Pay and cost of living in St. Louis city, MO
Across the 42 occupations we cover in St. Louis city, MO, the middle median salary is $46,860 a year. Pay runs from $30,860 for Cooks, Fast Food up to $158,780 for Financial Managers, a spread of $127,920. Wages come from the St. Louis, MO-IL survey area.
A one-bedroom apartment in St. Louis city, MO has a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,104 a month and a two-bedroom $1,349. Rent, food, home energy and gasoline for one adult add up to $20,123 a year. After federal, FICA and state income taxes, the average occupation here takes home $44,665 a year, and every one of the 42 occupations listed here earns enough take-home pay to cover the four basics.
Open any occupation below for its full payslip, the tax breakdown, the rent comparison and a plain-English explanation of what is left after the basics. Every figure uses the same method, so results are comparable from one job and one county to the next.
Housing, taxes and commute in St. Louis city, MO
The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for St. Louis city, MO, set beside the Missouri and national medians.
Median household income in St. Louis city, MO is $56,160, 21% below the Missouri median of $70,702 and $80,734 nationally. A year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent ($13,248) equals 23.6% of that income. The median of the occupation medians listed here, $46,860, is 17% below household income, which is expected because a household can hold more than one earner.
Homeowners in St. Louis city, MO pay a median of $2,033 a year in real estate taxes, 4% above the Missouri median of $1,948. With a median home value of $197,500, 14% below the Missouri median of $230,300, the ratio of the two medians is 1.03% a year.
Renters in St. Louis city, MO pay a median gross rent of $997 a month in the Census survey, 3% below the Missouri median of $1,033. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent used for the budgets on this site is $1,104; the Census figure covers rental units of every size.
Workers in St. Louis city, MO who travel to a workplace spend an average of 22.1 minutes each way, 6% below the Missouri average of 23.5. 17.0% of workers work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally.