$228,000 buys the median home in Independence right now. With 20% down, that's a $45,600 down payment and a $182,400 loan, set against a $55,000 median household income.
Property taxes in Independence run 1.2% of assessed value, above the 1.1% national average. On the median home, that's $2,736 a year, or $228 added to the monthly payment.
Missouri levies a state income tax on top of the $1,493/month this mortgage runs. Model your real after-tax take-home before deciding how much payment you can carry.
Independence's cost of living index is 104, above the 100 national baseline. That's on top of the housing numbers above, not instead of them.
Independence's median home price runs 11% lower than nearby Kansas City: $255,000 there versus $228,000 here.