Salt Lake City-Murray cost of living
Prices in the Salt Lake City-Murray, UT metro area run at 100.9 against a national average of 100, ranking it #72 of 387 metros. Rents there sit at 123.3.
What drives the number
Salt Lake City-Murray sits at 100.9, which is as close to the national average as this series gets. Places at the average are rarer than people assume, and it means a dollar here goes about as far as a dollar anywhere. Against Utah as a whole it is 2 points more expensive, which is the usual direction: cities cost more than the states around them.
Housing is doing nearly all of the work. Rents sit at 123.3 while goods sit at 96.4, a gap of 22.4 points between what it costs to live somewhere and what it costs to buy things. Goods barely vary across the country because most are shipped and priced nationally, so a place is expensive almost entirely to the extent its housing is.
A salary offer here is worth less than the same offer somewhere at 100, and the parity is the arithmetic that says by how much. Divide the offer by 100.9 and multiply by 100 to get the nationally comparable figure.
The vertical line is the national average of 100. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, SARPP, 2024.
What the biggest local jobs are really worth
The same pay buys different amounts in different places, so a salary quoted in Salt Lake City-Murray is not comparable to one quoted elsewhere until it is divided by the local parity. These are the occupations that employ the most people here, with the quoted median alongside what that median is worth at national prices.
| Occupation | Employed | Median pay | Worth nationally | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer Service Representatives | 28,650 | $42,960 | $42,577 | $42,830 |
| General and Operations Managers | 22,270 | $99,310 | $98,424 | $102,950 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 19,210 | $29,060 | $28,801 | $30,480 |
| Office Clerks, General | 17,200 | $44,710 | $44,311 | $43,630 |
| Retail Salespersons | 16,930 | $34,990 | $34,678 | $34,580 |
| Software Developers | 16,740 | $128,350 | $127,205 | $133,080 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 16,040 | $41,390 | $41,021 | $38,940 |
| Registered Nurses | 13,680 | $83,140 | $82,398 | $93,600 |
Pay from the BLS metro survey, adjusted by dividing by the metro parity of 100.9.
Nearby metro areas
| Metro area | All items | Rents | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ogden | 100.3 | 117.9 | #82 |
| Provo-Orem-Lehi | 98.2 | 104.1 | #110 |
| St. George | 97.3 | 98.1 | #125 |
| Logan | 95.9 | 91.0 | #148 |
Salt Lake City-Murray: common questions
Is Salt Lake City-Murray expensive?
Prices are 0.9% above the national average, a parity of 100.9 where the country is 100. It ranks #72 of the 387 metro areas BEA measures. Against Utah as a whole it is 2 points more expensive.
What salary do you need in Salt Lake City-Murray?
The median worker there earns $51,430, which buys what $50,971 buys nationally once local prices are taken into account. Comparing a salary offer between cities without this adjustment is comparing nothing useful.
Is housing the reason?
Usually. Rents here are at 123.3 against goods at 96.4. Goods barely vary between American cities because most are shipped and priced nationally; housing varies enormously, and it dominates any cost of living comparison.