Grand Rapids, MI vs St. Louis, MO
Moving from Grand Rapids to St. Louis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($359,923 → $276,878 median home) and taxes.
Grand 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 Grand Rapids, MI, you'd need about $99,998 in St. Louis, MO (−$2).
Livability — Grand Rapids, MI: 63 · St. Louis, MO: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,293 sqft in Grand Rapids vs 3,161 sqft in St. Louis ($218 vs $158 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Grand Rapids, MI | St. Louis, MO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $19,476 | $17,412 | −$2,064 |
| Groceries | $4,703 | $4,934 | +$232 |
| Transportation | $4,575 | $3,390 | −$1,185 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $1,512 | −$804 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $2,400 | +$1,100 |
| Taxes | $9,139 | $10,488 | +$1,349 |
| Total | $41,509 | $40,136 | −$1,372 |
Side by side
| Metric | Grand Rapids, MI | St. Louis, MO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 95.0 | 95.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.32% | 4.35% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.6% | 0.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 51 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.40 | $5.40 |
| Median home price | $359,923 | $276,878 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.7× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.8% | 2.9% |
| Price per square foot | $218 | $158 |
| Median rent | $1,623 | $1,451 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 4.80% |
| Property tax rate | 1.16% | 1.26% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.61% | 2.55% |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,700 | $1,800 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.4 | 14.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |