Sioux Falls, SD vs St. Louis, MO
Moving from Sioux Falls to St. Louis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($342,936 → $276,878 median home) and taxes.
Sioux Falls 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 Sioux Falls, SD, you'd need about $105,419 in St. Louis, MO (+$5,419).
Livability — Sioux Falls, SD: 69 · St. Louis, MO: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,479 sqft in Sioux Falls vs 3,161 sqft in St. Louis ($202 vs $158 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Sioux Falls, SD | St. Louis, MO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,708 | $17,412 | +$1,704 |
| Groceries | $4,870 | $4,934 | +$65 |
| Transportation | $3,200 | $3,390 | +$190 |
| Utilities | $1,572 | $1,512 | −$60 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $2,400 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $5,263 | $10,488 | +$5,225 |
| Total | $33,013 | $40,136 | +$7,124 |
Side by side
| Metric | Sioux Falls, SD | St. Louis, MO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 90.1 | 95.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.15% | 4.35% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 10.9% | 0.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 34 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.13 | $5.40 |
| Median home price | $342,936 | $276,878 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.5% | 2.9% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $158 |
| Median rent | $1,309 | $1,451 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.4% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.40% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 4.80% |
| Property tax rate | 1.18% | 1.26% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $8,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.55% |
| Avg commute (min) | 19 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $2,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,800 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.5 | 14.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 400 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 10 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |