

Denver vs St. Louis
$9/mo more in St. Louis
DenverSt. LouisAbout 781 miles apart, a flight.
- St. Louis leaves you more
- Rent under 30% of pay
- Real winters
Same paycheck, two cities. $2,640/mo in St. Louis. $2,631/mo in Denver. +$108 a year.
Denver
$2,631
left each month
St. Louis
$2,640
+$9 vs Denver
Compare
Same paycheck, another city.
Next
In 2022-2023, 194 households moved Denver → St. Louis (avg AGI $97,314). 368 went the other way. The whole move →
+$9 / mo
See full breakdown
| Per month | Denver | St. Louis | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $8,250 | $7,550 | −$700 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,057 | $1,893 | −$164 |
| Take-home pay | $6,193 | $5,657 | −$536 |
| Rent | $1,489 | $1,138 | −$351 |
| Getting around | $551 | $545 | −$6 |
| Groceries | $420 | $368 | −$52 |
| Healthcare | $473 | $414 | −$59 |
| Utilities | $263 | $230 | −$33 |
| Everything else | $368 | $322 | −$46 |
| Left over | $2,631 | $2,640 | +$9 |
Salary to match Denver
$90,500
Gross pay in St. Louis that leaves the same amount as $99,000 in Denver.
Tax difference
−$523
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 24.9% in Denver, 25.1% in St. Louis.
More about St. Louis
Denver, CO in full
Mountains in an hour, 245 sunny days, and a flat 4.4% state tax.
St. Louis, MO in full
The lowest home prices of any metro over 2 million people.
The other way
Start in St. Louis.
St. Louis → Denver →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in St. Louis than Denver?
For one adult in a one-bedroom, St. Louis leaves about $9 more a month. A one-bedroom is about $1,489 in Denver and $1,138 in St. Louis.
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 Denver to St. Louis?
The paycheck is taxed in Missouri. Rent stays at the same bedroom count. What you keep is the difference.
Left over each month is take-home pay minus rent and the rest of the bills. The gap between Denver and St. Louis changes with the job, remote or local pay, and bedrooms. How we figure this · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Estimate, not a quote. How we figure this.