Cost of living comparison
compared to
Saint Louis vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
Saint Louis is 2.4% cheaper than United States overall.
- Groceries
-
pay 8.6% more in Saint Louis
- Transportation
-
pay 1.8% more in Saint Louis
- Housing
-
pay 10.0% less in Saint Louis
- Childcare
-
pay 1.7% less in Saint Louis
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 17.6% less in Saint Louis
- Clothing
-
pay 4.8% more in Saint Louis
The cost of groceries, clothing, and transportation in Saint Louis are more expensive than in United States. Expenses including entertainment and sports, housing, childcare, and restaurants are lower in Saint Louis.
Saint Louis vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Saint Louis instead of United States, you would:
pay (unknown) more for restaurants
|
United States
|
Saint Louis
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$22.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$2.50
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$1.94
|
United States vs. Saint Louis - Cost of restaurants
pay 8.6% more for groceries
|
United States
|
Saint Louis
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$2.91
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$6.74
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$3.84
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$3.11
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$5.05
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$3.18
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.93
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$2.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$2.19
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.71
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.85
|
|
United States vs. Saint Louis - Cost of groceries
pay 1.8% more for transportation
|
United States
|
Saint Louis
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$2.94
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$78.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$36,336.95
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$15.93
|
|
United States vs. Saint Louis - Cost of transportation
pay 10.0% less for housing
|
United States
|
Saint Louis
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$71.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$1,372.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$975.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$157.70
|
|
United States vs. Saint Louis - Cost of housing
pay 1.7% less for childcare
|
United States
|
Saint Louis
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$1,303.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
$23,800.00
|
|
United States vs. Saint Louis - Cost of childcare
pay 17.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
Saint Louis
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$5.20
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$4.92
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$7.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$26.88
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$13.00
|
|
United States vs. Saint Louis - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.8% more for clothing
|
United States
|
Saint Louis
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$55.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$38.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$92.12
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$129.17
|
|
United States vs. Saint Louis - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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