St. Louis, MO vs Boulder, CO
Moving from St. Louis to Boulder? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($276,878 → $727,954 median home) and taxes.
St. Louis vs Boulder 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 St. Louis, MO, you'd need about $105,940 in Boulder, CO (+$5,940).
Livability — St. Louis, MO: 65 · Boulder, CO: 54 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,161 sqft in St. Louis vs 1,305 sqft in Boulder ($158 vs $383 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | St. Louis, MO | Boulder, CO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,412 | $27,084 | +$9,672 |
| Groceries | $4,934 | $4,814 | −$120 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $4,050 | +$660 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $1,788 | +$276 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $2,800 | +$400 |
| Taxes | $10,488 | $10,679 | +$191 |
| Total | $40,136 | $51,214 | +$11,078 |
Side by side
| Metric | St. Louis, MO | Boulder, CO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 95.0 | 100.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.35% | 4.41% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.3% | 3.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.40 | $5.72 |
| Median home price | $276,878 | $727,954 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 7.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.9% | -2.6% |
| Price per square foot | $158 | $383 |
| Median rent | $1,451 | $2,257 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 9.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 7.77% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | 4.40% |
| Property tax rate | 1.26% | 0.53% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | 1.79% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $2,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 16.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 18 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |