So, Why Are People Eyeing Ashland Anyway?
The town sits right between Columbia and Jefferson City, an easy twenty-ish minute drive either way if traffic behaves. That location is a sweet spot for commuters who crave small-town pace but need big-town paychecks or hospitals or stadium concerts on a whim. Population hovers near 5,000 and has ticked up almost every year since 2010. New rooftops keep showing up, yet the vibe still feels neighbor-waves-on-the-front-porch casual. Translation: more resources arrive, but you can still find a parking spot in front of the coffee shop.
Housing Money: Mortgages, Rents, and Sneaky Extras
Everything starts with the roof over your head, so let’s peel back the layers.
Buying a place
• Median sale price in late 2024: about $305,000 for a three-bed, two-bath.
• New builds on the south side flirt with $350k once you pick nicer finishes.
• Resale ranch homes from the 1990s tuck in around $260k if you pounce fast.
• Property tax rate in Boone County hovers near 0.95 percent. Quick math: a $300k house roughly equals $2,850 a year before exemptions.
Mortgage snapshot
• Local credit unions were writing 30-year fixed loans at 6.3-6.6 percent in early 2025. National chains sometimes drop a tenth of a point lower if you bring stellar credit.
• Many buyers still roll closing costs into the loan, so budget an extra $4,000-ish if you want those covered in cash instead.
• New construction watchers should ask builders about interest-rate buydowns. Several small builders offered one-point buydowns last quarter to keep traffic rolling.
Renting instead
• Two-bed apartments average $1,150 a month. That is about 12 percent lower than Columbia’s south side listings.
• Newer town-home communities charge closer to $1,450 but bundle high-speed fiber, trash, and mowing in the price.
• Security deposits remain one month’s rent for most units. Application fees run $40-$60, non-refundable.
Utilities that tag along
• Electricity bills land around $135 for a 1,500-square-foot home in summer when A/C hums nonstop. Winter drops closer to $105 with gas heat.
• Water and sewer from Boone County Consolidated average $62 monthly for a household of three.
• Natural gas for heat and cooking hovers near $70 in cold months.
• Fiber internet: Socket Telecom sells 1-gig service for $70. Mediacom leads with a promo at $55 for 300-meg speeds then bumps to $85 after the first year.
Pro tip: City Hall started a solar-rebate pot in 2023 that still has funds. Homeowners snag up to $1,000 toward rooftop panels if they install before December 2025 and use a local installer. Worth a phone call.
Taxes: The Less-Glamorous Reality Check
Missouri runs a 4.225 percent state sales tax. Boone County layers on 1.75. The city tacks another 2.25. When you grab groceries at the Ash Street Market, the register rings up roughly 8.225 percent on taxable items, which is pretty middle-of-the-road for the state.
Income tax follows Missouri’s bracketed system topping at 4.95 percent. No city income tax, so that part is painless compared with places like Kansas City.
Good news for entrepreneurs: The city dropped its business license fee to a flat $50 for home-based ventures last year. Local council wanted to spark cottage bakeries, Etsy shops, and side-hustle carpenters. If you plan to weld custom grills in your garage, that line item stays minimal.
Grocery Aisle: What Goes Into the Cart
You probably peek at grocery bills more than any other receipt, so here is the local reality.
- Gallon of milk: $3.18 last check at Moser’s Foods
- Dozen eggs: $2.59 conventional, $4.79 cage-free
- Loaf of whole-grain bread: $3.25
- Fresh chicken breasts: $2.99 per pound on weekly special
- Eight-ounce craft beer six-pack from the Columbia breweries: $10-$12
Farmers’ market sits behind city hall every Thursday from April through October. Local growers price tomatoes at a buck fifty a pound, cucumbers four for two dollars, and grass-fed ground beef about seven dollars a pound. Bring cash because many stalls skip card readers.
Dining out grabs a bigger bite. A burger with fries at Creekside Diner runs $12. A wood-fired pizza at just-opened Oak Stone, plus one local pint, clocks near $24 before tip. Still cheaper than the trendy spots in downtown Columbia by maybe 15 percent.
Weekend Fun Does Not Have To Drain The Savings
You can fish on the Cedar Creek arm of Mark Twain National Forest without paying lake resort premiums. Three gallons of boat gas and a daily permit total under thirty bucks. The city rec center membership sits at $45 per adult monthly, yet families often snag the annual household package at $350 all-in and split between whoever wants to swim laps or toss kettlebells.
Live music? Pro ‘level acts usually hit Columbia, but Ashland’s Broadway Brewery satellite taproom hosts Friday acoustic sets with no cover if you order a drink. Outdoor movie nights on the middle-school lawn come free, you just donate to the Parent-Teacher volunteers selling popcorn.
If you lean toward art galleries and polished theater, count on the twenty-minute drive north. A Mizzou Tigers basketball ticket in the upper deck often costs $18 online, cheaper than many streaming subscriptions when you think about the three-hour entertainment block.
Commuting And Filling The Tank
Regular unleaded bounced between $3.18 and $3.42 over the last six months. Columbia tends to be three to four cents cheaper, Highway 63 stations on the outskirts sometimes five cents higher.
Most residents drive because city bus service stops just north of town. Still, car insurance remains friendly. Full coverage on a 2021 midsize SUV runs about $97 a month through regional carriers if you keep a clean driving record.
Talk of a park-and-ride shuttle to Columbia’s university district surfaces every budget cycle. No launch date yet, though a feasibility study showed interest from about 400 commuters. Until something happens, factor 40 miles round-trip daily if you work in Columbia, a bit less if Jefferson City is your office.
Electric vehicle owners can tap two Level-3 fast chargers behind the new Casey’s. They charge thirty-five cents per kilowatt after a ten-minute free handshake period. A full battery on a small crossover costs roughly $12.
Health Care And Other Hidden Lines On The Ledger
Ashland hosts a walk-in clinic by the post office, routine visit fee $79 without insurance. Serious stuff still heads to Boone Hospital in Columbia, a fifteen-minute ambulance ride. Private insurance premiums mimic national patterns: a silver plan for a family of four lands near $1,200 monthly if your employer does not subsidize.
Child-care centers average $185 a week per toddler. Summer day camps at the city park slice that figure to $130 for the eight-week session, which many parents call a lifesaver.
Pet lovers pay $42 for an annual dog registration with proof of rabies shot. That avoids a $10 late fee come February. Grooming for a mid-size doodle style cut? About $75, tip included.
Real Stories, Real Budgets
• Carly, a remote software engineer, bought a three-year-old ranch south of Liberty Lane for $285k. Her all-in monthly outflow:
Mortgage and taxes: $1,840
Utilities and internet: $228
Groceries for two: $510
Everything else, from gym dues to date nights: right at $600
She banked more than $900 each month compared with her old loft in Nashville.
• Marcus, a teacher fresh out of college, rents a two-bed apartment with a roommate. He pays $650 in rent plus half utilities. His ten-year-old compact car drinks forty bucks of gas weekly for the Columbia commute. He still squeezes travel money by tutoring two evenings a week at $30 an hour.
These nuggets are not marketing copy. They come from real resident averages we tracked through local credit unions and church budgeting classes held in early 2025. Your numbers may differ, but they paint a picture better than sterile spreadsheets.
What Might Change By Next Year
City planners just approved the eighty-acre Ashland Commerce Park. Once ground breaks, payroll taxes from incoming manufacturing could shore up city coffers and nudge property taxes downward or at least keep them flat. On the other hand, more jobs mean more demand for housing, often a recipe for price bumps. Watch that tug-of-war.
Utility bills may inch lower if the municipal solar array finishes on schedule. The array aims to cover fifteen percent of city operations and shave peak-hour rates. A small break on summer electric bills would feel nice.
Ready For A Quick Recap
- Median home price: just north of $300k, still below the national middle.
- Average rent for a two-bed: roughly $1,150 a month.
- Sales tax total: 8.225 percent, no city income tax.
- Gas price: about $3.30 today after morning updates.
- Groceries run ten to twelve percent below large metro averages if you cherry-pick sales.
- Utility bundle on a moderate home: $270 give or take.
- Entertainment can stay cheap with free music and low gym fees.
- Cost of Livng Ashland continues to hover under both Columbia and St. Louis for most categories.
Common Questions We Hear All The Time
What could push housing prices higher in 2025?
Interest rates dropping a point, plus the new commerce park, could squeeze inventory. If you are thinking of buying, looking sooner may dodge that wave.
Does Ashland have public transit at all?
Not yet. Conversations continue, but for now plan on driving or carpooling.
Any break on utilities for senior citizens or veterans?
Yes. Call the city utilities office. Qualifying residents can knock ten percent off monthly bills after paperwork is filed.
How reliable is internet service for remote work?
Fiber covers ninety-two percent of city limits. Outages are rare and usually short. Remote pros rarely complain unless an ice storm knocks down lines.
Is there enough to do without driving north every weekend?
Between two breweries, a growing trail network, youth sports, and library events, boredom hides if you seek it. Major concerts or high-profile dining still call for a short hop to Columbia though.
What Now
If the numbers line up with your pay stub and your gut likes a community where folks still wave as they merge, Ashland might feel just right. Grab a Saturday, cruise around, peek at open houses, track a month of your own spending. A simple spreadsheet often reveals whether you can swing the move or need a bigger down payment first. Either way, you now have the raw scoop on the Cost of Livng Ashland. Questions still buzzing? Reach out and we will talk through your exact scenario over coffee, our treat.
