Cost of living in Carthage, Missouri

Carthage, Missouri has about 15,574 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $146,800.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Jasper County is $1,153 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Carthage. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Joplin, MO-KS metro area, prices sit at 85.7 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

Missouri taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 8.4% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Carthage's exact store tax.

Some places in Missouri add a local wage tax. In 2023 the state average was about 0.18% of income. That is not a Carthage bill.

In July 2026, a typical Missouri home paid 16.09¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Carthage's bill.

EIA does not publish a Missouri gasoline price. For the week of October 12, 2026, the Midwest (PADD 2) all-grades price was $4.237 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $2,033.76 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in Missouri shares this price.

Among 350 places we list in Missouri with a rent figure, 143 have higher typical rent than Carthage.