Des Moines, IA vs St. Louis, MO
Moving from Des Moines to St. Louis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($296,070 → $276,878 median home) and taxes.
Des Moines 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 Des Moines, IA, you'd need about $102,395 in St. Louis, MO (+$2,395).
Livability — Des Moines, IA: 68 · St. Louis, MO: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,787 sqft in Des Moines vs 3,161 sqft in St. Louis ($179 vs $158 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Des Moines, IA | St. Louis, MO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,516 | $17,412 | +$1,896 |
| 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 | $10,265 | $10,488 | +$223 |
| Total | $36,962 | $40,136 | +$3,174 |
Side by side
| Metric | Des Moines, IA | St. Louis, MO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.8 | 95.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.14% | 4.35% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 14.2% | 0.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 45 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.28 | $5.40 |
| Median home price | $296,070 | $276,878 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | 2.9% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $158 |
| Median rent | $1,293 | $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 | 1.71% | 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) | 21 | 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 |