St. Louis, MO vs Madison, WI
Moving from St. Louis to Madison? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($276,878 → $452,769 median home) and taxes.
St. Louis vs Madison 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 $101,012 in Madison, WI (+$1,012).
Livability — St. Louis, MO: 65 · Madison, WI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,161 sqft in St. Louis vs 1,878 sqft in Madison ($158 vs $266 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | St. Louis, MO | Madison, WI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,412 | $20,196 | +$2,784 |
| Groceries | $4,934 | $4,691 | −$243 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $3,085 | −$305 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $2,076 | +$564 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,300 | −$1,100 |
| Taxes | $10,488 | $15,162 | +$4,674 |
| Total | $40,136 | $46,510 | +$6,373 |
Side by side
| Metric | St. Louis, MO | Madison, WI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 95.0 | 95.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.35% | 2.42% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.3% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.40 | $5.46 |
| Median home price | $276,878 | $452,769 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 5.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.9% | 2.7% |
| Price per square foot | $158 | $266 |
| Median rent | $1,451 | $1,683 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 10.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 5.43% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | 7.65% |
| Property tax rate | 1.26% | 1.75% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 19.2 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.20 |
| Natural gas / mo | $72 | $72 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $184 | $42 |
| Home internet / mo | $86 | $85 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 320 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 8 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 41.7 | 34.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 16.6 | 48.7 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 57% | 54% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |