City comparison
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Houston | St. Louis | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $938/mo | 31.7% higher in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $174,100 | 35.0% higher in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $52,941 | 14.2% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 97.7 | 96.3 | 1.5% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 106.5 | 91.7 | 16.1% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 97.3 | 96.9 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 90.9 | 99.1 | 8.3% lower in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Houston, you'd need $75,945 in St. Louis to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
St. Louis, MO is about 24.1% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 24% lower in St. Louis than in Houston. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $60,756 in St. Louis to keep the same standard of living.