St. Louis, MO vs Hickory, NC
Moving from St. Louis to Hickory? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($276,878 → $271,739 median home) and taxes.
St. Louis vs Hickory 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 $94,105 in Hickory, NC (−$5,895).
Livability — St. Louis, MO: 65 · Hickory, NC: 73 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,161 sqft in St. Louis vs 3,679 sqft in Hickory ($158 vs $136 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | St. Louis, MO | Hickory, NC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,412 | $17,952 | +$540 |
| Groceries | $4,934 | $4,840 | −$95 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $3,130 | −$260 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $1,752 | +$240 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $2,000 | −$400 |
| Taxes | $10,488 | $7,879 | −$2,609 |
| Total | $40,136 | $37,553 | −$2,584 |
Side by side
| Metric | St. Louis, MO | Hickory, NC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 95.0 | 89.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.35% | 5.52% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 46 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.40 | $5.09 |
| Median home price | $276,878 | $271,739 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 4.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.9% | 2.3% |
| Price per square foot | $158 | $136 |
| Median rent | $1,451 | $1,496 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 9.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 6.98% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 1.26% | 0.69% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | 1.10% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 16.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 400 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |