City cost of living drops in Q2, beats 7th-ranked state rate

The Springfield metropolitan area's cost of living improved in the second quarter on a year-over-year basis.

Only Joplin fared better, and Springfield bested the state average, according to a news release from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, which collected data from a survey by The Council for Community and Economic Research.

Springfield's second-quarter index score came in at 86.1. Comparatively, Joplin's score is 83.3, with Missouri at 89.9. A score of 100 represents the national average – the lower the score, the lower the costs on items such as groceries, housing, utilities, transportation and health care.

The local metro area scored best in housing, with a 73.7 index score, followed by utilities at 83.6, transportation at 88.6, miscellaneous at 91.1, groceries at 94.6 and health care at 96.1, according to the release.

Springfield's cost-of-living index score was 87.1 in second-quarter 2022, according to past reporting.

In the latest report, Missouri ranks seventh in cost of living nationwide.