Last updated October 30, 2026
A Kansas City, Missouri move to St. Louis keeps a lot the same: the state taxes, the assessment rules, even the basements. What changes is the map. This page matches the kind of house you’re leaving on the Missouri side of Kansas City to the St. Louis areas built in the same era, from 2026 sales.
Match the era. Lee’s Summit’s 1990s houses point to Wildwood, Raytown and Independence ranches to Crestwood, Concord and Mehlville, Hyde Park and Westport to South City, and Brookside to Kirkwood and Webster Groves. The full match ↓
Wildwood for the same 1990s houses, Imperial for a lower price. Lee’s Summit’s median house dates from 1995; Wildwood’s 2026 sales had a 1992 median, and Imperial’s a 1999 median at $354,500. Newer-suburb matches ↓
In South County. Raytown’s median house dates from 1964 and Independence’s from 1967; Crestwood’s 2026 sales had a 1957 median with 72.5% ranches, and Concord and Mehlville both had 1966 medians. Ranch matches ↓
Your state taxes, the 19% residential assessment and the basements. If you move from Kansas City, Missouri into St. Louis City, you keep a 1% earnings tax; move into St. Louis County and you drop it. Same state, new map ↓
About 250 miles on I-70, roughly three and a half to four hours by car. That’s close enough to house-hunt on weekends instead of buying sight unseen. What that makes easier ↓
Sources: St. Louis figures from 2026 MLS (MARIS) closed single-family sales on this site’s area pages; Kansas City-area house ages from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data (via Point2Homes and BestNeighborhood).
Kansas City, Missouri is older than its reputation: its median house dates from 1969, and 21.3% of its housing predates 1940, according to Census data. The newer houses sit in Lee’s Summit and the Northland. St. Louis has the same spread, just in different places.
| KC-area house | Typical places | St. Louis areas with the same era |
|---|---|---|
| 1990s two-story in a newer suburb | Lee’s Summit, the Northland | Wildwood; Chesterfield for size |
| 1980s house in an outer suburb | Blue Springs, Liberty | Imperial and Oakville |
| 1950s–60s ranch | Raytown, Independence | Crestwood, Concord and Mehlville |
| Shirtwaist or bungalow in the historic core | Hyde Park, Westport, Volker | South City and Maplewood |
| Established house near the parkways | Brookside, Ward Parkway, Country Club District | Kirkwood and Webster Groves; Clayton and Ladue at the top |
This page covers the Missouri side. If you’re leaving Overland Park or elsewhere in Kansas, the same matches apply by era, but your state taxes will change too.
Start with Wildwood for age, Imperial for price. Lee’s Summit put up 41.8% of its housing in the 1990s and 2000s, for a 1995 median; Blue Springs’ median is 1988 and Liberty’s 1984, according to Census data.
| Area | Median year built | Median size | Median price | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial | 1999 | 1,872 sq ft | $354,500 | 96 |
| Wildwood | 1992 | 3,342 sq ft | $599,000 | 136 |
| Chesterfield | 1982 | 3,326 sq ft | $685,000 | 120 |
| Oakville High area | 1979 | 2,288 sq ft | $385,000 | 137 |
Chesterfield gives you the most room, about 3,300 sq ft, from 1982. Oakville is the 1970s–80s option at a middle price, close to Liberty and Blue Springs in age. West County compared →
South County is built from the same decades. Raytown’s median house dates from 1964 and Independence’s from 1967, with about half of Independence’s housing built from the 1950s through the 1970s, according to Census data.
| Area | Median year built | Ranch share | Median size | Median price | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crestwood | 1957 | 72.5% | 1,646 sq ft | $365,000 | 40 |
| Concord | 1966 | 50.0% | 1,801 sq ft | $352,500 | 56 |
| Mehlville High area | 1966 | 60.1% | 1,766 sq ft | $323,500 | 148 |
Crestwood is the ranch-heaviest of the three, with 1950s houses at a median $365,000. Concord and Mehlville are a decade newer, the same 1960s vintage as Independence. If you’re leaving Grandview, closer to 1974, Oakville’s 1979 median fits better. South County, community by community →
Go to South City, and match on age and brick rather than style. The Kansas City shirtwaist, a brick or stone first floor under a frame upper story, is a local form without an exact St. Louis twin. What St. Louis has instead is block after block of 1910s–40s brick bungalows and flats in Shaw, Southwest Garden and Tower Grove South.
Just outside the City, Maplewood’s 2026 median house was built in 1929, at $295,000. Like Hyde Park, these are walkable streets where the house itself is the draw. South City neighborhoods →
Kirkwood and Webster Groves are the closest in feel: established, tree-lined, with walkable downtowns and houses from the 1930s to 1950s. Their 2026 medians were $566,750 in Kirkwood and $444,500 in Webster Groves. For Mission Hills or the top of Ward Parkway, look at Clayton, at $1,240,000, and Ladue, at $1,430,000.
If you’re leaving a downtown or Crossroads loft instead, look at Lafayette Square, Soulard and the Central West End. Mid-County compared →
More stays the same than on any out-of-state move.
What changes is the map. Kansas City, Missouri spreads across four counties; St. Louis City sits in no county at all, separate from St. Louis County and its 88 municipalities, and many of those cities require an occupancy inspection when a house sells. City vs. County, explained → · Occupancy permits by city →
The drive helps: at about 250 miles on I-70, you can tour on a Saturday and be home that night.
Before you move
Yes. Independence is its own city, but its 1950s–70s ranches match the same South County areas as Raytown’s. Independence and Raytown matches ↑
If you’re unsure which side of the region your job or life will land on, a lease buys you time, and from Kansas City you can keep house-hunting on weekends. Renting first vs. buying →
Yes: Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta and Nashville each have a house-type match like this one. Moving to St. Louis →
This is one piece of the St. Louis home buying process. See how it all fits together:
📚 Complete St. Louis Buyer Guide →Watching St. Louis listings from Kansas City? Send me the address and I’ll pull the MLS history, without your phone going to a lead team. Why it matters →
Grew up in South St. Louis, lived in Dogtown for 6 years, now in South County. You'll find us at Wellspring on Lindbergh on Sundays. I'm not selling you a house — I'm showing you how to think about buying or selling a house.
One text, email, or call is all it takes to put that experience to work for you.
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