St. Louis, MO vs Worcester, MA
Moving from St. Louis to Worcester? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($276,878 → $482,611 median home) and taxes.
St. Louis vs Worcester 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 $108,433 in Worcester, MA (+$8,433).
Livability — St. Louis, MO: 65 · Worcester, MA: 56 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,161 sqft in St. Louis vs 1,761 sqft in Worcester ($158 vs $284 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | St. Louis, MO | Worcester, MA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,412 | $26,184 | +$8,772 |
| Groceries | $4,934 | $4,938 | +$3 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $3,210 | −$180 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $3,180 | +$1,668 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,800 | −$600 |
| Taxes | $10,488 | $16,011 | +$5,523 |
| Total | $40,136 | $55,322 | +$15,186 |
Side by side
| Metric | St. Louis, MO | Worcester, MA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 95.0 | 103.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.35% | 5.78% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.3% | 4.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 37 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.40 | $5.86 |
| Median home price | $276,878 | $482,611 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.9% | 1.8% |
| Price per square foot | $158 | $284 |
| Median rent | $1,451 | $2,182 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 6.25% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | 9.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.26% | 1.39% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $21,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | 2.25% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 29 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |