Missouri closing costs

Estimate the cash you bring to the closing table.

Short answer

Your cash to close is the down payment plus closing costs, minus any seller credit. In Missouri there is no real-estate transfer tax, though county recording charges still apply. Lender and title charges vary — your lender's Loan Estimate is the real number.

Estimator

Estimated cash to close

Home priceDown payment (%)$30,000 down · $270,000 loanCounty or city for the recording and tax follow-upRecorder fees, tax proration, and local office handoffs are county-specific. The Loan Estimate and title quote still control the money.

Closing-cost lines (rough — adjust each)

Lender / origination chargesPoints, underwriting, processing. Set by the lender — your Loan Estimate is the real number.Title insurance (owner's + lender's)Set by the title company and filed per county; no statewide rate. Get a quote.Appraisal & other lender feesAppraisal, credit report, and similar third-party fees. Vary by lender and property.County recording feesRecorder charges depend on the documents and page counts. Missouri does not add a real-estate transfer tax; confirm the recorder total locally.Prepaid taxes, insurance & escrowPrepaid homeowners insurance and the lender's tax/insurance reserve. Varies with your closing date and local tax.Seller credit toward closing (optional)If the seller agreed to pay some closing costs, enter it here. The estimate caps the credit at the closing-cost total; it does not use seller credit to cover the down payment.

Estimated closing costs

$8,250

Estimated cash to close

$38,250

Down payment plus closing costs, minus any seller credit.

Missouri charges no real-estate transfer tax.

County recording charges still apply, but Missouri does not add a real-estate transfer tax. Lender, title, appraisal, prepaids, and escrow vary by company and closing date. Your lender's Loan Estimate is the figure to trust.

What to replace before you rely on it

Replace the defaults with your lender's Loan Estimate, your title-company quote, and the county recorder's fee schedule. Select a county or city if you want a local handoff.

Estimate the property tax Find the county

Lender & title

These vary the most.

Origination, title insurance, and appraisal have no statewide rate. Treat the defaults as rough and replace them with your Loan Estimate and a title quote.

Government cost

Recording charges still apply.

Missouri does not add a real-estate transfer tax, but the recorder charges for the documents filed. Check the local fee schedule instead of treating the $50 default as a quote.

Property tax

Prorated, not paid twice.

Missouri taxes are billed in arrears and prorated between buyer and seller at closing. Depending on the date, that can be a credit to you or a charge.

A quick example of the estimator math

If the down payment is $30,000, the closing-cost lines add up to $9,000, and the seller credit is $3,000, this estimator shows $36,000: $30,000 + $9,000 - $3,000. That is a planning example, not a quote. Replace every closing-cost line with the figures on your Loan Estimate and title-company paperwork.

Where to find each number

Replace the rough defaults with the real figures as they arrive:

Lender & third-party fees: The 'Origination Charges' and 'Services' sections of your lender's Loan Estimate — delivered within three business days of applying. That is the authoritative number, not a rough default.
Title insurance: A quote from your title company. Missouri title rates are filed per county with the Department of Commerce & Insurance, so they vary by company — there is no single statewide rate.
Recording fee: Your county recorder's fee schedule. The total depends on which documents are recorded and how many pages they contain. Missouri does not add a real-estate transfer tax.

Next steps

What to check next

Tie the estimate to your real numbers and your county.

Property tax estimator Estimate the annual tax that drives your prepaid and escrow numbers. Personal property tax estimator Once you have a car here, the January 1 rule and receipts matter. Look up your county Recorder fees and local offices vary by county and the City of St. Louis.

Closing cost questions people ask first

Does no transfer tax mean closing is cheap?

No. Missouri does not charge a deed transfer tax, but lender fees, title charges, appraisal, prepaids, escrow, and recording costs can still add up.

Which number should I trust most?

Your lender's Loan Estimate and your title-company quote are the best working numbers. Replace the defaults with those figures as soon as you have them.

Why does the closing date matter?

Missouri property taxes are billed in arrears, so taxes are usually prorated between buyer and seller. Depending on the date, that can show as a credit or a charge.

Who controls the recording fee?

The county recorder or the City of St. Louis recorder controls the local recording details. The fee is usually small compared with lender, title, and prepaid costs.

Sources and review

Where this information comes from

Start with the summary here, then use the linked office or agency for the current rule.

Data used: Missouri Constitution transfer-tax rule, local recorder fees, title-insurance rate filing, and the federal Loan Estimate disclosure
Last reviewed: June 18, 2026

RSMo 59.310 for county recorder fee framework; the actual total depends on the documents and page counts.
Missouri Constitution Article X, section 25 for bars new state and local real-estate transfer taxes after January 1, 2010.
Missouri title-insurance rate filing (20 CSR 500-7.100) for title insurers file risk rates with the Department of Commerce & Insurance per county — no statewide rate.
CFPB — What is a Loan Estimate? for the lender's authoritative figures for your actual fees, delivered within three business days.

Use this carefully: Lender, title, appraisal, recording, and prepaid/escrow amounts vary by company, lender, county, documents, and closing date. The figures here are rough starting points, not quotes. Your lender's Loan Estimate and title/recorder quotes are the real numbers. Property-tax proration can be a credit or a charge depending on your closing date.

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