Appleton, WI vs St. Louis, MO
Moving from Appleton to St. Louis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($350,370 → $276,878 median home) and taxes.
Appleton vs St. Louis at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Appleton, WI, you'd need about $101,320 in St. Louis, MO (+$1,320).
Livability — Appleton, WI: 65 · St. Louis, MO: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,426 sqft in Appleton vs 3,161 sqft in St. Louis ($206 vs $158 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Appleton, WI | St. Louis, MO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,604 | $17,412 | +$2,808 |
| Groceries | $4,691 | $4,934 | +$243 |
| Transportation | $3,085 | $3,390 | +$305 |
| Utilities | $2,076 | $1,512 | −$564 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $2,400 | +$1,100 |
| Taxes | $13,083 | $10,488 | −$2,594 |
| Total | $38,839 | $40,136 | +$1,298 |
Side by side
| Metric | Appleton, WI | St. Louis, MO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 93.7 | 95.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.92% | 4.35% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.3% | 0.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 37 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.33 | $5.40 |
| Median home price | $350,370 | $276,878 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 6.1% | 2.9% |
| Price per square foot | $206 | $158 |
| Median rent | $1,217 | $1,451 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.9% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.43% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 7.65% | 4.80% |
| Property tax rate | 1.56% | 1.26% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.55% |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,800 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.2 | 14.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 320 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 8 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |