Philadelphia, PA → St. Louis, MO
You'd keep $229 more a month in St. Louis
+$2,748 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
| Per month | Philadelphia | St. Louis | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $8,125 | $7,578 | −$547 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,264 | $1,903 | −$362 |
| Take-home pay | $5,861 | $5,675 | −$185 |
| Rent | $1,541 | $1,144 | −$397 |
| Getting around | $418 | $545 | +$127 |
| Groceries | $408 | $368 | −$40 |
| Healthcare | $459 | $414 | −$45 |
| Utilities | $255 | $230 | −$25 |
| Everything else | $357 | $322 | −$35 |
| Left over | $2,423 | $2,652 | +$229 |
To break even in St. Louis, you'd need to earn
$86,500
Household gross, versus $97,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Philadelphia does now.
The tax difference alone
+$2,393
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 27.9% in Philadelphia, 25.1% in St. Louis.
Philadelphia, PA in full
East Coast density at half of Boston's rent, minus a 3.75% city wage tax.
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 → Philadelphia →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.