St. Louis cost of living
Prices in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area run at 95.1 against a national average of 100, ranking it #167 of 387 metros. Rents there sit at 79.0.
What drives the number
Prices in St. Louis run at 95.1 where the national average is 100, so about 4.9 per cent below the country as a whole. It ranks #167 of 387 metro areas. Against Missouri as a whole it is 4.3 points more expensive, which is the usual direction: cities cost more than the states around them.
Housing is unusually cheap relative to everything else here. Rents sit at 79.0 against goods at 100.0 and other services at 69.9, so the overall figure of 95.1 understates how affordable the housing itself is. It is the opposite of the usual pattern, where housing is what makes a place expensive.
The number is most useful in reverse: a job here can pay less in cash and still leave a household better off, by roughly 4.9 per cent before anything else is considered.
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 St. Louis 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | 45,370 | $83,410 | $87,708 | $102,950 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 42,390 | $29,700 | $31,230 | $34,900 |
| Registered Nurses | 33,660 | $82,560 | $86,814 | $93,600 |
| Cashiers | 29,960 | $30,290 | $31,851 | $31,190 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 29,480 | $37,470 | $39,401 | $37,090 |
| Retail Salespersons | 28,680 | $33,080 | $34,784 | $34,580 |
| Customer Service Representatives | 26,860 | $44,250 | $46,530 | $42,830 |
| Office Clerks, General | 25,260 | $43,000 | $45,216 | $43,630 |
Pay from the BLS metro survey, adjusted by dividing by the metro parity of 95.1.
Nearby metro areas
| Metro area | All items | Rents | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | 103.6 | 112.0 | #40 |
| Kankakee | 96.4 | 92.9 | #140 |
| Bloomington | 93.5 | 74.7 | #195 |
| Champaign-Urbana | 92.7 | 71.6 | #218 |
| Springfield | 92.7 | 71.6 | #222 |
| Kansas City | 92.5 | 86.6 | #230 |
St. Louis: common questions
Is St. Louis expensive?
Prices are 4.9% below the national average, a parity of 95.1 where the country is 100. It ranks #167 of the 387 metro areas BEA measures. Against Missouri as a whole it is 4.3 points more expensive.
What salary do you need in St. Louis?
The median worker there earns $48,290, which buys what $50,778 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 79.0 against goods at 100.0. Goods barely vary between American cities because most are shipped and priced nationally; housing varies enormously, and it dominates any cost of living comparison.