St. Louis, MO vs San Juan, PR
Moving from St. Louis to San Juan? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($276,878 → $350,000 median home) and taxes.
St. Louis vs San Juan 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 $105,293 in San Juan, PR (+$5,293).
Livability — St. Louis, MO: 65 · San Juan, PR: 56 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,161 sqft in St. Louis vs 2,500 sqft in San Juan ($158 vs $200 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | St. Louis, MO | San Juan, PR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,412 | $18,000 | +$588 |
| Groceries | $4,934 | $5,000 | +$66 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $2,960 | −$430 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $1,728 | +$216 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,200 | −$1,200 |
| Taxes | $10,488 | $37,720 | +$27,232 |
| Total | $40,136 | $66,608 | +$26,472 |
Side by side
| Metric | St. Louis, MO | San Juan, PR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 95.0 | 100.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.35% | 13.00% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.3% | -5.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.40 | $5.69 |
| Median home price | $276,878 | $350,000 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 13.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.9% | 3.0% |
| Price per square foot | $158 | $200 |
| Median rent | $1,451 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 11.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 11.50% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | 33.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.26% | 0.52% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $5,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $6,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $1,300 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 16.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.40 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 350 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 72 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |