Boston vs St. Louis Cost of Living
St. Louis is approximately 25.4% cheaper than Boston. See salary equivalence, taxes, and side-by-side breakdown.
Boston, MA
St. Louis, MO
| Salary in Boston | Equivalent in St. Louis | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $37,300 | -$12,700 (-25.4%) |
| $75,000 | $55,900 | -$19,100 (-25.5%) |
| $100,000 | $74,600 | -$25,400 (-25.4%) |
| $150,000 | $111,900 | -$38,100 (-25.4%) |
| $200,000 | $149,200 | -$50,800 (-25.4%) |
Boston is roughly 25% more expensive overall, and housing is doing almost all of the work: a one-bedroom runs $2,800 in Boston against $950 in St. Louis.
Housing does most of the damage
Strip out housing and most US metros cost about the same. Housing is where the difference lives. A one-bedroom runs about $2,800 a month in Boston and $950 in St. Louis — $1,850 a month apart, or $22,200 a year.
Ownership widens the gap. $780,000 buys the median home in Boston; $240,000 does in St. Louis. The down payment alone differs by roughly $108,000, and that is before Massachusetts and Missouri property tax rates diverge.
Taxes the index leaves out
There is a city-level tax to account for as well: St. Louis charges about 1.00% local income tax, while Boston charges none. On $100,000 that is roughly $1,000 a year, deducted before you ever see it and easy to miss when comparing two offers.
Getting around
Boston is genuinely car-optional; St. Louis is served by limited transit.
Worth pricing rather than treating as a lifestyle note: car ownership runs about $9,000 a year once you count insurance, fuel, maintenance and parking. Where Boston makes that optional and St. Louis does not, the rent comparison shifts by roughly $750 a month.
Work, weather, and what else is different
Boston is a large metro of about 4.9M and roughly flat; St. Louis is a large metro of about 2.8M and roughly flat.
Different economies entirely: biotech/pharma, higher education, finance drive Boston, with Mass General Brigham and Harvard University among the anchors, against healthcare, financial services, biotech in St. Louis where BJC HealthCare and Boeing dominate. Treat this as a career move as much as a relocation.
Weather is not a rounding error when you actually live somewhere. Boston: Humid continental, coastal: January highs near 36°F/lows 23°F, July highs near 82°F/lows 66°F, snowy winters and nor'easters. St. Louis: Continental climate with cold winters near 22°F lows and hot humid summers with July highs near 90°F.
No local income tax, but Boston is consistently ranked among the 5 most expensive US metros for housing, driven by constrained land supply and dense biotech/university demand. City of St. Louis levies a 1% earnings tax on residents and on nonresidents who work in the city, on top of Missouri state income tax.
Overall cost ratios come from BEA Regional Price Parities. Housing figures track published market data and local tax rates come from the municipalities themselves. How these are compiled and updated.
Related tools
Paycheck calculator — take-home after federal, state and local tax. Salary calculator — hourly and annual conversion. Mortgage calculator — what a home in either metro actually costs monthly. Guide: the true cost of relocating.