at 4.40%, St. Louis's overall profile is stronger. Use our free calculators to model specific deals in St. Louis or Kansas City.