Cost of Living & Housing in Bolivar

Bolivar's cost of living centers on a genuinely affordable, if thinly documented, housing market and one of Missouri's lowest disclosed county-level property tax burdens.

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A real, disclosed housing-price spread

Bolivar's home-value figures vary by source: Data USA's 2024 median property value ran $201,600, while other sourced listing/market figures reviewed this pass ran as low as approximately $163,000-$180,000. This record discloses this spread honestly rather than asserting one falsely precise median -- confirm current comparable-sale pricing directly with a local agent (base record).

Polk County's genuinely low property tax burden

Polk County collects a real, disclosed average of 0.59% of assessed fair market value in property tax, with a median annual bill of approximately $658 on a median-value home of $112,300 -- among the lowest of Missouri's 115 counties, well below both the Missouri statewide median (1.25%) and the national median (1.02%) (base record).

Missouri's flat 4.0% state income tax

Missouri's state income tax became a real, flat 4.0% rate as of January 1, 2026, applying statewide including in Bolivar -- Missouri voters separately rejected a full income-tax-elimination ballot measure by a wide margin in August 2026, a real, dated political fact worth disclosing honestly (base record).

Key takeaways

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-27. Independent research; not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.