Columbia, MO · Updated Oct 2026

What a Columbia home costs each year

Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.

Suggestions as you type come from Google; the lookup uses free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.

Example · a Columbia house

$5,750a year · $479 a month

Starts at $54,074 of value before exemptions. Typical use.

Property tax$3,541
6.548% of $54,074
Electricity$1,440
805 kWh a month $1,339 · in lieu of gross receipts tax payment $101
Water and sewer$550
3 units (CCF) a month on City of Columbia Utilities: water $23, sewer $19, stormwater $3 a month
Trash$219
65-gallon cart, $18 a month
Home insuranceNot included
We don't have a typical premium for this city yet. Add yours with Adjust.

A typical Columbia house costs about $5,800 a year: $3,540 property tax and charges, $550 water and sewer, $220 trash, $1,440 electricity; home insurance is not included (no typical premium yet). Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 31, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.

Ways to pay less

Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:

Switch to the 35-gallon cart cartUp to $45 a year
Your cart costs $18 a month; the smallest costs $15. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: Call your garbage hauler.

Money dates

3.0% late fee on utility bills3.0% late fee applies if not paid by the due date.

Who serves this house

Water: City of Columbia Utilities; The City of Columbia charges per 100 cubic feet (ccf), which is approximately 748 gallons.
Property tax: 6.55% of value; 2025 tax year, Boone County (Columbia Public Schools)

Pay or manage your bills

Pay utility bill ↗

Other MO cities

Springfield home costs Independence home costs St. Charles home costs Blue Springs home costs St. Peters home costs Liberty home costs Wildwood home costs Raytown home costs Grandview home costs Raymore home costs Belton home costs Webster Groves home costs Ozark home costs Rolla home costs Creve Coeur home costs Lake Saint Louis home costs Manchester home costs Ferguson home costs Clayton home costs Kirksville home costs Grain Valley home costs Jackson home costs Dardenne Prairie home costs Marshall home costs Festus home costs Fulton home costs West Plains home costs Crestwood home costs Bolivar home costs Town and Country home costs Mexico home costs Excelsior Springs home costs Smithville home costs Ellisville home costs Monett home costs Kennett home costs University City home costs Republic home costs Warrensburg home costs Sikeston home costs Troy home costs Maryville home costs Harrisonville home costs Warrenton home costs Oak Grove home costs Des Peres home costs Sunset Hills home costs Richmond Heights home costs Olivette home costs Brentwood home costs Park Hills home costs Nevada home costs Sullivan home costs Boonville home costs Cameron home costs Valley Park home costs Cottleville home costs Battlefield home costs Shrewsbury home costs Glendale home costs Odessa home costs Wright City home costs Trenton home costs St. Robert home costs Caruthersville home costs Parkville home costs Ladue home costs Perryville home costs Maplewood home costs Willard home costs Marshfield home costs Clinton home costs

How these numbers are made

Water: FY27 residential base $15.75 and $2.53/$6.96/$11.22 per ccf; tiers are 0-100%, 100-200% and over 200% of the winter average, modeled with 3 ccf, the city's stated average residential use.
Sewer: $11.10 base plus $0.04 state permit fee, $2.68 per ccf billed on winter average use (modeled as water use capped at 3 ccf).
Stormwater: the city's 'Understanding your utility bill' page shows a residential stormwater charge of $3.37 on its sample bill; the city says stormwater charges are based on a property's impervious area, so a given home's charge can differ. That sample bill still shows the pre-FY27 $17.37 trash charge, and we found no FY27 stormwater change announced.
Property tax: Boone County 2025 levies per $100 assessed value inside Columbia Public Schools; 2026 not yet posted. Home tax is 19% of market value. Some Columbia homes are in other school districts. The county table also lists a Boone County Fire Protection District levy ($0.8741 per $100); the table does not say which tax areas pay it, so it is not added here. Homes in the city are served by the Columbia Fire Department.
Electric: FY27 residential tiers; summer (Jun-Sep) and non-summer weighted 4/8 months in the top two tiers. The Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) rider applies to all residential kWh and can be a charge or a credit each month; the city capped it at 20% of the residential first-tier rate from Oct. 1, 2026. Its monthly value is not included. Sales tax and Spire gas (a separate utility) are not included.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Columbia compares

A typical Columbia house against the 43 Missouri cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Columbia	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	6.55%	5.64%	higher than 36 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover
Water	$280	$680	lower than 42 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$270	$805	lower than 42 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover
Trash	$219	$261	lower than 24 of the other 31 Missouri cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$1,440	$2,357	lower than 41 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover
Total	$5,750	$8,070	lower than 38 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover

Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.

Questions to ask your candidates

Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.

1. Property tax rate

The fact: Columbia's property tax rate is 6.55%, higher than 36 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.

Ask: "Property tax in Columbia is 6.55%, higher than 36 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover. What should that money pay for first, and would you change anything about how it is set?"

2. Water

The fact: Water here costs about $280 a year at typical use, lower than 42 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $280 a year at typical use, lower than 42 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

3. Sewer and utility-bill fees

The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $270 a year, lower than 42 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover. Some cities bill sewer on the property tax bill instead, which is not counted here.

Ask: "Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here cost about $270 a year, lower than 42 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

4. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $219 a year for the standard cart, lower than 24 of the other 31 Missouri cities we cover. Where trash is billed through the tax bill or a separate hauler, it is not counted here.

Ask: "Trash pickup here costs about $219 a year for the standard cart, lower than 24 of the other 31 Missouri cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"

5. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $1,440 a year, lower than 41 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.

Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $1,440 a year for a typical house, lower than 41 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"

Common questions about Columbia house costs

What is the property tax rate in Columbia?

About 6.55% of the value before exemptions a year (2025 tax year, Boone County (Columbia Public Schools)), plus flat charges on the same bill.

How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Columbia?

About $32,742 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions.

How much is the water bill in Columbia?

About $46 a month for water and sewer at typical use (3 units, or 2,244 gallons a month) on City of Columbia Utilities.

How much does trash pickup cost in Columbia?

$15 to $23 a month, depending on the trash cart size (35-gallon cart, 65-gallon cart, 95-gallon cart).

How much does a house in Columbia cost to run each year?

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