St. Louis, MO → Washington, DC
You'd keep $244 more a month in Washington
+$2,928 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
| Per month | St. Louis | Washington | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,583 | $9,694 | +$2,111 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,905 | $2,763 | +$858 |
| Take-home pay | $5,679 | $6,931 | +$1,253 |
| Rent | $1,144 | $1,929 | +$785 |
| Getting around | $545 | $463 | −$82 |
| Groceries | $368 | $452 | +$84 |
| Healthcare | $414 | $508 | +$94 |
| Utilities | $230 | $283 | +$53 |
| Everything else | $322 | $395 | +$73 |
| Left over | $2,656 | $2,900 | +$244 |
To break even in Washington, you'd need to earn
$111,500
Household gross, versus $91,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as St. Louis does now.
The tax difference alone
−$2,787
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 25.1% in St. Louis, 28.5% in Washington.
St. Louis, MO in full
The lowest home prices of any metro over 2 million people.
Washington, DC in full
Recession-resistant government and consulting pay, humid summers, real transit.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Washington on Washington wages.
Washington → St. Louis →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.