St. Louis, MO vs Miami, FL
Moving from St. Louis to Miami? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($276,878 → $475,622 median home) and taxes.
St. Louis vs Miami 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 $118,021 in Miami, FL (+$18,021).
Livability — St. Louis, MO: 65 · Miami, FL: 57 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,161 sqft in St. Louis vs 1,945 sqft in Miami ($158 vs $257 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | St. Louis, MO | Miami, FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,412 | $32,316 | +$14,904 |
| Groceries | $4,934 | $5,091 | +$157 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $4,800 | +$1,410 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $1,656 | +$144 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $4,200 | +$1,800 |
| Taxes | $10,488 | $5,772 | −$4,716 |
| Total | $40,136 | $53,835 | +$13,699 |
Side by side
| Metric | St. Louis, MO | Miami, FL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 95.0 | 112.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.35% | 5.24% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.3% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.40 | $6.38 |
| Median home price | $276,878 | $475,622 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 6.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.9% | -2.9% |
| Price per square foot | $158 | $257 |
| Median rent | $1,451 | $2,693 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 7.02% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.26% | 0.90% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $4,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $2,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $1,400 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $72 | $38 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $184 | $88 |
| Home internet / mo | $86 | $76 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 380 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 52 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 41.7 | 67.4 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 16.6 | 0.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 57% | 70% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |