A Local Expert’s Guide To 10 Budget-Friendly Neighborhoods to Rent in Kansas City

Hello, and welcome! I’m Amber, and I’ll be your ApartmentHomeLiving.com Local Expert for Kansas City. I spent a large part of my life dreaming about living here—and a few years ago, I finally made the leap and moved across the country to make that dream happen.

Why? Because this city has it all. There’s a reason why we Kansas Citians call our town “The Paris of the Plains.” It’s big enough to offer almost everything that a place like NYC or LA can offer—but it also has a friendly, small-town vibe that makes it feel like home. The cost of living here is pretty low, there are growing numbers of tech-oriented jobs, and best of all, KC has a diverse selection of neighborhoods to suit just about every kind of lifestyle.

Read below, and I’ll show you around 10 of the best neighborhoods where you can find a great mix of affordable housing—plus plenty of amenities and fun things to see and do.

Parkville

Want big-city living with a small town vibe? Parkville is the place to be. This neighborhood is part of Kansas City’s expansive Northland area—and it’s also one of the metro’s best kept secrets. You’ll find dozens of offerings for great apartments in the $1,000 per month range.

Even better, living here will put you right in the heart of one of the most charming spots that Kansas City has to offer. Downtown Parkville is one of the neighborhood’s biggest draws. This is where you’ll discover a historic Main Street full of great little restaurants, antique stores, and boutiques.

Parkville also has lots of amazing green spaces. There’s a beautiful trail system along the Missouri River, a nature sanctuary to explore, and much more. All in all, it’s an area that will make you feel like you’re enjoying a weekend getaway year-round—and it’s just minutes from downtown KCMO.

Zona Rosa

Before I get into the reasons why I love the Zona Rosa area, let’s clear up a little confusion: Zona Rosa is actually a large shopping center that serves as a centerpiece for several great Northland neighborhoods like The Coves, Barry Harbor, Royal Oaks North, and others. We Kansas Citians tend to refer to this whole region as “the Zona Rosa area.”

So why do you want to live in the Zona Rosa area? Probably for the same reasons that I enjoy it. The neighborhoods here are absolutely filled with affordable rental options, from apartments to doublewides and single-family homes. It’s a super safe area with a chill vibe, and it is ultra convenient. No matter where you settle down in the Zona Rosa area, you’ll never be more than a couple of minutes from most anything you could want, from groceries and restaurants to boutiques and entertainment venues.

That includes the Zona Rosa Town Center itself. Even if you’re not in the mood to shop, the Zona Rosa Town Center is still worth a visit. Walk around, enjoy the architecture, take in the beautiful fountains, or go ice skating in the winter. Then stop off at Topsy’s for a limeaide and their legendary popcorn.

Oh, and if you’re a frequent flyer? The Zona Rosa area puts you close to the airport, which is situated in the upper northwestern corner of the KCMO metro area.

Gladstone

Here’s a little bit about me: I’m a Kansas City transplant. And the reason why I’m telling you this is because years ago, when I first visited KC to look around and see where I might want to settle down, Gladstone was where I really fell in love with this city. It was kind of a “Little Red Riding Hood” situation where everything felt just right.

As an older neighborhood, Gladstone offers historic charm blended with a cozy, small-town vibe—but don’t be fooled into thinking that you’ll be bored here. While it’s part of the Northland, its relatively central location means that you’ll be within minutes of many of KC’s biggest draws. It’s a straight shot south down North Oak Trafficway to get to Downtown KCMO, or you can head west down Barry Road to get to the Zona Rosa area fast. Liberty is situated to the northeast if you want even more shopping opportunities. Or, you can hop on interstate 435 to reach places like Independence to the east, Overland Park to the south, or the Legends area on the Kansas side of the metro to the west.

Claycomo

Next up, we’ve got Claycomo, which is a little suburb that sits just to the east of Gladstone. As such, everything that I said about Gladstone is true of Claycomo, too. There are lots of affordable homes and apartments in this area, and it also has that same sleepy suburb vibe.

What sets Claycomo apart from other neighborhoods—including Gladstone—is that it puts you even closer to some fairly major attractions that I haven’t mentioned yet. Namely, those would be Worlds of Fun, Oceans of Fun, and a couple of KCMO’s best casinos.

Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun are all one big amusement park complex. As the names suggest, Oceans of Fun is the waterpark side of things—go here to swim, bask in the sun, or rocket down one of the many waterslides. Worlds of Fun is where you’ll find the carnival attractions, rollercoasters, and huge 4th of July fireworks shows.

As to the casinos, you have the Ameristar and Harrah’s just to the south of Claycomo. Personally, I love the Ameristar. Even if you’re not in the mood to gamble, the Vegas vibe at the Ameristar means you’ll have lots of fun just walking around taking in the sights. There’s a pretty good selection of restaurants at the Ameristar, too.

Liberty

Liberty is a strangely wonderful place. By that, I mean that it’s one of the only suburban areas I’ve ever encountered that also offers a taste of rural living. Situated in the Northeast portion of the Kansas City metro, Liberty is surrounded by wide open spaces to the north and east. It only takes a short drive to lose yourself in nature at the Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary, or in the gently rolling hills of Missouri farm country.

This theme continues within Liberty proper. You’ll be close to several different orchards, pumpkin patches, and berry picking farms. All of this comes with lots of housing opportunities. You’ll find a great mix of homes and Liberty apartments for rent in a mix of price ranges from affordable to upscale.

Liberty has a ton of history, too. It started as a trade hub in the early 1800s. Today, there are lots of historical sites to explore. Liberty was a station for the Underground Railroad, and it’s also where Jesse James reputedly pulled off America’s first successful daylight bank robbery, which you can learn about at the Jesse James Bank Museum—the very site where the robbery was alleged to have taken place.

Downtown KCMO

I may be biased since I lived in Downtown KCMO for a couple of years, but if you like urban living at affordable prices, I can’t recommend this area enough. Most of Downtown KCMO’s center around beautifully renovated skyscrapers and lofts—and as such, it’s got a trendy vibe that draws in the young professional crowd.

When you’re searching for downtown apartments, don’t let some of the jaw-dropping price tags scare you away. The penthouses and upper levels of some of the most in-demand buildings can be quite pricey, but you can find amazing views and affordable rents in the $1,000 to $1,500 range on the middle and lower floors of these same buildings.

For a somewhat less urban vibe, check out the Downtown East neighborhood, Blue Valley, or Independence Plaza. Downtown East’s affordable housing options keep you closest to the heart of downtown while Blue Valley offers some extremely budget-friendly studios and 1-bedrooms for people just starting out. Independence Plaza’s apartments are similar to Downtown East and Blue Valley, but put you slightly closer to the Northland.

So what’s great about Downtown KCMO? There’s too much to list, but I’ll show you some of what I enjoyed as a downtown denizen:

●       In the summers, you can spend weekend evenings wandering around the streets of the Power & Light district, enjoying cold drinks and listening to live bands.

●       Just a short streetcar ride north of downtown, River Market gives you access to a fantastic farmers’ market with locally grown foods plus ethnic groceries, fun boutiques, and a great selection of cozy restaurants.

●       Head south on the streetcar to visit historic Union Station or explore the beautiful Crown Center Mall.

●       Get tickets for ballet, opera, orchestras, and more at the Kauffman Center.

●       See your favorite band live at T-Mobile Center.

●       Take a walk or a 5-minute drive to West Bottoms during their First Friday weekends to immerse yourself in local arts.

All of that is in addition to a fantastic selection of downtown restaurants, bars, boutiques, and more.

Crown Center

The Crown Center neighborhood is just south of Downtown KCMO—and in fact, many Kansas Citians consider it to be part of the downtown area. Living here gives you easy access to everything that I mentioned above, plus you’ll be a little bit closer to Westport, which is the neighborhood that I’ll be talking about next.

Like Downtown, most of Crown Center’s cheaper rentals come in the form of apartment buildings and lofts, although the vibe here is slightly less trendy and somewhat more historic. That’s because the Crown Center area puts you within a stone’s throw of some of Kansas City’s most notable sites. Union Station is a beautiful railway station that opened in 1914—and it’s located right next to the Crown Center Mall. In fact, if you love going for walks, then I cannot recommend these two locations enough. Both Union Station and the Crown Center Mall are connected via a skywalk, which makes for a pleasant hike from one to the other, even when the weather is bad.

There is also the Liberty Memorial complex, which overlooks Union Station. The view here is breathtaking—and in fact, if you’ve been admiring photos of KC’s iconic skyline, this is probably where those photos were taken. Let’s also not forget that this is also where you’ll find the National World War I Museum, which is among the best museums of many that this city has to offer.

For even more apartment options near Crown Center, look into the Beacon Hills neighborhood. It’s just to the east of Crown Center—and offers some of the most affordable rents in the city. A little farther east, you can look into the Palestine neighborhood. Palestine’s apartments are very affordable—but availability can be limited.

Westport

Westport is a hotspot for a couple of different groups. Young people flock to this neighborhood because Westport has a busy nightlife with plenty of restaurants, clubs, and bars, and also because it’s close to the University of Missouri-Kansas City, too.

It’s also a great spot for people who are interested in the arts. Westport puts you very close to the Nelson-Atkins Museum (one of my favorite places to visit), the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Kansas City Art Institute.

On top of that, you’ll also be close to the Plaza. The Plaza is an outdoor shopping mall with some interesting restaurants and boutiques—but the main draw here is the architecture. Walk around on a sunny afternoon to take in the Spanish designs and see the fountains, or come in the evenings during the winter when the Plaza is all lit up with holiday lights.

This neighborhood has a great selection of apartments geared toward students and young people. Among the many modern apartment buildings, you’ll find everything from cozy studios to spacious two-bedrooms at prices that are hard to find elsewhere in the city.

If you’re looking for neighborhoods near to Westport but not within it, check out the East Side neighborhoods, which also have a lot of good options for affordable apartments. Knoches Park is another neighborhood just east of Westport. It’s a little rougher around the edges than some other areas, but you can often find rents sometimes well under $1,000 per month.

Downtown KCK and Strawberry Hill

Did you know that there’s a whole other Kansas City that nobody ever talks about? It’s actually a running joke around these parts. On one side of the state border, you have Kansas City, Missouri, and on the other side, you’ve got Kansas City, Kansas—and those of us from KCMO like to joke around and pretend that KCK doesn’t actually exist.

It does exist, however, and if you’re looking for a place to live affordably, you shouldn’t overlook it. In particular, check out the Downtown KCK and Strawberry Hill neighborhoods. I’m mentioning them together because they’re relatively small neighborhoods adjacent to each other—and both offer some of the most affordable lofts and apartment complexes in the entire metro.

And what’s great about living in this area? Quite a lot, actually. Downtown KCK and Strawberry Hill don’t have the soaring skyscrapers that Downtown KCMO has—but you will find lots of beautiful historic buildings to admire. It’s got much more of a small-town vibe than its Missouri counterpart. With that, if you crave the urban experience, Downtown KCMO is super close—just on the other side of the Kansas River, in fact.

Oh, and tacos! Kansas City is known for great food—and barbecue tends to steal the spotlight. But I’m here to say that we also have an incredible taco scene, and the heart of it is in Kansas City, Kansas, where you’ll find several fantastic taquerias.

Overland Park

There are a few things about Overland Park that set it apart from everything else on the list. For one thing, while most of my recommendations are either in the Northland or central parts of the KC metro area, Overland Park is on the south side of the metro.

It’s also probably the largest area on this list—and as such, you’ll find loads of homes and apartments in all different price ranges. I’m giving it a mention not only because of the massive selection of housing options, but also because experts routinely list Overland Park as one of the absolute best places to live in the United States.

That’s because not only is it a quiet and safe suburb, but it also boasts some great school districts, plus lots of things to do. You’ll find all kinds of great restaurants featuring every cuisine imaginable, plenty of good spots for shopping—and all of it is quite well connected to the rest of the metro, which means it’s only a 20-minute drive to visit places like Downtown KCMO, Arrowhead Stadium (home of the Chiefs), and other major KC attractions.