Lancaster, PA vs St. Louis, MO
Moving from Lancaster to St. Louis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($388,207 → $276,878 median home) and taxes.
Lancaster 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 Lancaster, PA, you'd need about $98,159 in St. Louis, MO (−$1,841).
Livability — Lancaster, PA: 64 · St. Louis, MO: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,254 sqft in Lancaster vs 3,161 sqft in St. Louis ($222 vs $158 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lancaster, PA | St. Louis, MO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,312 | $17,412 | −$900 |
| Groceries | $4,915 | $4,934 | +$19 |
| Transportation | $3,440 | $3,390 | −$50 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $1,512 | −$804 |
| Insurance | $1,200 | $2,400 | +$1,200 |
| Taxes | $9,202 | $10,488 | +$1,286 |
| Total | $39,385 | $40,136 | +$751 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lancaster, PA | St. Louis, MO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 96.8 | 95.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.38% | 4.35% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.1% | 0.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 50 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.51 | $5.40 |
| Median home price | $388,207 | $276,878 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.6% | 2.9% |
| Price per square foot | $222 | $158 |
| Median rent | $1,526 | $1,451 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.6% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.07% | 4.80% |
| Property tax rate | 1.48% | 1.26% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.55% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,200 | $2,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,800 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.5 | 14.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.55 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 390 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |