Bismarck vs St. Joseph leftover
Moving to St. Joseph costs you $698 a month
$2,637/mo leftover in St. Joseph vs $3,335 in Bismarck after tax and rent ($698 less). −$8,376 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Bismarck leftover
$3,335
a month after tax and rent
St. Joseph leftover
$2,637
−$698 vs Bismarck
Compare Bismarck to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Bismarck.
Monthly gap
Bismarck → St. Joseph
$698
less / month in Bismarck
$2,637 in St. Joseph · $3,335 in Bismarck · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
−$698 / mo
| Per month | Bismarck | St. Joseph | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,917 | $6,748 | −$1,169 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,700 | $1,542 | −$159 |
| Take-home pay | $6,216 | $5,206 | −$1,010 |
| Rent | $1,084 | $754 | −$330 |
| Getting around | $534 | $547 | +$13 |
| Groceries | $348 | $350 | +$2 |
| Healthcare | $392 | $394 | +$2 |
| Utilities | $218 | $219 | +$1 |
| Everything else | $305 | $306 | +$1 |
| Left over | $3,335 | $2,637 | −$698 |
To break even in St. Joseph, you'd need to earn
$93,500
Household gross, versus $95,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Bismarck does now.
The tax difference alone
−$2,256
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 21.5% in Bismarck, 22.8% in St. Joseph.
More about St. Joseph
Bismarck, ND in full
State income tax topping out at 2.5%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,290 and 196 sunny days; commutes average 18 minutes.
St. Joseph, MO in full
State income tax topping out at 4.7%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $898 and 220 sunny days; commutes average 19 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from St. Joseph on St. Joseph wages.
St. Joseph → Bismarck →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in St. Joseph than Bismarck?
A one-bedroom is about $1,084 in Bismarck versus $754 in St. Joseph. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $698 a month lower in St. Joseph. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does St. Joseph have state income tax?
St. Joseph is in Missouri, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Bismarck to St. Joseph?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Missouri tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Bismarck and St. Joseph moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.