St. Louis, MO vs Salem, OR
Moving from St. Louis to Salem? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($276,878 → $454,689 median home) and taxes.
St. Louis vs Salem 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 $107,882 in Salem, OR (+$7,882).
Livability — St. Louis, MO: 65 · Salem, OR: 59 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,161 sqft in St. Louis vs 1,869 sqft in Salem ($158 vs $268 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | St. Louis, MO | Salem, OR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,412 | $19,536 | +$2,124 |
| Groceries | $4,934 | $5,239 | +$305 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $3,680 | +$290 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $1,704 | +$192 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $900 | −$1,500 |
| Taxes | $10,488 | $13,135 | +$2,647 |
| Total | $40,136 | $44,194 | +$4,058 |
Side by side
| Metric | St. Louis, MO | Salem, OR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 95.0 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.35% | 5.41% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.3% | 5.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 35 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.40 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $276,878 | $454,689 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 6.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.9% | 0.4% |
| Price per square foot | $158 | $268 |
| Median rent | $1,451 | $1,628 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 10.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | 9.90% |
| Property tax rate | 1.26% | 0.90% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $600 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 4.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 340 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |