St. Louis, MO vs Phoenix, AZ
Moving from St. Louis to Phoenix? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($276,878 → $448,352 median home) and taxes.
St. Louis vs Phoenix 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 $110,217 in Phoenix, AZ (+$10,217).
Livability — St. Louis, MO: 65 · Phoenix, AZ: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,161 sqft in St. Louis vs 2,063 sqft in Phoenix ($158 vs $242 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | St. Louis, MO | Phoenix, AZ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,412 | $20,904 | +$3,492 |
| Groceries | $4,934 | $4,919 | −$15 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $3,960 | +$570 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $1,668 | +$156 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,800 | −$600 |
| Taxes | $10,488 | $7,280 | −$3,208 |
| Total | $40,136 | $40,531 | +$395 |
Side by side
| Metric | St. Louis, MO | Phoenix, AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 95.0 | 104.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.35% | 4.88% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.3% | 6.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 86 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.40 | $5.96 |
| Median home price | $276,878 | $448,352 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.9% | -1.7% |
| Price per square foot | $158 | $242 |
| Median rent | $1,451 | $1,742 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 9.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 1.26% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $12,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | 1.68% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 15.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 104 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 41 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |