Cost of living in St. Louis, MO
The St. Louis, MO-IL metro area (2,809,527 people) ranks #104 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
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Price level, from cheaper to pricier.
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- McAllen, TX 85.9
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Wichita, KS 88.9
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Oklahoma City, OK 90.4
- Sioux Falls, SD 90.6
- Baton Rouge, LA 90.8
- Clarksville, TN 90.9
- Fargo, ND 90.9
- Killeen, TX 91.1
- Spartanburg, SC 91.1
- Fayetteville, AR 91.4
- Chattanooga, TN 91.5
- Toledo, OH 91.5
- Birmingham, AL 91.6
- Des Moines, IA 91.7
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Memphis, TN 92.2
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Huntsville, AL 93.1
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Columbia, SC 93.7
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- St. Louis, MO 95.1
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Grand Rapids, MI 95.5
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Nashville, TN 96.3
- Wilmington, NC 96.4
- Asheville, NC 96.5
- Cheyenne, WY 96.5
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Milwaukee, WI 96.9
- Tucson, AZ 96.9
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Rochester, NY 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Charlotte, NC 97.3
- Madison, WI 97.3
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Durham, NC 97.6
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Richmond, VA 97.9
- Virginia Beach, VA 97.9
- Hilton Head Island, SC 98.0
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Daytona Beach, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Albany, NY 99.6
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Colorado Springs, CO 100.7
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Burlington, VT 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Eugene, OR 101.6
- Providence, RI 101.8
- Portland, ME 101.9
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Trenton, NJ 103.2
- Phoenix, AZ 103.3
- Bend, OR 103.6
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Baltimore, MD 104.5
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Anchorage, AK 105.4
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Sacramento, CA 106.7
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Los Angeles, CA 113.6
- Miami, FL 114.2
- San Francisco, CA 115.6
Compare St. Louis with your city
See what you'd need to earn in St. Louis to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from Chicago, IL, which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), at about its median household income. Pick your own city and salary.
Equal salary in St. Louis: $81,100
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $81,100 in St. Louis, MO to match $90,000 in Chicago, IL ($8,900 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Uses Illinois and Missouri state income tax; includes St. Louis resident tax $900 (inside city limits).
What things cost in St. Louis
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in St. Louis
On an $80,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $61,549 after 2026 federal tax ($8,770), Social Security and Medicare ($6,120) and Missouri income tax ($2,761), and $800 in St. Louis resident income tax.
City of St. Louis residents pay a 1% earnings tax (renewed by voters in April 2026). St. Louis County is not included. If you live outside the city but work in it, you still pay the 1% earnings tax on those wages. St. Louis County and the Illinois suburbs have no local income tax.
Housing
| Measure | St. Louis area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,154/mo |
| Median home value | $268,300 |
| Median property tax | $3,014/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $1,812 |
| Median household income | $81,679 |
Climate and jobs in St. Louis
In the St. Louis area the average January low is 24°F and the average July high 90°F, and the area has about 47 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 4.0% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $49,990 a year, 2% below the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 24°F |
| July high | 90°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 47 a year |
| Precipitation | 42 in a year |
| Snowfall | 17 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 4.0% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $49,990 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 1.3 million | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the St. Louis Lambert International Airport station (USW00013994). Weather varies across a metro area, especially with elevation and distance from the coast. Jobs: unemployment from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; wages and job counts from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which count wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed; wages are before taxes. The 2025 average covers 11 months: October 2025 data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.
Retiring in St. Louis
A single retiree spends about $3,059 a month here if they own their home outright, or $3,668 renting, based on typical spending for households 65 and older (BLS 2024) adjusted for local prices. See where your budget goes furthest.
Where people move to and from St. Louis
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the St. Louis area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 92.2 of 100), with expected losses of about $711 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in Missouri.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in St. Louis?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $75,400 in St. Louis. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $46,160, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $77,642.
Is St. Louis expensive?
The St. Louis metro area's price level is 95.1 (U.S. = 100), #104 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 79.0, 21% below the U.S. average.
Are people moving to St. Louis?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, St. Louis had a net loss of about 3,301 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in St. Louis?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the St. Louis area (St. Louis Lambert International Airport weather station), the average January low is 24°F and the average July high 90°F. The area has about 47 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 42 inches of precipitation a year and about 17 inches of snow.
What are jobs and pay like in St. Louis?
The St. Louis metro area's unemployment rate averaged 4.0% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $49,990 a year in May 2025, 2% below the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect St. Louis?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 92.2). The highest relative risks are heat wave, earthquake, hail.
Compare St. Louis with other cities
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Cities with similar prices
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Moving from Missouri