Cost of living in Salem, Missouri
Simple answer
Typical rent is $639 a month.
Salem is a city in Missouri. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $43,923 a year.
- People
- 4,677
- Census average, 2020–2024
- Typical rent
- $639
- Median gross rent, includes utilities
- Typical pay
- $43,923
- Median household income, yearly
- Typical home
- $115,000
- Median home value
- 2-bedroom fair rent
- $998
- Dent County, MO
Salem, Missouri has about 4,677 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.
A typical home is worth about $115,000.
HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Dent County is $998 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Salem. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.
Missouri's prices sit at 90.8 when the U.S. average is 100. This place is not in a metro area with its own index, so this is the state number from BEA for 2024.
Missouri taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 8.4% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Salem'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 Salem bill.
In July 2026, a typical Missouri home paid 16.09¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Salem's bill.
EIA did not publish a 2025 all-grades gas price for Missouri in the table we use.
Among 350 places we list in Missouri with a rent figure, 318 have higher typical rent than Salem.
Nearby places
- Licking
Typical rent $657
Compare with Salem - Rolla
Typical rent $789
Compare with Salem - Steelville
Typical rent $599
Compare with Salem - St. James
Typical rent $695
Compare with Salem - Cuba
Typical rent $744
Compare with Salem - Houston
Typical rent $698
Compare with Salem - Indian Lake
- Fort Leonard Wood
Typical rent $1,250
EBT nearby
USDA has a live map of stores that take SNAP. We did not copy that store list here. The downloadable file is a history file for 2005 through 2025, so the live map is the one to use.
Locator page updated 2026-09-11. Last checked 2026-10-16.
Food stamps (SNAP) tools in Missouri
Bigger places in Missouri
Census 2020-2024. HUD rents for October 2026–September 2027. BEA prices for 2024. Taxes as of January 1, 2026. Checked 2026-10-16. 15,000 places are in this guide.