St. Louis, MO vs Detroit, MI
Moving from St. Louis to Detroit? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($276,878 → $269,080 median home) and taxes.
St. Louis vs Detroit 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 $103,384 in Detroit, MI (+$3,384).
Livability — St. Louis, MO: 65 · Detroit, MI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,161 sqft in St. Louis vs 3,066 sqft in Detroit ($158 vs $163 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | St. Louis, MO | Detroit, MI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,412 | $18,000 | +$588 |
| Groceries | $4,934 | $4,896 | −$38 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $4,575 | +$1,185 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $2,316 | +$804 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,300 | −$1,100 |
| Taxes | $10,488 | $9,547 | −$941 |
| Total | $40,136 | $40,634 | +$498 |
Side by side
| Metric | St. Louis, MO | Detroit, MI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 95.0 | 98.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.35% | 6.60% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.3% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.40 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $276,878 | $269,080 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.9% | 2.8% |
| Price per square foot | $158 | $163 |
| Median rent | $1,451 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 1.26% | 1.43% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | 0.61% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $2,700 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 21.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 16 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |