Moving from Dubuque to St. Louis
Moving to St. Louis costs you $340 a month
−$4,080 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
Dubuque leftover
$2,985
a month after tax and rent
St. Louis leftover
$2,645
−$340 vs Dubuque
| Per month | Dubuque | St. Louis | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,208 | $7,567 | +$359 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,666 | $1,899 | +$233 |
| Take-home pay | $5,542 | $5,668 | +$126 |
| Rent | $802 | $1,144 | +$342 |
| Getting around | $496 | $545 | +$49 |
| Groceries | $347 | $368 | +$21 |
| Healthcare | $391 | $414 | +$23 |
| Utilities | $217 | $230 | +$13 |
| Everything else | $304 | $322 | +$18 |
| Left over | $2,985 | $2,645 | −$340 |
To break even in St. Louis, you'd need to earn
$97,000
Household gross, versus $86,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Dubuque does now.
The tax difference alone
−$1,517
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 23.1% in Dubuque, 25.1% in St. Louis.
More about St. Louis
Dubuque, IA in full
A flat 3.8% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $955 and 204 sunny days; commutes average 17 minutes.
St. Louis, MO in full
The lowest home prices of any metro over 2 million people.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from St. Louis on St. Louis wages.
St. Louis → Dubuque →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in St. Louis than Dubuque?
A one-bedroom is about $802 in Dubuque versus $1,144 in St. Louis. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $340 a month lower in St. Louis. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does St. Louis have state income tax?
St. Louis is in Missouri, which taxes wage income, plus a local wage tax of 1.00%.
What changes if you move from Dubuque to St. Louis?
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.
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.