Missouri · 219th largest metro area

Buying a home in Columbia, Missouri

In Columbia, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $284,600, Boone County's effective property tax rate is 0.85%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $3,350 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,097 a month.

Data as of : Census ACS 2020-2024, Census Vintage 2024, HMDA 2025, HUD FY 2027. Sources

Columbia home costs, fact by fact

About Columbia

Located in Boone County, Columbia is a city in Missouri, within the Columbia, MO metro area, which ranks 219th nationally. 48.7% of its homes are owner-occupied.

Calculate for Missouri

If you buy

Missouri state transfer tax

Missouri has no real estate transfer tax. Change the price: the amount is recalculated instantly.

Price$271,400
State transfer tax$0
Share of the price—

Default price: the Missouri median value of owner-occupied homes, $271,400 (Census ACS 2025). Rule: No tax is calculated on the price. Recording fees depend on page count. Who pays: No transfer tax to assign; the statute says only that the recorder is allowed the fees, and the sales contract decides who pays them. Not included: county and city transfer taxes, recording fees, title insurance and lender charges. Missouri transfer tax guide · all 50 states.

If you sell

Capital gain and the federal tax on it

Same federal rule in every state: Section 121 of the Internal Revenue Code excludes up to $250,000 of gain on a main home ($500,000 for a married couple filing jointly).

Capital gain$350,000
Section 121 exclusion$250,000 (limit $250,000)
Taxable gain$100,000
Type of gainLong-term (owned over 1 year), 15% chosen
Federal tax on the gain$15,000

Section 121 excludes $250,000; the rest is taxable.

Gain = sale price minus your adjusted basis (purchase price, buying costs and improvements); selling expenses reduce it (IRS Publication 523). Long-term rates for sales in 2026, by taxable income including the gain (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, section 4.03): 0% up to $49,450 single or $98,900 married filing jointly, 15% up to $545,500 single or $613,700 jointly, 20% above. Not included: Missouri state income tax on the gain (not computed), the net investment income tax, depreciation recapture on a rental or home office, and the reduced exclusion for an early sale. Agent commissions are negotiated and never set by law. Capital gains on a home sale.

Questions about buying a home in Columbia

How much is property tax in Columbia?

Homeowners in Boone County pay a median $2,328 a year in property tax, 0.85% of the county median home value of $272,800 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Columbia?

Home-purchase mortgages in Boone County carried median total loan costs of $3,350 in 2025; half of the 1,513 loans fell between $2,625 and $5,909 (HMDA). Total loan costs are the lender and settlement-service charges of the Closing Disclosure; transfer taxes and prepaid items come on top.

Is there a transfer tax when you buy a home in Columbia?

Missouri does not tax the transfer of a home in any statute or fee schedule reviewed, and its Constitution (Article X, Section 25) bars any new tax on the sale or transfer of real estate since December 2, 2010. In St. Louis a standard deed costs $25 to record for the first page and $5 per extra page.

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Columbia?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Columbia ($284,600) equals 21.6 years of the median gross rent ($1,097 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

Run your own numbers: rent vs buy calculator · closing costs calculator.

Missouri rules that apply in Columbia

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Sources

Missouri · All states · Federal guides