Cedar Rapids, IA vs St. Louis, MO
Moving from Cedar Rapids to St. Louis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($244,344 → $276,878 median home) and taxes.
Cedar Rapids 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 Cedar Rapids, IA, you'd need about $105,542 in St. Louis, MO (+$5,542).
Livability — Cedar Rapids, IA: 72 · St. Louis, MO: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,376 sqft in Cedar Rapids vs 3,161 sqft in St. Louis ($148 vs $158 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Cedar Rapids, IA | St. Louis, MO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,808 | $17,412 | +$2,604 |
| Groceries | $4,831 | $4,934 | +$103 |
| Transportation | $3,150 | $3,390 | +$240 |
| Utilities | $1,500 | $1,512 | +$12 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $2,400 | +$700 |
| Taxes | $9,296 | $10,488 | +$1,192 |
| Total | $35,285 | $40,136 | +$4,851 |
Side by side
| Metric | Cedar Rapids, IA | St. Louis, MO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 90.0 | 95.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.63% | 4.35% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 0.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.12 | $5.40 |
| Median home price | $244,344 | $276,878 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.2× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.6% | 2.9% |
| Price per square foot | $148 | $158 |
| Median rent | $1,234 | $1,451 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.94% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.80% | 4.80% |
| Property tax rate | 1.64% | 1.26% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.00% | 2.55% |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $2,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,800 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.9 | 14.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 12 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |