You want the straight dope on dollars and cents before you haul the moving truck into town. Fair enough. Pull up a chair. Let’s break down what it really costs to keep the lights on, the fridge stocked, and a roof over your head in Holts Summit, Missouri.
Small-Town Vibes That Shape Your Wallet
Four traffic lights. Maybe five if you count the flashing one outside city limits. That’s Holts Summit in a nutshell. Roughly 4,000 people call it home, and the headcount has inched upward only a smidge each year since 2020. Slow growth matters because it keeps competition for housing moderate and prevents sticker shock.
Jobs? Most residents commute ten minutes south to Jefferson City’s state offices or slip across the Missouri River to Fulton’s light-manufacturing plants. Local gigs include the school district, a couple of family-owned construction firms, and the ever-busy truck stop at the Highway 54 exit. Those paychecks influence demand for rentals and single-family homes, yet they don’t fuel bidding wars like you see in the larger metros.
The best part: land is still plentiful. Builders snag quarter-acre lots for under $25,000, which filters down to buyers in the form of refreshingly sane price tags. In short, Holts Summit’s cost profile stays grounded because the town is still governed by pickup-truck economics rather than luxury-SUV economics.
Shelter and Power – What Your Monthly Tab Really Looks Like
You probably only care about three numbers: rent, mortgage, and utilities. Let’s tackle them head on.
- Rent: A clean two-bed, 1-bath duplex near Summit Drive averages $775. Newer three-beds in Southwind hover around $1,050. Tiny one-bed units exist, but they vanish fast and rarely cross the $650 mark.
- Buying: The median sale price floats near $170K. For context, Columbia sits closer to $280K, and Jefferson City’s in the low $200s. A 30-year note at 6.5 percent on that $170K property rings in near $1,075 with taxes and insurance rolled in. Yes, you read that right. A mortgage cheaper than rent in several Missouri college towns.
- Hidden housing fees nobody Googles:
- City sewer: about $33 per month.
- Water via Callaway County District 2: typical household uses 4,500 gallons, so plan on roughly $39.
- Solid-waste pickup: $13 if you provide your own cart, $17 if you need their tote.
- Storm-water fee: $4.25. It sneaks into many closing statements, and buyers blink twice before realizing it is permanent.
Electric service flows from Ameren Missouri. Average residential rate last quarter? 11.3 cents per kilowatt-hour. In plain English, the all-in electric bill for a 1,600-square-foot ranch with electric heat and a smart thermostat settles between $120 and $165 in winter. Summer runs cheaper because many homes lean on natural-gas water heaters and efficient heat pumps.
Gas service for furnaces comes through Spire. The budget-billing plan is $68 a month for a three-bed house. Some years it settles at $62, other years $74. Nothing dramatic.
Internet options matter if you work remote. Two main players:
- Callabyte fiber, gig-speed, $79 with no data cap.
- Spectrum cable, 300 Mbps, $65 but be ready for promotional pricing games at the one-year mark.
Bottom line: Holts Summit’s shelter-plus-utilities package sits about 22 percent under the national average and roughly 15 percent under the Missouri state average. You could knock off another ten bucks if you line-dry your laundry and skip the second deep-freeze in the garage. Your call.
Taxes – Counting the Pennies the State and City Want
Missouri likes a sliding income-tax scale. You start at zero and cap at 5.4 percent. Most wage earners in Callaway County land near 4.9 percent after standard deductions.
Sales tax inside city limits totals 7.23 percent. Spend one county road over and it drops to 6.35. Locals keep a mental map of where to buy appliances versus where to grab a quick burger because those decimals add up.
Property taxes demand a closer look:
- County rate: 0.52 percent
- School district: 0.34 percent
- Library, ambulance, fire services: 0.11 percent combined
That brings the effective bite to roughly 0.97 percent of assessed value. Swipe a $200K house, and your annual bill lands near $1,940. Folks relocating from Illinois nearly choke with joy at that figure.
One oddball levy: Callaway County’s “911 surcharge” on phone bills. It’s only $1 per line, yet new arrivals wonder what the extra item is. Consider yourself warned.
Groceries, Playtime, and All the Everyday Stuff
Groceries run close to national medians, but there are micro-hacks:
- Aldi in Jefferson City for budget staples
- Hy-Vee when you demand the fancy cheese island
- Mertens convenience store in Summit Plaza for emergency milk runs, though the markup is real
A household of four usually spends $140 a week if they cook nightly and brown-bag lunches. Make that $200 if you lean on prepared meals.
Now the fun budget:
- Little League registration: $65 for the season, plus $25 if you forgot cleats.
- City pool family pass: $105 for the entire summer. Show up five times and it practically pays for itself.
- Dinner at Summit Grill: Two entrees, one appetizer, tip included, $48.
- Jefferson City multiplex: $11.50 a ticket, which stings, so locals often hit the $2 Tuesday movies at B&B Theater in Fulton.
Want something totally free? Hit the Katy Trail trailhead five minutes south along the river bluffs. Pack snacks, hop on bikes, cruise for hours. Your thighs ache, your wallet doesn’t.
Childcare keeps people up at night. Holts Summit Preschool charges $155 per week for full-time care. That is thirty to forty dollars below Columbia’s average. After-school programs at North Elementary add only $38 per week, snacks included. Anyone with kids in travel sports may cancel out those savings, but at least you start from a better baseline.
Healthcare is trickier to peg since premiums vary wildly. Still, Callaway Medical Partners posts its cash visit rate list online. Office visit with labs: $92. Physical therapy evaluation: $61. It is refreshing transparency and often beats multi-hospital systems in Columbia by 20 percent.
Pump Prices and Commuter Math
Missouri is consistently among the five cheapest states for unleaded. When the national average sat at $3.60, Summit Truck Plaza flashed $3.18. Most commuters burn ten gallons a week. Do the math and you’re pocketing about $20 compared with coastal drivers.
Public transit is scarce. A lone shuttle van serves call-ahead riders, but nobody relies on it for a daily grind. Ride-share apps exist but expect longer wait times at 7 a.m. The upshot is parking is always free, even around city hall, so you are not bleeding quarters every workday.
Car insurance nudges a bit higher than Missouri’s average due to the highway corridor traffic. Full coverage on a 2020 SUV averages $98 monthly through regional carriers. Knock it down to $64 if you bundle homeowner’s.
Pro tip if you crave an EV: Ameren offers a residential charger rebate of up to $500. So far only twelve homes in Holts Summit have claimed it. Translation, plenty of grid capacity and zero waitlist.
Why It All Adds Up to a Manageable Life
Here’s the tally for a typical month in a three-bed owner-occupied home, two adults, two kiddos:
- Mortgage with escrow: $1,075
- Utilities total: $265
- Groceries: $600
- Car fuel and insurance: $450
- Phone, streaming, internet: $210
- Youth sports, gym, random fun: $180
- Property tax installment: $162
Grand total: $2,942. Slide the mortgage number over to rent if you prefer, and you’re still under three grand. Plenty of households crack $3,500 because boats, hunting leases, and Target therapy happen. Still, that is personal choice, not a requirement for survival.
People stick around Holts Summit because money stretches. You can stash a real emergency fund. You can finish a basement without refinancing. You can splurge on Chiefs tickets without pawning grandma’s jewelry. For many, that breathing room is worth more than trendy nightlife or boutique bakeries every two blocks.
Quickfire FAQs
What is the average cost of living in Holts Summit, MO?
Housing is the major bargain, sitting roughly 22 percent below U.S. figures. Factor in utilities, groceries, and taxes, and most households spend 15 percent less overall than the national composite.
How does housing affordability in Holts Summit compare to nearby cities?
Expect to save $30K to $50K on similar square footage versus Jefferson City and up to $100K versus Columbia.
Are there any unique local taxes residents should be aware of?
The 911 phone surcharge and the small monthly storm-water fee surprise newcomers. Otherwise just standard Missouri taxes.
How does one manage transportation costs in Holts Summit?
Keep an efficient vehicle, watch fuel apps for the cheaper truck-stop price, and bundle auto insurance with your homeowner’s policy for better rates.
What cultural or local events contribute to cost-effective entertainment?
Founders Day in September offers free music and a barbecue contest. The Friday-night farmer’s market doubles as a social hour. And the Katy Trail access gives you endless miles of no-fee recreation.
Ready to run the numbers on a specific property or compare neighborhoods side by side? Shoot me a message. Let’s see how far your budget can travel in Holts Summit.
