Photo: Doncram · CC BY-SA 4.0Measured against area pay, West Plains costs less to live in than 52% of U.S. towns
It ranks #173 of 247 in Missouri for affordability. Up 6.4% in a year, 15% below the Missouri typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the West Plains, MO micro area ($51K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the West Plains-area micro earn ($51K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 3.3 years of area income, and 48% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $225Ktypical home, 15% below the Missouri typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $930a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 3.3 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$51K, West Plains-area income
- 19%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 48%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Missouri: 46%Census 2020–24
- 13%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in West Plains, in brief
Values rose faster than Missouri’s over five years
The typical West Plains home is up 43% in five years, against 26% across Missouri. Since October 2016 it has about doubled, from $109K to $225K. Price trend ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025 (2025 partly estimated); incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind West Plains’ grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, West Plains is more affordable than 52% of U.S. towns, #173 of 247 in Missouri. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have outpaced Missouri: the typical West Plains home is up 42.9% in five years, against 26.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 42.9% in five years
Faster than Missouri (26.3%).
Show as a table
| January | West Plains | Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $112,000 | $147,000 |
| 2018 | $110,000 | $155,000 |
| 2019 | $114,000 | $163,000 |
| 2020 | $124,000 | $171,000 |
| 2021 | $141,000 | $191,000 |
| 2022 | $168,000 | $217,000 |
| 2023 | $186,000 | $234,000 |
| 2024 | $197,000 | $245,000 |
| 2025 | $207,000 | $255,000 |
| 2026 | $217,000 | $260,000 |
| September 2026 | $225,000 | $265,000 |
A typical West Plains home worth $109K in October 2016 is worth about $225K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 18 homes sold in May 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A year’s rent takes 19% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to West Plains’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $17K short of a typical West Plains home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $930 a month here, $350 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, West Plains’s typical property tax (0.55% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $930
Renters already here pay a median of $810, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Douglas County, MO): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
62 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 62 new homes in West Plains in 2025: 57 single-family houses and 5 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $6.6 million to build. That's 5 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Missouri (3.7). Over the past 10 years, West Plains has permitted 414 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, West Plains gained 198 residents while 375 new homes were permitted: about 0.5 new residents per new home. Building outpaced population growth, which usually means smaller households or homes used part of the year. Across Missouri: 1.1 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 20 | 16 | 4 | $3.7 million |
| 2025 | 62 | 57 | 5 | $6.6 million |
| 2024 | 48 | 23 | 25 | $8.5 million |
| 2023 | 77 | 20 | 57 | $12.3 million |
| 2022 | 31 | 23 | 8 | $4.2 million |
| 2021 | 64 | 34 | 30 | $11.4 million |
| 2020 | 18 | 12 | 6 | $3.2 million |
| 2019 | 34 | 12 | 22 | $3.9 million |
| 2018 | 38 | 12 | 26 | $3.5 million |
| 2017 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $2.1 million |
| 2016 | 24 | 8 | 16 | $1.6 million |
| 2015 | 12 | 8 | 4 | $1.3 million |
| 2014 | 19 | 9 | 10 | $1.4 million |
| 2013 | 65 | 43 | 22 | $6.9 million |
| 2012 | 21 | 19 | 2 | $1.9 million |
| 2011 | 72 | 5 | 67 | $5.3 million |
| 2010 | 72 | 14 | 58 | $3.2 million |
| 2009 | 29 | 17 | 12 | $2.3 million |
| 2008 | 39 | 20 | 19 | $3.3 million |
| 2007 | 168 | 44 | 124 | $11.7 million |
| 2006 | 71 | 49 | 22 | $6.6 million |
| 2005 | 117 | 117 | 0 | $10.3 million |
| 2004 | 95 | 95 | 0 | $8.5 million |
| 2003 | 68 | 56 | 12 | $4.7 million |
| 2002 | 83 | 79 | 4 | $7.4 million |
| 2001 | 30 | 28 | 2 | $4.1 million |
| 2000 | 46 | 44 | 2 | $4.6 million |
West Plains's permit office reported 11 of 12 months in 2025; the Census estimated the rest.
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Missouri norm
The median bill is $930 (Missouri: $1,948), 0.55% of a home’s value a year, against 0.85% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
West Plains and its neighbors
One source per column.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Plains | B− | $225K | $170K | 0.55% | $930 |
Questions about the cost of living in West Plains
Is West Plains expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, West Plains costs less than 52% of U.S. towns: a B− for cost of living, #173 of 247 in Missouri. The typical home costs 3.3 years of the median household income of the West Plains, MO micro area ($51K).
How much does a house cost in West Plains?
About $225K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 6.4% in a year. The Missouri typical home is $265K.
What salary do you need to live in West Plains?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $55,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,280 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $37,000.
How much is rent in West Plains?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $930 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $810 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in West Plains?
The median bill is $930 a year, 0.55% of the median home value (Missouri: $1,948, 0.85%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in West Plains going up?
Yes: up 6.4% in the past year and 42.9% in five years, against 26.3% across Missouri (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What West Plains buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.